Hot Fuel Myths & Facts

MYTH: Fill up in the morning when it’s cooler.

FACT:  35,000-gallon tanks do not dramatically change temperature in daily cycles.

MYTH: In-ground tanks at gas stations keep fuel at 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

FACT: The insulated, fiberglass tanks tend to keep fuel at the temperature it was delivered… for a long time.  Also, larger retailers turn over fuel supplies very rapidly, greatly reducing the time the fuel spends in the tanks. Ask a station attendant for the automatic gauging meter report. It will tell you the temperature of the fuel in the underground tanks.

MYTH: Temperature only causes tablespoons of difference in amount of fuel delivered.

FACT:  A 25-gallon fill-up of 75 degree F gasoline equates to a loss of nearly one quart.  The same fill-up at 90 degrees F equates to nearly a half gallon.

MYTH: Fuel expands and contracts in a truck’s tanks, so there shouldn't be a problem, right?

FACT:  The only point that fuel temperature expansion and contraction have an impact on the wallet is at the retail pump.

MYTH: Cold winter fuel offsets warm summer fuel, so it’s an even trade off over the long term.

FACT:  Statistics show this is not the case. Consumer losses are ten times greater in warmer states than consumer gains in cool states.

MYTH: With temperature compensation, the consumer will rarely receive an actual gallon of fuel.

FACT: Consumers will receive equivalent BTUs per gallon with temperature compensation, and can shop by price.

MYTH: 90 percent of fuel retailers are small “mom and pop” operations.

FACT:  Several large oil production companies and refiners own 25 percent of the stations that sell their brand fuel.

MYTH: The cost to retro-fit the pumps will far outweigh the benefit to the consumers.

FACT: The one-time cost to retro-fit retail pumps is very close to the extra amount consumers already pay annually for hot fuel. 

MYTH: The cost of retro-fitting the pumps will raise the price of fuel for all consumers.

FACT:  Consumers have borne the burden of hot fuel sales for decades.  Once the problem is fixed they will reap the benefits for future decades.

For CONVERSION COSTS for Automatic Temperature Compensation, click here.

Background on the “Turn Down Hot Fuel” campaign 
OOIDA Discovers a Heated Problem

• In 2002, OOIDA staff began investigating the differences in mileages in diesel fuel from varying retailers, based on reports that truckers were getting different mileages from different fill-ups. It was in this investigation they discovered that temperature was making a difference in costs.
• It was learned that some fuels are sold as high as 90 degrees F. An all-time high was sold to one driver at 118 degrees F.
• OOIDA began taking its findings to the National Conference on Weights and Measures and lawmakers.
• In 2006, some states began paying attention and set forth bills to address hot fuel.
• Large consumers, such as the U.S. armed forces, have had temperature-adjusted purchase agreements for decades.
• In 1990, the oil industry successfully lobbied for temperature-adjusted cold fuel in Canada.
• In 2000, the IRS approved a new rule to close the loophole but the regulation was quietly withdrawn in 2001.
• State officials in California and Texas are investigating how they can stop hot fuel overcharges.

In 2007, the United States Congress began addressing hot fuel.