who has been stopped and had there tank dipped? if yes where and by who?

 

I have been stopped by the GADOT at portable scales setup to catch overloaded log trucks on secondary highways and once on a highway that had a entrance to a logging mill that they where checking all commercial trucks (I'm commercial)

I have also heard that the DOT will show up at rodeos and go thru the lot dipping tanks.....I've never seen it only hear say from people that have seem them

I haven't ever been checked going thru a port of entry scale into a state most of these scales are busy weighting and safety inspecting trucks and logs for over hours violations

 

I just heard today that IN-DOT has been to at least 3 county fairs this year, checking fuel. Waiting at the gate! Supposedly, they have a new 'sniffer' that they can use on the exhaust, to tell whether your running dyed fuel or not. No more 'dipping' the tank?

 

That would be interesting......in most parts of the country dyed fuel is the same as road fuel except for no road tax and the added dye at the loading point for the tanker.....can this sniffer smell dye ??

 

It's not just "dye", its a chemical dye.
I'm sure they could make a machine that could smell the chemical residue out the tailpipe.


phox

 

Is this dyed fuel the same thing as Home Heating Fuel ?

 

Yup

In most places anyway.


phox

 

This is from a very good friend that hauled fuel for 12 years in PA I asked about #2 road diesel and heating fuel this was his answer

I hauled fuel for 12 years, and that does not make me an expert on distillates, however I do know what I did for those 12 years.
Here's the story in the northeast:
After the government mandated Low Sulphur Diesel Fuel, the majors carried hi and lo sulphur fuels,,, after a while the piplines complained about the problems of shipping both, so the companies decided to ship all low sulphur,,,
When we would load diesel fuel, it would run straight in the tanker, but if we punched in heating oil, the system would add a shot of dye every 5 to 10 seconds, and that would dye the fuel so that it could not be used in "on road vehicles"
What I am saying is that there is no difference in hi/low sulphur anymore except for the taxes

 

That just doesn't sound legal. You give implied consent for blood alcohol when you sign your license, but no one, no where have I ever heard that I've given any consent whatsoever to have my vehicle searched. And, if it's not in plain sight, it's considered a search that requires a warrant.

What do they do if you have a locking cap? Wait and order you to unlock it? And if you refuse?

Now, if there is such a thing as a sniffer for chemical dyes, and it's coming out your tailpipe, you're screwed.

Any lawyers out there want to chime in and straighten me out?

 

i used to drive part time ( small rig ) got stoped 2 times , Safety check, boy do they check every thing, all i had to do is show fuel Tickets and no problem
jman

 

I have been dipped two times in my service truck on southbound 15 at the Rainbow scales in San Diego county

 

Never been stopped once. Only place I've ever seen off road diesel being sold is in oklahoma.

 

Been stopped once by TXDPS. Stuck the rod down the tank and brought it back up and said you may go now. I dont know why he would pull an Excurison over.

Does red make it smoke more?

 

You raise a very interesting point and valid question. I have posed the same question about state agriculture inspection stations. There are of course exceptations to the search warrant rule, such as; fresh pursuit, consent search,extegent circumstances, protective sweep and secure etc...Additionally, the courts are a bit looser regarding vehicle searches because of the vehicles transitory nature. There has even been recent case law allowing consent search requests on routine traffic stops, specifically, those absent probable cause. But the intent behind these changes in search warrant law is to catch felons, not red diesel tax evaders. As a retired lawman, I am all for giving the street cops more of an edge for putting "real" bad guys away. However, dipping tanks for "red" instead of putting those funds towards dipping tanks for "white" (as in heroin, cocaine, and meth) is ridiculous. Yes, it is a violation of the tax law. And shame on you if you cheat on your taxes. But in the grand scheme of life, the money allocated to fund these "diesel dicks" could be spent in a much better pursuit. Personally, I run red in my Bobcat and clear in my Dodge, ALWAYS! Not because I am so "law abiding and pure" but because in my opinion, the extra $30 a month you might save in fuel prices isn't worth the grief worrying about getting caught. But I agree with you Joel, I believe it is an illegal search of the vehicle and tantamount to "profiling".

 

A lot of states still treat a pick-up as a commercial vehicle, regardless of who uses it. Commercial/Motor Carriers are always subject to inspection. A person with a diesel, SUV wouldn't have to worry so much about getting a fuel inspection. Here, Michigan has only recently allowed pick-ups to be registered with something other than a commercial plate.