We had a local guy who ran a Mitsubishi Pajero for use in his fencing business. He fitted this with an extra tank for cherry and a switch to run from the cherry tank when off road. To be legal he switched back to white when on the queen’s highway (allegedly !).
He maintained this was legal and, as far as I am aware, never had any trouble.
Anyone have any thoughts on this ?
Loggo:
We had a local guy who ran a Mitsubishi Pajero for use in his fencing business. He fitted this with an extra tank for cherry and a switch to run from the cherry tank when off road. To be legal he switched back to white when on the queen’s highway (allegedly !).
He maintained this was legal and, as far as I am aware, never had any trouble.
Anyone have any thoughts on this ?
As well as being off road the vehicle should not be licenced for road use in order to be legal (unless exempt for another reason ie tractors). Therefore the above case would be illegal.
Loggo:
Anyone have any thoughts on this ?
he was lucky 
Liberace:
Dunno, but they did the motors on either side of me last week at Southampton (just before you get onto the A34) and left me alone. Obviously wasn’t worth looking at
. It could be dodgy if someone’s not too compus mentis and fills a diesel tank with red when it’s supposed to be for a fridge
where was this? i know Sutton Scotney is a hot spot for police and VOSA checks. so is the checkpoint/layby just west of shoreham airport. i avoid both whenever possible. i dont run bent but i cant be arsed with them poking around my truck
Welcome to TruckNet UK Loggo
jessicas dad:
AlexxInNY:
Many years ago, mothballs could be dropped into dyed gasoline (back during the rationing after the war), and the colour would dissappear. Not sure if this works with diesel, though.all hese stories make me laugh i wasnt so long back they were on the radio about people running diesal cars on old chip fat.
I am mate! Bio-diesel. Legal, clean and cheaper.
Bio-diesel is readily available here in Germany and one of my German drivers uses it in his car. Evidently it is made from oil-seed ■■■■ 
Which is why you see so many fields of yellow stuff these days
I had an HM customs fuel check today at Birch services.
As I was off work last week, it got me wondering about what would happen if someone else used my lorry and put dodgy fuel in it. It would be very hard to prove who it was.
Dunno, but they did the motors on either side of me last week at Southampton (just before you get onto the A34) and left me alone . Obviously wasn’t worth looking at . It could be dodgy if someone’s not too compus mentis and fills a diesel tank with red when it’s supposed to be for a fridge . Check it in the morning ,
theghostofcain:
I had an HM customs fuel check today at Birch services.As I was off work last week, it got me wondering about what would happen if someone else used my lorry and put dodgy fuel in it. It would be very hard to prove who it was.
how would it m8,if your company is a good one then i’m sure a copy of the tacho would have been taken( if agency) or if one of your own lads then i’m sure a record would have been kept somewhere.plus you will have proof that you where not at work on day in question. 
How can you prove when the fuel was put in, though?
theghostofcain:
How can you prove when the fuel was put in, though?
if you use outside filling points then it gives a receipt with milage and date on it plus the reg.and your boss gets the bill plus the driver has to sign for it.if it’s inhouse refueling then a record would be kept by the company and like us a log book is used and we place the amount of fuel we use on that which our drivers names are against it.
kitkat:
theghostofcain:
How can you prove when the fuel was put in, though?if you use outside filling points then it gives a receipt with milage and date on it plus the reg.and your boss gets the bill plus the driver has to sign for it.if it’s inhouse refueling then a record would be kept by the company and like us a log book is used and we place the amount of fuel we use on that which our drivers names are against it.
Right, but what about the ‘dodgy-dealer’ bloke who’s supplying them cherry, cash in hand ? There won’t be any records of that, for obvious reasons.
So it’s back to the original question : there’s no way to prove it was someone else and not yourself.
Correct me if I am wrong…again. I understand that the dye in red diesel ‘hangs around’ for a long time after the fuel may have been used in a particular tank. This really does pose an interesting answer to the given question.
I will admit to putting red into a truck once. Had just finished about 5 years of popping across to Germany etc… Had to fill truck at depot facilities. I picked up the hose that was labelled Gas Oil…and why?? Because in Europe, that’s what they call diesel. Thankfully soon realised mistake so went and owned up and rectification was put in hand. Question is, how long will that fuel tank be tainted??
It would depend upon how dilute it was, ie proportion of red diesel to normal white or road diesel, if the proportion were small them the red diesel would likely be so dilute as to not show in the tank, fuel system, pump, injectors, etc.
If the truck had had tank full of red diesel through it, whether accidentally or intentional, then the dye would be there for ever as it would be in a sufficient strength to penetrate all the little hairline cracks and surface defects within the machined metal that makes up the fuel system. With modern test methods even minute particles or concentrations are detectable.
red diesal stains the tank permantley ive heard all sorts to remove the dye the funniest was draining the diesal through a seive and a loaf of bread i think its stupid but maybe im wrong 
jessicas dad:
red diesal stains the tank permantley ive heard all sorts to remove the dye the funniest was draining the diesal through a seive and a loaf of bread i think its stupid but maybe im wrong
dwjinuk:
. Question is, how long will that fuel tank be tainted??
I was wondering that, because the Firm that owned my DAF before me stopped trading after C&E investigated their diesel use and gave them a big bill
Many years ago, mothballs could be dropped into dyed gasoline (back during the rationing after the war), and the colour would dissappear. Not sure if this works with diesel, though.