Fuel your truck while running

Oh, Vermont. Gotcha.

And I was going by the thread title, which is: "Fuel your truck while running"

I admit, I have been guilty of fueling the car with it running, but not often and typically only when it's colder than a well-digger's ###.

 

That's when its most dangerous, when its cold there's allot of static.




American Trucker

 

but when its cold there is less vapours--the really dangerous times--are when it is really fing hot the gasoline vapours are the worst then--but true--when it is cold and dry--more static

 

I'm sorry but you just don't understand how it works. You need the conditions to be right for a fire. A fuel pump in a gasoline tank does not have enough air to burn. And if the conditions are right a simple spark will set it off. I can take a full loaded tanker truck full of gasoline open the dome set it on fire and kick the dome close and guess what? The fire goes out. Underground storage tanks do not explode like in the movies because they are either vapor rich or product rich. You have to induce air to have a fire.

I've watched many training films on gasoline station fires. One that people have no clue about is using a steel gas can on a nylon truck bed. They slide the can and it builds a static charge so when they touch the nozzle to the can it catches fire. Leaving a gasoline car or truck running is more dangerous because it has heat sources. Gasoline vapors can migrate into the engine compartment and hit a spark plug wire that is shorting out. There's many places where a spark could be and again if the conditions are right you're going to have a fire. You're taking a risk and it's a risk that other people are involved in. They don't need the risk because you've never seen one.

 

My point was it does not happen very often an average of less than 2 times a year for the last 5 years according to the report you posted thats 11 times in 57.5 billion times at the pump. Some of those they were not sure of the cause. Most were caused by getting in and out of the car. Yes satatic can cause a fire, is it likely, about 1 in 12 billion. It does not happen often as some have suggested.
And what does that have to do with leaving the car run anyway?

 

its strange how some vehicles can have such a high static charge--when i had my dakota, everytime getting out you knew you were going to get a pretty big buzz
but wheni worked in the arctic---with the high winds and dry air--####--you had to sneak up on a light switch to shut off with out getting 3 inch flame out of your finget tip

and when the ramp rats were defueling air craft into the nylon cans-well that just made me run away in fear--90% of the time they were to lazy to use the grounding cables--we were just lucky not to have fire

 

I will add here, CELL PHONES, Do NOT use them while filling up. If I see someone on the cell phone while I am filling the under ground tanks OR while I'm fueling up my own cars & trucks I will tell the attendant to either ask them to turn off the phone or shut off their pump, if the attendant won't or customer refuses then I will hit the EMERGENCY STOP Button.

I multi quoted GasHauler's post so hopefully you will reread it. This is one lottery I don't want to win.

 

I shut the truck off whenever I'm out of it. Why leave it running? When fueling, I always top off a tank. I learned many and I mean MANY years ago that idling the truck while fueling, the fuel starts to vibrate out and down my nice polished tanks! Trucks with the filler tube over the step that fuel splashing out ( vibrating) can make that step pretty slick not to mention it gets on your shoe as you climb in and well diesel in the cab doesn't smell nice!

Leaving your keys in a car no matter what the silly temperature is outside is beyond stupid! As you're pumping gas some moron is sizing you up and when you turn to place the nozzle back in the pump there goes your car! Yep, I see it on the news and on you tube all the time! And leaving a child in the car with a key in the ignition is just stupidity at it's best! That should cause any parent to have their child taken away because they don't have the brain cells to be a parent with all the morons running around out there these days wanting to steal your car! It takes NO time to warm up a car or truck from a few minutes of shut down while fueling.

As for cooling down a diesel engine it takes about 2 minutes for the turbo and water to cool down to a safe temp to shut down. While waiting for it to cool do your paper work (log and trip sheet.) It also takes a truck just a few minutes to heat up or cool down no matter what the temps are! Yes even in sub zero temps! It never hurts to check your oil at fueling even if it was good at your PTI that morning along with the other fluids. Leaks can start at any time. The engine is what moves the truck and if fluids disappear it's always nice to know about it ahead of time instead on the side of the road!

The A&P license at 21 can be done! I started it when I got out of the Army and the course was 1 year long. I wound up driving and couldn't make the classes and quit. IF you do air frame or power plant work in the military and have the certs for it getting the license takes a few hard tests and you have it! If you were around it while growing up and can come to the FAA test site with the proper paper work and pass the tests then you got the A&P! The tests are a royal beeoch to take and pass! Not any Tom Dick or Harry is going to just walk in and pass those tests!

 

Don't mean to sound disrespectful but...
I read it. I still think your nuts.