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Gas Delivery Startups Want to Fill Up Your Car Anywhere, But It Might Not Be Legal (bloomberg.com)

Posted by msmash on from the story-of-gasoline,-convenience,-and-law dept.

Eric Newcomer, reporting for Bloomberg: A new crop of startups are trying to make gas stations obsolete. Tap an app, and they'll bring the gas to you, filling up your car while you're at work or at home. Filld, WeFuel, Yoshi, Purple and Booster Fuels have started operating in a few cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Palo Alto, Nashville, Tennessee, and Atlanta, Georgia. But officials in some of those cities say that driving around in a pickup truck with hundreds of gallons of gasoline might not be safe. "It is not permitted," said Lt. Jonathan Baxter, a spokesman for the San Francisco fire department, adding that if San Francisco residents see any companies fueling vehicles in the city, they should call the fire department. "We haven't talked to them. I don't know about that. It's news to me," said Nick Alexander, co-founder of Yoshi. "You can never ask for permission because no one will give it," said Chris Aubuchon, the chief executive officer at Filld. The Los Angeles Fire Department said it's drafting a policy around gasoline delivery. "Our current fire code does not allow this process; however, we are exploring a way this could be allowed with some restrictions," said Capt. Daniel Curry, a spokesman for the city's fire department.

16 of 460 comments (clear)

  1. I can see this as an environmental disaster by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Gas stations have environmental controls to keep fuel from leaking into the environment...

    1. Re:I can see this as an environmental disaster by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Sure, but with Web 3.0, you don't ask for permission or worry about regulations, and do whatever you want, no matter how harmful. It's the Eric Cartman school of business, and it seems to be very popular these days.

    2. Re:I can see this as an environmental disaster by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 3, Insightful

      And we don't have to have a fair meter or even hazmat endorsement

    3. Re:I can see this as an environmental disaster by rsborg · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Sure, but with Web 3.0, you don't ask for permission or worry about regulations, and do whatever you want, no matter how harmful.
      It's the Eric Cartman school of business, and it seems to be very popular these days.

      It's the "Uber guide to evading pesky governmental regulation" approach - you just buy "activists" and lobby local governments to keep the hounds at bay until your service gains critical mass and can't be legislated away.
      http://www.politico.com/story/...

      Does corruption by any other name stink as strongly?

      --
      Make sure everyone's vote counts: Verified Voting
    4. Re:I can see this as an environmental disaster by rubycodez · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Glad you asked, the normal shutoff failed at a pump I was using and gasoline started spilling onto the ground, and it was newer pump without the manual shutoff level. Finally saw kill switch for the whole island of pumps....four gallons plus on the ground. Guy running station saw the mess and killed ALL the pumps and fire department came. Fun times.

      You have no idea how the tanker trucks are restricted and designed, do you? The "basic standards" completely prohibit what this company is doing, you can't carry and deliver liquid fuel in *anything* you please, nor to *anywhere* you please, check your state laws your state fire marshal would arrest your ass!

    5. Re:I can see this as an environmental disaster by unrtst · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Sure, but with Web 3.0, you don't ask for permission or worry about regulations, ...

      How is this not something that already has regulations? Sure, this may be happening at greater volumes, but AAA and tow trucks and the lot have been delivering gas for ages! On the larger end of the scale, tankers have been doing it for ages to gas stations. So, any regulation they add regarding this in particular will have to say "hauling more than N gallons of gas, and less than N (or some class/certification thing to exclude tankers)".

      I doubt it's carte-blance illegal today. Heck, just drive a big truck w/ two normal tanks, and pump from one of them. Plenty of large pickups have backup tanks, and that should fulfill all the on-the-road safety rules already. Where's the problem?

    6. Re:I can see this as an environmental disaster by Hognoxious · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Heck, just drive a big truck w/ two normal tanks, and pump from one of them.

      Yeah, those are proper tanks. Competent mechanics carry fuel in proper jerry-cans.

