Ok drives, I’m old enough and ugly enough to finally admit it…I’ve ran out of diesel.
Eight years ago a since departed pal of mine ran out of diesel on the pumps,he was at the bottom of his reserve tank when he pulled onto the pumps,engine off,filled up and the engine wouldn’t start,I nearly messed myself with laughing when he told me,we’ll a few months later,(not having learnt from his mistake) I did the exact same except it was on the hard shoulder @ the 300 yd marker northbound @ tibshelf, absolutely mortified,rang the office and they sent a fitter out with derv and shtick,meanwhile two hairyarsed bobbies turned up and I had to endure 40 mins of Pish taking.
I still sail close to wind but now I plan derv.stops in my route.
Come on drives…anybody else? Don’t make me the only one
I will hold my hands up, but in my defence both times was due to a faulty fuel gauge and were I normally filled up at the time being out of fuel so had to go on to find fuel else where
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Happened to me just last week - or so I thought.
Limped into Trowell with fuel guage at sub-zero and couldn’t dip it due to anti-theft device. Rang gaffer who rang previous Driver and said that he had just put 400 litres in.
Once, Leyland Badger artic with faulty fuel gauge on the side of the tank none in cab…mitigating circumstances m’lud …first couple of weeks on artic my usual beasty VOR, asked the fleet engineer how far the lorry would travel on a tank full, he told me about 800miles…wrong.
Never trusted anyone else’s judgment since, and always try to keep a suitable stick jammed in chassis somewhere for tank dipping when possible.
Didn’t help but we were on FINA fuel card and FINA stations were rare as hens teeth.
Been sweating on the fumes a few times since mind.
Spent ages once trying to find fuel and wound up on fumes at Swindon Truckstop with a fuel card that had been cancelled in error (so the boss said anyway). After an hour or so I was finally allowed to draw fuel, pulled away from the pumps and conked out as I had draw air into the system just before I got to the road. Had an external fuel filter so pumped it up a few times to bleed it and luckily it fired up after a bit of cranking.
Couple of times in my car not long after I passed. Never in a lorry though, one of the first things I was told at the last place I worked was that if I run out of fuel I’d be reasonable and would be walking to the nearest fuel station to get some derv.
Once. Come back to the yard with a problem on my lorry next job was at rainham from our yard in barking. Got told take the hire truck in yard got in half tank on gauge got to rainham tipped ob way back cut out just by slip road in to fords at dagenham rolled down slip wouldnt start checked tank bone dry.
Fitter come out with two five gallon drums and a as it was a hire motor a can of easy start.
Eight times in roughly two years! all doing rail replacement bus driving. Those who have done it will know that you often take over a vehicle in the afternoon that has been running since about 4am. 20 odd gallon tank and no fuel gauge and no mileometer either, so if something goes wrong and the bus doesn’t get changed over as well as the driver, then there can be fun.
Junction of Dalston Lane and Graham rd eastbound blocking the traffic lights, at about 4pm on a Boxing Day. Some will remember this old route through to the M1 from the Blackwall Tunnel via the Balls Pond rd and the Archway.
M25 southbound just after the M11 running out of service, came to a halt in the (then) road works. While waiting for recovery my mate pulled up just behind me… also out of fuel. Two hooks now needed!
Better still midnight at Cambridge Station, last bus of the evening. Only one fitter on duty, while he was attending to me his mobile went… four more out of fuel, can you deal with these please? One in Liverpool Street station, one at Sadler’s Farm roundabout on the A13, one at Hertford and I forget where the last one was, it might have been in the Hammersmith area.
Dieseldoforme:
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Happened to me just last week - or so I thought.
Limped into Trowell with fuel guage at sub-zero and couldn’t dip it due to anti-theft device. Rang gaffer who rang previous Driver and said that he had just put 400 litres in.
Thank zb for that. Faulty fuel guage.
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We have this problem with a couple of our new Actros’.
If the last driver doesn’t fill up into the anti syphon device so you can actually see the derv,the gauge sometimes reads only a quarter tank.
This happened to me a couple of weeks ago,did all the checks when picking up my trailer,as you do,but was 5 minutes down the road before I glanced at the fuel gauge to see it reading a quarter of a tank.Scrolling through the dash readout and it said my range was only 500 km,so I did a quick Uee back to base,and when I got on a pump,it only took 40 litres to fill.
The gauge still read only a quarter tank,until I was an hour down the road,then it read full.
When I fill up now,I always make sure fuel can be seen in the anti syphon trap.
I have ran out on the fridge once, did a trailer change (our procedure is to fill up on return), checked fuel tank on trailer it was reading just over 1/4, well I was only doing a 40-50k round trip so thought that will be enough.
Got to first drop and thought “why isn’t the fridge running” (we HAVE to have our on constant no cycle) so tried to clear error codes and re start… nothing started ■■■■■■■■ myself about telling the office but was just honest.
Ended up taking it to our Spalding depot filled it with 280 ltrs of red and the fitter got the air lock out. Taught me a valuable lesson though, I noe fill both Red, White and add blue before leaving every time.
Oh and a couple on my motorbikes, once my brother thought it would be funny to put my CBR6 onto reserve I got to 110 miles on the trip meter and thought wow I’m doing well on fuel not even on res yet, then it konked out lol.
Another time my fuel pipe split so not really the same
Thetaff2:
Picked up a few trls that were bone dry and had to fuel them up and bleed them,all because of the bone idle drivers who couldn’t be arsed to do it.
Frec the bleeding.
A can of brake/clutch cleaner sprayed into the air intake does the job.
Might pop and bang a bit on start up but Ho Hum.
Thetaff2:
Picked up a few trls that were bone dry and had to fuel them up and bleed them,all because of the bone idle drivers who couldn’t be arsed to do it.
Frec the bleeding.
A can of brake/clutch cleaner sprayed into the air intake does the job.
Might pop and bang a bit on start up but Ho Hum.
Years ago,I got a recovery job to Brough,not the one on the 66,the one just south of Dunnet head. Got one of the D reg 0813 crewcabs,just to be on the safeside,I’ll take the one that’s just been serviced. Picked up the car and got on my way,passed Perth,no bother.Fuelled up at Tain and cracked on,everything ok until I was going down Berrydale braes-then the ■■■■■■ cut out. Didn’t know what happened-until I looked at the gauge-empty!
Tried to take the cap off,suction was unbelievable-you could have eaten your dinner off the inside it was that empty. Turns out that the fitter had changed the diesel filters,putting new seals in (a 522 filter if you know them),unfortunately he hadn’t taken 1 of the old ones out…
Gaffer got another recovery firm to come out with some diesel and I was on my way about an hour after running out. It was embarrasing for me at the time-but we ripped the pish out of the mechanic for months.
Come off the boat in Calais once and it was 15lts coming up on the dash,passed the total garage and thought ■■■■ it,I’m going to Verne.
Came down the slip onto the motorway and it went to 0 lts
My ■■■ cheeks were a bit clenched on the way there but I made it stuck nearly 1000lts in the tanks!!
Ran out on the M25 one and had to coast it to a stop on the hard shoulder. I knew I had fuel despite the fuel gauge saying otherwise and was only about 5 miles from the Shell at J21.
Had about 130 in the other tank but they were not balancing properly.
Never in the lorry although when it nears the red in my scania it’s time to find a petrol station because the rest don’t last long. I coughed and spluttered my car into a petrol station though.I was bunny hoping the last 100m to the petrol station another 10m she wouldn’t off made it .
…first couple of weeks on artic my usual beasty VOR, asked the fleet engineer how far the lorry would travel on a tank full, he told me about 800miles…wrong.
lucky never run out
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