Heating Oil. Should we be concerned?

Hi Drivers

I hope that as a result of my posting I am not treated as an unwelcome guest.

I am not a professional driver, but I need to reach out to some of you that are.

I have been running a heating oil buying group for over two years. The group has just under 2,000 members spread across Essex & Suffolk, and the vast majority of users submit their orders via their local group website

Over the past few months I have encouraged my members to discuss various issues of concern and as a result eight members reported that they feel they have not received the oil that they have ordered and paid for.

Some of those reports are backed up with very convincing evidence. Although the percentage of reports was high for one particular distributor, other distributors I have used have been mentioned by my members.

The reports are not aboout small discrepancies that would be difficult to prove, but discrepancies of 100 litres and above.

To get a better overall picture of just how much heating oil customers trust the process of their oil deliveries, I carried out an online survey over the last weekend, and whilst responses are still coming in, the current state of play shows that 25% of my members suspect that at some time they have not received the heating oil that they have paid for.

Most members it seems have implicit trust in the tanker metering system that provides the delivery note.

As a result of my member feedback, I have had a discussion with one supplier who has explained just how easy it is for a driver to deliver short and still provide a valid delivery note.

In addition, one of my members has reported this…

"I spoke to a retired tanker driver about fiddles. The most common is the “pipe trick”
The correct procedure is to pump say 500 litres through the certified meter - the fiddle is simple once 500 litres have been dispensed - quickly shut the pump off and close the valve at the tank end,(usually similar to a petrol pump head) then isolate the pipe valve on the vehicle - you then have a pipe full of product but a certificate showing the correct amount was dispensed. Knowing the diameter and length of these pipe you can “trap” 60 litres plus.
Most vehicles carry 2 / 3 sets of pipes for different situations - fill two a day - 100 litres"

I have also taken up the issue with Mark Askew, the Chief Executive of the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers has replied “I cannot say in all conscience that it would not be possible for an unscrupulous driver to deliver a short delivery”.

So, my question to those of you close to the fuel delivery sector is:-

Do my members have a valid concern, or is this unfounded paranoia?

so at the next drop ,the 60 litres trapped in the pipe is delivered free

In all my years of driving I’ve come across one or two instances where the driver is actively involved in theft, so I could easily believe that there’s a few delivering heating oil that are bent.

I’d find it hard to believe that a company would do this, far too much at stake.

Why not set the most likely culprit up for a monitored test delivery & catch them in the act?

syramax:
so at the next drop ,the 60 litres trapped in the pipe is delivered free

I don’t think that’s what happens. Maybe if the driver starts the pump and meter, then delivers 100 litres back in an empty pot, disconnects then put 200 litres into the customers tank the driver would have 100 litres in his tanker for himself and a meter ticket for 300 litres delivered. Drum off the 100 litres later through the API so as not to affect the meter totaliser. However I would of thought those days were long gone, loose your job, get prosecuted and destroy your chances of ever getting another decent job can’t be worth a few litres of gasoil can it?

If the bulk of the problems seem to be coming from one supplier I’d consider cutting them out and using another firm, and explain why so they can investigate it properly.

my father in law was a manager for a fuel company, unfortunately what as gone as gone and nothing you can really do as the ticket will show the delivery amount, and there is no way you can tell what the customer as used since the delivery or what amount was in tank before delivery… the pipe trick still can happen but its not very common as its not worth the hassle and majority of trucks will now have some sort of tracker…

the best thing is speak to the supplier who at your request can check tanks prior to delivery and after delivery to verify amounts… there are also ways of roughly checking delivery by dipping the tanks, or electronic warning devices that roughly show 250 litre measures…

but fil as also said because it as been a prolonged winter in terms of long cold spells this could be why more oil as been used by customers, I have ordered more oil this winter then last year, even to keep boiler at minimum temp as used ore oil the normal due to cold weather…

steptoe:

syramax:
so at the next drop ,the 60 litres trapped in the pipe is delivered free

I don’t think that’s what happens. Maybe if the driver starts the pump and meter, then delivers 100 litres back in an empty pot, disconnects then put 200 litres into the customers tank the driver would have 100 litres in his tanker for himself and a meter ticket for 300 litres delivered. Drum off the 100 litres later through the API so as not to affect the meter totaliser. However I would of thought those days were long gone, loose your job, get prosecuted and destroy your chances of ever getting another decent job can’t be worth a few litres of gasoil can it?

+1

Stories of diesel theft and stuff ‘off the back of a lorry’ in the olden days might be true, but not anymore. As you said, not worth losing any job over, especially not a decent job, because IF you did manage to get another job, it’d be working for AK Worthies or some crap like that

i can see it now … hangovers clearing thanks

Whistler…private message sent.

