"Running the Red"
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From: Byron New York
"Running the Red"
Just wondering I have heard rumors that some states are dipping pick up tanks to see if off road fuel/home heating fuel (red) is in onboard. Anyone have this happen? Or is it just the over the road trucks getting tortured?
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From: New Jersey
Just about every state does this when they suspect you're running off-road diesel. Maybe it has a particular smell to it which tips them off, or the kind of smoke it makes, but my understanding is that most police, especially state troopers, are trained to detect it.
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every body that work around heavy or farm epuiment has ran red diesel atleast once.I have been tested twice in the winter time.they do it in heavely farmed areas like where I live in california.your not gonna see that in a big city.I have never heard of a semi truck being stoped for it out of the blue but I'm sure it happens.they hold the same old check pionts every year.so you learn to stay away from them.in californa the fine is a wondersull 5,000 a tank weather its full or almost on E.so yes they do check it.
Lead Driver
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From: Huntington Indiana
Yes they do this at random and the fines are very big $$$.. They go anywhere pickups might be at. Especially farm shows, hunting shows , etc. OH yes if you have an accident and have red fuel. It is considered a hazardous material and they call in a hazmat team to clean up the mess $$$$$. I wouldn't even think of going there. Just stay green or clear fuel and be good to go.
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Originally Posted by matts156
Just about every state does this when they suspect you're running off-road diesel. Maybe it has a particular smell to it which tips them off, or the kind of smoke it makes, but my understanding is that most police, especially state troopers, are trained to detect it.
Last edited by whitefordaward; Feb 12, 2007 at 07:58 PM.
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From: New Jersey
Well, I said "maybe", but I've talked to people who have been pegged for it and it seemed like the police zeroed in on them, and it was almost always the state police that did the checking. I wasn't sure if it burned the same or not, I've never run it, nor have I been checked for it.
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From: Byron New York
I have been stopped when driving dump truck part time. Trooper walked up said stay in your truck keep your log book this is only a dip stop. Stuck his little stick the tank gave me the thumbs up and was gone. Lucky me I was 9 tons over. 
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From: Tacoma, WA
I know a Trooper who is assigned to the state Dept. of Revenue. His job is to go with the Revenue officials and help them investigate violators.
They nailed a construction company that had a 10,000 gal. tank on thier property and all of thier dump trucks were running red.
The fine was the amount of tax that should have been collected on every gallon of capacity of each tank. Back at least 5 years.
They assume that every holding tank is empty once a month. Not sure how often they figure the vehicle tanks should be empty.
So basically the road use tax per gallon times 10,000 times 12 times 5.
Not many companies can recover from that kind of fine.
Green is good. Unless you want to gamble with the State
They nailed a construction company that had a 10,000 gal. tank on thier property and all of thier dump trucks were running red.
The fine was the amount of tax that should have been collected on every gallon of capacity of each tank. Back at least 5 years.
They assume that every holding tank is empty once a month. Not sure how often they figure the vehicle tanks should be empty.
So basically the road use tax per gallon times 10,000 times 12 times 5.
Not many companies can recover from that kind of fine.
Green is good. Unless you want to gamble with the State
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Originally Posted by matts156
Well, I said "maybe", but I've talked to people who have been pegged for it and it seemed like the police zeroed in on them, and it was almost always the state police that did the checking. I wasn't sure if it burned the same or not, I've never run it, nor have I been checked for it.
most state police and county sheriffs will singel out trucks leaveing construction sites and farming areas where there is an abundace of red fuel.both times I have been checked i was leaveing a hay field.also trucks that have L-tanks in the bed.(farmers,construction formans).during the summer I have 100 to 120 gallons of red fuel in my L-tank couse my family owns several 1,000 acres in farm fields.all over the bottom end of norther california.i have a hazmate license couse I also tow 500 to 1,000 gallon fuel trailers from field to fields.I'm sure Dave S. has had this problem atleast once do to being a heavey equipment operator.
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From: Byron New York
A local stone quarry was inspected not long ago. A coalition of weights and measures and the state police. Passed with flying colors until they checked one lone wheel loader that was registered, licensed, insured for road clean ups off property. That rig had red fuel I believe it was 5 grand just for that one machine. This was a company that fueled everything by the book it took just one lazy employee and zap.
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From: Newberg Oregon
The cops can be real jerks about it, we used to have an old gmc dump truck at the excavating co. I worked at and it was never on the road, not even licensed for road use, so we ran offroad fuel in it. Well one day it was sitting on the paved end of the job and some idiot cop dipped it and wrote a ticket. When I went to court for the company I told the judge that the job was not complete and the truck was not running down the road and the officer had no buisiness being there anyway, and why couldnt they come out and take a report when we had vandalism?? Needless to say it got dropped. The fine was"estimated" by how much the truck" could" have been driven
It was a 6v53 screamin jimmy for chrissakes, no one wanted to drive it on the job let alone down the road.lol Sorry for the rambling ,they must get rich on fuel taxes!
It was a 6v53 screamin jimmy for chrissakes, no one wanted to drive it on the job let alone down the road.lol Sorry for the rambling ,they must get rich on fuel taxes!
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Originally Posted by whitefordaward
I'm sure Dave S. has had this problem atleast once do to being a heavey equipment operator.
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From: Byron New York
I am just hearing more of a rumble in the force that traffic enforcement is now targeting the pick ups more. Now how about if your a farm tractor or backhoe running up and down the road with just a slow moving vehicle sign. Your on the road can you still be tagged?
They have not been beating on pick ups where I live yet......................
They have not been beating on pick ups where I live yet......................
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Joined: Jan 2000
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From: Dryden, ON, Canada
Now that clear is Ultra Low Sulphur, I can see, hear, and smell the difference between a truck running clear and a truck running dyed. Clear makes less smoke, doesn't smell nearly as strong, and the injection noise of a truck running clear is louder than that of one running dyed.... I see and hear it every day... I work for a fuel distributor with a commercial cardlock...
Post Fiend
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From: Nutter Fort, WV
Laws about what types of vehicles can run red are different from state to state.
Here in WV we have a backhoe that does have registration plates on it.
We can drive from job to job on the highway while it is running red fuel.
The backhoe is not normally used for transportation and there is a mileage limit on how far it can be driven from the shop.
We don't even drive it on the road much anymore, with the way traffic is getting a person could get run over driving 20 MPH on the highway.
When they set up a fuel check here, every diesel vehicle that comes down the road gets checked. Semi's and diesel VW's and everything in between.
Nice people do the checks here, "Department of Tax and Revenue Criminal Investigation Division". No sense of humor at all, $5000 first offense plus costs.
As Federal dollars get tighter, more and more states will be checking for untaxed fuel.
WVO and home made Bio diesel also fall into that group.
Here in WV we have a backhoe that does have registration plates on it.
We can drive from job to job on the highway while it is running red fuel.
The backhoe is not normally used for transportation and there is a mileage limit on how far it can be driven from the shop.
We don't even drive it on the road much anymore, with the way traffic is getting a person could get run over driving 20 MPH on the highway.
When they set up a fuel check here, every diesel vehicle that comes down the road gets checked. Semi's and diesel VW's and everything in between.
Nice people do the checks here, "Department of Tax and Revenue Criminal Investigation Division". No sense of humor at all, $5000 first offense plus costs.
As Federal dollars get tighter, more and more states will be checking for untaxed fuel.
WVO and home made Bio diesel also fall into that group.