texasjohn
Super Member
Well, I hunted and hunted to determine the maximum amount of gasoline (flammable liquid) I could carry in a container in the back of my pickup. Lots of searching on the net was fruitless... at least for me.
Phone calls determined the following:
Gasoline is a dangerous substance, controlled by the Texas DPS (not DOT).
A fellow at DPS confidently told me that there were no regulations until you got to 119 gallons, then all sorts of permits were required. No unique signage is required until 119 gallons is reached... I admit, I didn't determine if it is 119 or 120 gallons is where the actual limit is.
All of the transfer tanks (TSC, elsewhere) indicate that they are qualified for combustible (diesel) but NOT flammable (gasoline) fluids. There is ONE manufacturer that sells transfer tanks for gasoline, but I couldn't figure out what is special about that tank, other than extremely pricey.
All of the transfer PUMPS indicate that they are OK for either diesel or gasoline.
My conclusion and plans.... one cannot throw caution to the wind and good judgment must always apply.... nevertheless, for my situation where I need to transport gasoline in the back of my pickup a few miles from a gas station to a larger external gasoline tank on the ranch, the following should be sufficiently safe:
Use an aluminum (reduces sparks) transfer tank, less than 119 gallons.
Use 12 volt transfer pump that is OK for gasoline.
Load empty tank into pickup, fill it up at gas station, drive carefully to ranch, transfer load to bulk tank, remove tank from back of pickup until next transfer is needed.
Use gas for generator, on ranch gas pickup, etc.
I spent lots of time researching this seemingly simple question, for Texas, thus thought I'd post my conclusions here.
Phone calls determined the following:
Gasoline is a dangerous substance, controlled by the Texas DPS (not DOT).
A fellow at DPS confidently told me that there were no regulations until you got to 119 gallons, then all sorts of permits were required. No unique signage is required until 119 gallons is reached... I admit, I didn't determine if it is 119 or 120 gallons is where the actual limit is.
All of the transfer tanks (TSC, elsewhere) indicate that they are qualified for combustible (diesel) but NOT flammable (gasoline) fluids. There is ONE manufacturer that sells transfer tanks for gasoline, but I couldn't figure out what is special about that tank, other than extremely pricey.
All of the transfer PUMPS indicate that they are OK for either diesel or gasoline.
My conclusion and plans.... one cannot throw caution to the wind and good judgment must always apply.... nevertheless, for my situation where I need to transport gasoline in the back of my pickup a few miles from a gas station to a larger external gasoline tank on the ranch, the following should be sufficiently safe:
Use an aluminum (reduces sparks) transfer tank, less than 119 gallons.
Use 12 volt transfer pump that is OK for gasoline.
Load empty tank into pickup, fill it up at gas station, drive carefully to ranch, transfer load to bulk tank, remove tank from back of pickup until next transfer is needed.
Use gas for generator, on ranch gas pickup, etc.
I spent lots of time researching this seemingly simple question, for Texas, thus thought I'd post my conclusions here.