      This service isn't going to be like that. It's going to be retards on mopeds carrying the fuel in old wine bottles in a rucksack.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  2. What they mean is.. by cyn1c77 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What they say:

    "Our current fire code does not allow this process; however, we are exploring a way this could be allowed with some restrictions," said Capt. Daniel Curry

    What they mean:

    "We will soon let you know how much we are going to tax your new business opportunity!"

    1. Re:What they mean is.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The regulation on gasoline tanker trucks is not purely for state and local profit (probably negligible to that end), it is primarily about the fact that they are carrying thousands of gallons of a moderately incendiary liquid with a tendency to evaporate into a moderately explosive vapor in normal atmospheric conditions.

      A pickup truck with a bunch of gas cans rattling around in the back definitely needs some examination and consideration.
      Judging from the picture, they are at least compliant enough to include the internationally mandated 1203 placards (since they're responsible enough to have one on the side, I assume that they aren't so idiotic to not have one on the back where it is legally enforced).

    2. Re:What they mean is.. by Luthair · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Even if its not a bunch of jerry cans as the other guy suggests, there is some engineering to a big tank not only for crashes & spillage but simply to avoid the fluid acting like a battering ram when the vehicle brakes.

    3. Re:What they mean is.. by LWATCDR · · Score: 4, Insightful

      There is the question of vapor leaking. Unburned hydrocarbons aka gas fumes contribute to smog. They are rather nasty. That is the reason that cars since the 1960s have had carbon canisters and PCV valves. They were some of the first population controls and made a huge improvement in emissions for almost no cost or impact on performance. In areas with air quality problems gas pumps will often have a capture device that will capture the gas fumes when you fill up your car.
      I am sure that they are mandatory in California.

      --
      See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
    4. Re:What they mean is.. by FireballX301 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Regulations are an attempt to avoid tragedy of the commons/race to the bottom type scenarios. Why buy expensive ass properly sealed and insulated tanker trucks when I can just toss cheap plastic jerry cans into the back of a shitty toyota pickup, just like Ethiopia? For the three weeks the guy with jerry cans does business before a 'tragic accident' occurs, he can significantly undercut the guy who's doing things cleanly and safely, and once things do go boom, the guy who did things right eats the bill while the guy who cheaps out either escapes to the Cayman islands or gets cooked by his own gasoline.

      For every honest businessman who wants to do good by their customers, there's a bunch of shady assholes looking to make a quick buck, and no amount of pretending the bad actors don't exist will actually make them disappear.

  3. Badly written article by gurps_npc · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Look, OBVIOUSLY it is possible to get permission to legally drive a vehicle around full of gasoline. That's how the gasoline stations get their gasoline. They usually need special tested equipment designed to carry hazardous liquids - and the license to drive said equipment.

    It is also obviously legal to fill a car with gasoline at places other than gas stations - people that run out of gas do this all the time using a one gallon container.

    There would have to be a specific law prohibiting this particular job.

    Also this business is a STUPID idea. There is always a premium for delivery and for the premium for a delivery of a hazardous liquid should be so high as to make this a financially stupid idea. Gasoline stations are plentiful, on roads, normal people never run out of it and don't need the minor time savings of delivery.

    --
    excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
  4. Translation by PvtVoid · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "You can never ask for permission because no one will give it"

    Translation:

    "We are fully aware that our business model violates multiple safety and environmental laws. But we're an app, so fuck you."

  5. much does it cost to get drivers with CDL hazmat by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 3, Insightful

    much does it cost to get drivers with an CDL with hazmat and full insurance vs some uber where they don't even have the CDL and the insurance has time gaps.

  6. Re:Could work by dgatwood · · Score: 3, Insightful

    They don't typically whip out a hose and start pouring out pints, though.

    Tow trucks do this all the time. In some places, the police do, too. It's hard to come up with a clear reason why one truck carrying twenty properly filled, properly made gas cans is that much less safe than twenty trucks carrying one.

    --

    Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.