Fake News? Fake Fueling Systems?

Don't believe everything you read...

We're learning that news sources aren't always truthful in what they put out.  Well, we've known this has been the case for the past couple hundred years, but it's been much more obvious recently.

Since we're in the portable fueling business, we'll discuss refuelers and leave the news accuracy to you to figure out.

We've watched (with some amazement and annoyance) a couple of our competitors make inaccurate and wildly misleading claims about their products.  We're not a bit afraid of real competition, because we know that we provide an excellent value on very well designed and constructed refueling systems.

Laws, rules & regulations.
(Note: This is not to be meant or presented as legal advice. As usual, consult an attorney familiar with your local, state, and federal laws)

A competitor claims that their fuel trailers are completely legal for transporting gas.  They widely advertise this, and claim a "special exemption" of some sort.  There is a very narrow window that this claim is correct: That is for a private individual transporting gas for their personal use only. This DOES NOT allow an individual or business to transport gas in anyway related to business use.
Example: A builder cannot transport gas to fill equipment in these trailers. Neither can a landscaper, farmer, or ANY use other than: Strictly personal use by a private individual.

What IS allowed?
For transport of gasoline on all public roads or lands, there are three choices currently available:

1. 110 Gallon or less portable tank, with a Federal Gasoline Exemption Letter. This is our TransFueler M-Series. 
2. DOT406 certified & labeled tank, of any size. TransFueler DOT. Legal for gas, diesel, and aviation fuels.
3. UN 31A/Y/ DOT   TransCube or ABBI tank. Legal for gas, diesel and aviation fuels.

TransFueler M-Series

TransFueler DOT406

ABBI UN 31A/Y/ DOT

What else is required? 
Federal code requires brakes on all vehicles transporting hazardous materials (Haz-Mat).  This means all fuel trailers are required to have brakes.  It's a pretty common sense thing as well, but a couple of our competitors don't even include brakes as standard equipment. They charge extra for them...

Tanks are required to be mounted properly on the chassis. Proper load rated tires. Etc...

Every TransFueler is built in a shop inspected and approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation.  Not all of our competitors are...

The trailer chassis itself needs to be of a sufficient strength to safely handle a full load of fuel.  Gasoline weighs about 6 pounds per gallon. Diesel weighs about 7 pounds per gallon.
500 gallons of gas weighs about 3,000 pounds.  A TransFueler 500 gallon fuel trailer weighs around 2300 pounds. For a total weight of somewhere around 5,300 pounds. The weights vary because of different equipment variations, etc.  The TransFueler trailers have a standard gross weight rating (capability) of 7,000 pounds, providing a good margin for safety. Where some other companies use a single axle trailer, we provide a tandem axle (double axle) trailer, STANDARD.

Every TransFueler, ABBI or TransCube has a stout steel frame, solid steel decking instead of cheap metal mesh, and steel fenders.  This costs a little more, but gives our customers a far tougher trailer, built to last for decades.  That's not marketing hype, it's reality.

There are many, many other differences. Some small like our steel guards around the taillights, to some larger, such as our proprietary pump mounting systems.  We won't make you read all of them now, but feel free to call and discuss...

Like pretty much everything, you do get what you pay for. You'll always be able to find a low-end bargain trailer.  That's not what we do though. We've always sought to provide high quality, at a reasonable cost.  In other words: Good solid value.

Next time we'll go into some of the myriad of rules regarding what sort of driver's license you need to transport fuel. Most of our competitors won't touch that subject.  We think you need to know what's required before you decide to purchase a TransFueler, TransCube or ABBI refueler.