FUEL GAUGE
State fuel specialists, retailers keep fuel flowing for drivers
Motorists want their fuel to be good to the last drop.
Oklahoma’s Corporation Commission does too, and it works with thousands of fuel retailers in the state to make sure motorists are getting what they pay for.
The state employs just 19 fuel specialists who work geographical territories to check fuel storage and delivery systems.
In the fiscal year that ended June 30, they inspected 73,169 fuel dispensers at 4,923 retailer stations they visited at least twice during the year.
They also conducted annual inspections of 4,509 underground fuel storage tanks, and conducted investigatory inspections related to 791 complaints received by the commission from motorists.
And while motorists might not spend a lot of time thinking about all the work that goes into creating fuel delivery systems that are
both accurate and safe, a veteran fuel specialist with the commission observed he’s seen lots of changes during his nearly 20-yearlong career.
Justin Lankford said the digital age has greatly changed how retailers’ fuel dispensers operate.
Meanwhile, safety regulations put into place in 2008 for retail stations built from then on have helped improve the safety of their fuel delivery systems, Lankford said.
“We work these stations at least twice a year, and we have two aspects to our job,” Lankford said. “One is to be sure that nothing is leaking.
“The other aspect is to protect the consumer. We need to be sure the dispensing devices are giving away the correct type of product in the correct amounts.”
What’s checked
Each time a fuel specialist visits a retailer’s store, the specialist:
• Checks fuel dispensers to make sure state-required placards are properly posted that instruct motorists to shut off their vehicles, to not smoke around the stations and to be aware of static electricity hazards.
• Checks to be sure prices displayed on dispensers match the retailer’s sign in front of the store.
• Checks to be sure placards are properly posted to inform motorists a dispenser delivers ethanolblended fuel.
“Ethanol is a big deal, because a lot of motorists don’t want it,” Lankford said.
• Checks to be sure a placard is posted that informs motorists they may get traces of ethanol in their fuel if they dispense less than 5 gallons into a vehicle tank in cases
where a retailer’s dispensers deliver both fullstrength gasoline and ethanol-blended fuels using the same equipment.
“Most newer retail locations dispense those fuels using different dispensers and delivery systems, but not all,” Lankford said.
• Checks fuel dispensers’ lower interiors to be sure there’s no exposed wiring and no evidence of any leaks where the dispensers tie into fuel delivery systems.
• Checks to be sure emergency breakaways between dispensers and the fuel delivery system are intact so that pop-it valves can disconnect fuel sources and reduce the chance of an explosion if a dispenser is knocked over.
• Checks to be sure emergency breakaways for dispenser hoses are operational to prevent damage to vehicles and dispensers in cases where cars drive off from a dispenser when its hose nozzle is still in a vehicle’s tank.
• Pumps fuel samples into state calibrated test reservoirs, both to check the pumps are accurate in amounts they dispense and to check the octane levels of the fuel to be sure motorists are getting what they are paying for.
“If it says it pumped 5 gallons, it needs to have
pumped 5 gallons,” Lankford said. “And we regulate that to within 6 cubic inches, plus or minus, of five gallons, which is real close to being about 5 or 6 tablespoons.”
During annual inspections, fuel specialists also verify the retailer’s fuel records to ensure there’s no evidence an underground storage tank or its fuel delivery system is leaking.
They pull up covers installed over the tanks to visually inspect them and their pumps for leaks, and they also check the underground storage tanks for evidence of water contamination.
Safer service
Lankford said motorists may not realize it, but the fuel delivery systems retailers use these days are much more accurate and safe than they used to be.
Retail locations built in 2008 or later have to use double-walled underground storage tanks, as well as double-walled piping to get the fuel from the tanks to the pump control stations.
He also said digital technology has made it possible to more accurately calibrate dispensers. But he also observed those dispensers still lose their
accuracy over time as their measuring equipment wears.
“It seems like to me they are getting more accurate. But a meter is still a meter. And once it gets worn, it will need to be recalibrated until it gets to where the meter needs replaced,” Lankford said.
He also said the job has gotten more challenging as retailers build larger operations to serve increased numbers of motorists.
The days of a retailer building a store with just two gas pumps are long gone, he agreed.
“Back when we were kids, there were two dispensers at your typical stations selling three products, 87, 89 and 91 octane. There would be three meters on each side of the dispenser, so there would be 12 meters for a specialist to check,” he said.
“The largest station I have in my territory (which covers southwest Oklahoma, McClain and Cleveland Counties) has 112 meters, and it takes me approximately seven hours of walking to get them all checked.”
That’s a lot of work for both the specialists and the retailer, who works with the state to help carry out the inspections.
“When they have a problem with their product, they hear about it. They don’t want these issues either,” Lankford said.
A representative of one of Oklahoma’s largest fuel retailers, meanwhile, said his company appreciates the work the commission’s fuel specialists do.
“We are extremely delighted they do this because it helps us and other retailers stay in compliance and better serve our customers,” said Michael Key, director of environmental and safety services for Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores.
“We work in a cooperative manner to protect human health and the environment.”