Is there no way of dipping the tank before delivery comences and again after ?

If you know the ullage before delivery and after then there is no way you can be cheated …

That pipe is gonna be pretty lumpy with that amount fuel in it

I use heating oil and dip tank every few weeks to monitor usage. Dip before delivery and as soon after as possible so now exactly how much was delivered.
Never noticed a discrepancy.
Theft from the tank is a far bigger worry.

All the fuel distributors have a procedure in place for the safe delivery of the correct amount of fuel to the customer and I am sure any reputable company would let you know what to expect when the tanker turns up to deliver your fuel and you then monitor the unloading.

If you are having trouble with short deliveries from a particular company then if you have not been able to resolve the issue, I would have thought that your local Trading Standards office would be of assistance.

With regard to the fuel fiddles most are now old stories of times consigned to history and retold by older/retired drivers over a few pints.
Most the tanker drivers that I know are fairly well paid and with the advent of the modern road tanker and it’s monitoring equipment and the fact that there is CCTV every where they couldn’t be bothered to ■■■■ about with a pipe full of fuel for a few quid.

As some of the other posts have suggested the accurate dip of the customers tank before and after delivery should highlight any shortage.

Whilst I don’t deliver heating oil or have anything to do with the industry, many years ago I used to sell tank gauges, and all manner of parts heating related, one thing I do know is that those gauges are at best only an approximate guide to the level in the tank, there are several factors that affect their accuracy the main one being temperature which not only affects the volume (thermal expansion) but also the internal components of the gauge, another being how the cable is spooled on it’s reel. Whilst I have no doubt that there will be genuine discrepancies in some cases, I sincerely hope your members are not entirely reliant on the readings from their tank gauge. The only sure fire way is by dipping.

The delivery pipe used to deliver oil to domestic tanks is the one on the reel at the front of the tank with a nozzle on the end, not the large bore ones used to transfer petrol into underground tanks by gravity.
The domestic delivery pipes are always full so it is not possible to fiddle.

biggerstuff:
The delivery pipe used to deliver oil to domestic tanks is the one on the reel at the front of the tank with a nozzle on the end, not the large bore ones used to transfer petrol into underground tanks by gravity.
The domestic delivery pipes are always full so it is not possible to fiddle.

What if part of a customer’s order had already been delivered to a previous destination?

Then it would have been metered

biggerstuff:
The delivery pipe used to deliver oil to domestic tanks is the one on the reel at the front of the tank with a nozzle on the end, not the large bore ones used to transfer petrol into underground tanks by gravity.
The domestic delivery pipes are always full so it is not possible to fiddle.

Not if the truck operates on a “dry line” system, see here:

mechtronic.ltd.uk/products/dryline/

The hosereel is fully emptied with a shot of air through it, makes it easier to pull out at the next delivery point

An earlier point about temperature causing differences in metered quantities and the amount read off a customers tank is valid too, although “temperature compensated” metering systems are sometimes fitted to newer vehicles to avoid discrepancies at the truck end of things.

I’ve worked for Q8 and Southern Counties Fuels on domestics.

In my experience all kero dlys are done with a “wet line” hose reel and a gun.

Dry line blow downs are usually for “bulk” dlys as the armoured hoses are put away afterwards.

A wet line hose reel usually contains around 90 ltrs depending on length.

Fiddling used to be done by putting the ticket in the meter prior to arrival at the drop and pumping however much was being robbed then finishing the dly and printing out the ticket at the actual dly point.

Older tankers had no safeguards against this.

The ones I drove had 3 trackers on them and it would’ve been too difficult, though not impossible to thieve.

Like most tea leafs a robbing tanker driver won’t want to be watched or have the impression they’re being watched.

Make a show of marking your tank. A lot of elderly folk who’d obviously wised up to this used to mark and date the fill level with paint and always met you at the gate and watched the whole dly.

I suppose its likely to still go on but with modern computerised and tracked tankers. nowadays I think the OP’s post is about 10 years out of date.

Hiya has anyone thought that maybe we have someone sneaking round in the night with a pump
and helping them selves, a firm in the Stoke area just caught someone with 30x 25 litre dums of
diesel waiting to be loaded in a van. if it hadn’t been a driver sleeping in his cab herd some
one and calling the law…who got there quickly and letting the dog go. not to mention the dog didn’t
need feeding that night, he had his fill from the 23 year old’s back side.(now in hospital)the lad
is from another country (illeagly). must have been supplying drivers at jct 16 with cheap fuel.
only a couple of miles away their’s a nursing home that had 2000 litre’s of kerry nicked one night.
John