How much fuel can be legally transported in a pickup?

[CumminsPower98]

As the title says. I am temperately working in north Georgia and living in a 5th wheel that I recently bought. I will be coming back home to Utah next Feb. or sooner. I'm thinking about filling three 55 gal. drums with fuel before the price gets even worse so I don't have too rob a bank in order to get back home with the trailer. I have read on here in the past about transporting fuel but I can't find it and the search feature is really lacking as we all know. Anyway I'm just wondering if anyone knows the legality of something like this or if I would even have to worry. I may only be able to fit to drums anyway with the trailer on. Thoughts?

 

[FLynes]

As far as I know, there's no law dictating how much fuel you can carry, as long as it's in a DOT approved container and properly sealed.



Some years ago Dennis Weaver (the actor) had a caravan across the US with vehicles powered by alternative fuels. One guy had a 2003 Ram dually powered on B100. He kept his Bio in plastic drums, secured in the back of his truck. I'm sure if you google it, you'll see the pics.

 

[Skydiver]

Check the law from state to state. I can remember back when Huricane Katrina hit some people were lectured by the cops for carrying 100 gallons of diesel in a pick-up.



I'm about to take a long trip. I decided not to carry fuel in a drum because of the fire hazard.

 

[TboneMan]

You may need to placard your vehicle. Check DOT rules.

 

[Grizzly]

I don't believe it's worth storing until next February, due to condensation. Also you are talking about transporting 3, 55 gal drums at the weight of 7. 1 lbs per gal = 1,171 lbs plus the weight of the drums. Where in your truck are you going to put 3 drums? I don't want to hear that you are going to put one or two in the 5er. Not a good idea. Robing a bank may be a better option.

 

[FLynes]

In case anyone's interested, here's a link with a pic of that Dodge Ram in Dennis Weaver's Drive-to-Survive.



Dennis Weaver



Since his death, it looks like they took the drive to survive website down.



These were the guys who sponsored the B-100 for the trip:



REG-9000 Biodiesel

 

[Grizzly]

In case anyone's interested, here's a link with a pic of that Dodge Ram in Dennis Weaver's Drive-to-Survive.

Dennis Weaver

Since his death, it looks like they took the drive to survive website down.

These were the guys who sponsored the B-100 for the trip:

REG-9000 Biodiesel

Very interesting, thank you for shareing that.



You're probably too young to remember Dennis Weaver in Gunsmoke, as Chester.

 

[GOlsen]

Fuel has to be placarded when it's weight is over 1,001 lbs. Diesel fuel (#2) is approx. 7. 1 lbs/gal. This means you can carry 140. 9 gallons of diesel fuel without requiring a placard. If you do require a placard, I also believe that you would need to have a CDL with a Hazmat endorsement.

 

[FLynes]

Very interesting, thank you for shareing that.



You're probably too young to remember Dennis Weaver in Gunsmoke, as Chester.

You're right, I am... caught the reruns... my era was McCloud.

 

[HBarlow]

I don't think 55 gallon drums will fit in your truck bed anyway. I don't know how tall they are when standing on end but I think the height would become too long to fit in a standard pickup bed when on the barrel's side. The diameter might be too tall when lying on the barrel's side to clear your fiver also.



I'd put my money on the advice offered by TBoneman and GOlsen regarding placarding and HazMat. If a state trooper noticed you the ticket you'd get might exceed any possible savings.



I don't think you can do it but even if you can it is probably more risk and more trouble than it is worth.

 

[FLynes]

Bay Tec makes a great DOT-approved plastic 55-gal drum for ANY liquid. Dimensions are 23"x35" and they're $59. 95. Here's the link: 55 Gal Plastic Drum-NEW Factory Fresh ! - PLASTIC DRUMS CLOSED TOP



You must have the proper hazmat placarding, to carry gasoline over a certain amount in your truck bed, but I don't know about diesel, given that there are auxilliay in-bed tanks. Go to DOT's website and you should get the answers you need. GOlsen sounds pretty knowledgeable on the subject too.

 

[AABEN]

I have a farm tank that hold 100gal. I have gone from IN. to CAL. to TX. and back home . Have not ben stoped or even checked at any place. It has a pump to pump the fuel to my truck tank. Works good. It plugs in to my 7 prong plug to get power.

 

[dseabaugh]

I have a 107 gallon tank in my bed and have been to 18 states with it. that aside I used to keep two sets of wheels, one with studded tires for winter and I KNOW that in half the states I drove across in the winter studded tires were illegal; no complaints about that , but who was watching for the glint of sparks on the pavement as the tires rolled at night anyway? sometimes it is not if you will get caught but when. Just start socking away $100 bills for the trip home. Your fuel milage will be better because the worthless American currency weighs less than a gallon of fuel. I used to carry my fuel, but now the $ works better.

 

[icman95]

There are companies that make aux fuel tanks that look like pickup in- bed tool boxes. Fill with whatever they hold and no one will ever question what's in it. Do you really want to store diesel for that long a period of time? After a while bacteria and alge can start to grow in it that can clog your fuel system. The cost to repair if needed, would seem to outweigh any savings by storing it now. You also run the (small) risk of the price going down after you make your bulk purchase. Then what? On the surface you sound like you have a good idea, but it does seem like a bit of trouble, though.

 

[CumminsPower98]

I think you all have convinced me to forget the idea. It would be a big hassle anyway but thanks for all the feedback. No I wouldn't even think about putting fuel in the trailer. I used to have a 115 gallon DOT approved tank in my truck when I was transporting RVs. It made it to some 39 states and 4 Canadian provinces with no trouble. I have since sold the tank. I guess I should have hung onto it but I had no idea at that time that I would be getting a trailer.

 

[Excessive Force]

Fuel has to be placarded when it's weight is over 1,001 lbs. Diesel fuel (#2) is approx. 7. 1 lbs/gal. This means you can carry 140. 9 gallons of diesel fuel without requiring a placard. If you do require a placard, I also believe that you would need to have a CDL with a Hazmat endorsement.

Exactly right !!

 

[CumminsPower98]

I did already close a small savings account I had and bought a roll of American silver eagles. I figured it was dumb to keep "trash" in the bank loosing value when I could put it in something that many think will rise significantly in the future. Maybe I should just buy more silver/gold along the way between now and then. Its hard to know what to do now days when there are so many mixed messages.

This is off of my topic a bit but I think that everyone who can should see this talk by Lindsey Williams about our false energy crises: YouTube - Lindsey Williams - The Energy Non-Crisis - Part 1 of 8

I would urge everyone to watch all eight clips to get the full lecture as it is quite eye opening. Some may have seen it already as it has been posted here before.

You can read the book talked about in the video online here:The Energy Non-Crisis by Lindsey Williams

Some believe that our way of life will change dramatically this fall and others say nothing will happen. I have no idea but I do feel after all the things I have seen that the powers that be whoever "they" all are want to control us, which I have figured for years but the above video makes it clear to me one of the main ways "they" will achieve it. One of the major "they"s are revealed in the video above and this player is the one setting our fuel prices, and these prices are getting to the life changing point for those of us toward the bottom.

I also know that lots of oil or not we still need to be doing more with alternative energy so this false energy crisis and talk of peak oil is a good thing for that.

Well I hope I didn't start a war.

 

[DZinger]

CumminsPower98 - I saw the videos and read the book - noticed in yesterdays news the Iranian president said $115 per barrel is too low and, as Mr. Williams stated, Iran is already pricing their oil in Euros... .