The delivery driver didn't know whether the fuel he delivered was blended or not??????

Around here, the driver loads his own truck. I assume that must not be the case in Tacoma, or you have some seriously short-term memory deficient delivery drivers there. No, even that wouldn't explain it--he could just read it off his loading tickets.

 

That's right, apparently this guy didn't know. I've asked countless tankers drivers at FJ stops, half don't know the answer. When I queried Petro & Williams drivers they all knew the answer. Now that Williams is Pilot don't expect an answer, let alone them understanding the question.

 

Not to belabor a point, but how could he NOT know? I would guess it to be a near certainty that he loaded his own truck...and, even in the remote possibility that wouldn't be the case, the bill of lading, which the truck must carry, would have that information.

 

Believe it or not, but his FEDERALLY REQUERED hazmat paperwork would only show it with the proper shipping name of "Diesel fuel, 3,III, NA1996" and would not have to show whether it was #1, #2 or a blend.

Anyone with a hazmat certification can look up the proper shipping name in the CFR49 manual and see that "diesel fuel" is the only requirement for a proper shipping name thus it wouldn't be a surprise that the driver wouldn't know whether it was #1 or #2.

 

Uh, I guess since I have been "lucky" enough to have the experience of hauling several million gallons of the stuff, I'm not guessing as to how the paperwork is handled. At least in this part of the country, and I can't see it being different anywhere else.

What satisfies the DOT will NOT satisfy the customer taking delivery of the fuel. They tend to be a little bit more interested in seeing if what you delivered matches what they ordered, and "Diesel fuel, 3,III, NA1996" won't cut the mustard when they asked for a 70/30 blend of #2 and #1. There is paper documentation of every gallon of every type of product on the truck. If there is blended fuel on board, #1 & #2 diesel will be present in proportion to the blend. If there is no #1 on the receipt obtained when the truck was loaded, then it can't be blended fuel.

 

Uh, I totally agree as I too have been intimately involved in hauling "several million gallons" of the stuff, and was just quoting what was required by federal law. As for the actual bill of lading, it should show the blend but then again, I've seen many that only state DIESEL #2 but it was actually a blend. Hazmat would be the same, placarding is the same, only difference would be to the end user (ie., station manager, poor guy fueling up, etc.) as he'll pay a higher price for the blend versus straight #2, and the guy fueling up may be in a hurt at -30 degrees.

 

How did you get away from the loading rack with blended fuel (ie some #1 on board) and paperwork that only said #2? I never delivered a load of "blended" fuel--it was always X gallons of #2 and Ygallons of #1--you could not tell that the fuel was mixed on the truck, and sometimes it wasn't. I would have one compartment containing the #1 and a separate compartment for the #2. Unload the #1, then follow it with the #2. That was typically what we did with the first blended load of the year to mix better with the #2 that was already in the tank.

Placarding has nothing to do with it--we ran gasoline placards--diesel is covered by them, but not vice versa.

 

Wow, up here it's all in the same tank/tanks and no deliniation between #1 or #2 unless the customer specifies a load of #1 or a load of #2 or a partial of both. Funny how things can be one way in an area of the country and in others it's just the opposite.

 

Here in Ma(not that cold) the guy that fuels my work truck said that they start running winter blend Nov 1. He buys his fuel from the big distibutors right near where we park our rigs, and this is where most of the fuel originates from in eastern MA. We have about 90 Freightliners, so I trust him fairly well. Haven't had any probs in about 2 years, but even he suggests an additive as an added safety......

 

I asked the guy unloading fuel at the Cenex dealer where I fuel how he did it. Said he carries half and half #1 and 2 and blends it when he's filling the station's tanks.
At Cenex we have the choice of straight #1 or 2, 50/50 blend or red #2 year round.