Fuel spill insurance

[chief916]

Anybody  have any experience in dealing with fuel spills in excess of 35 gal and having to deal with the EPA and if so did your insurance cover the clean up?  I bring this question up only because a friend who does heavy crash and recovery told me that whether by your fault or no fault of your own if the spill exceeds 35 gal the vehicle owner is responsible for all clean up within 30 days and is subject to very heavy fines and possibly having vehicles and property confiscated.  Can anyone enlighten me on this subject?

Ben

[Scrap]

Had a few screwups around the country but its always been for work so never had to do the insurance part.  So far has never crossed $10K in cleanup or involved the news either, knock on wood....   Be sure your tanks are low before shucking a driveline!  Kinda sorta related, but third time you are caught forgetting to put a fuel cap back on you are fired actually.  Work is pretty serious about fuel on the ground.  We try to keep one of those New Pig Truck Bags in the trucks as much as practical to give us something to at least try to keep it contained.  Don't plug the hole with every Calvin Klein you can find in the sleeper because the truckstop replacements suck! 

 

[chief916]

6 hours ago, Scrap said:

Had a few screwups around the country but its always been for work so never had to do the insurance part.  So far has never crossed $10K in cleanup or involved the news either, knock on wood....   Be sure your tanks are low before shucking a driveline!  Kinda sorta related, but third time you are caught forgetting to put a fuel cap back on you are fired actually.  Work is pretty serious about fuel on the ground.  We try to keep one of those New Pig Truck Bags in the trucks as much as practical to give us something to at least try to keep it contained.  Don't plug the hole with every Calvin Klein you can find in the sleeper because the truckstop replacements suck! 

 

Like the part about shucking the drive line.

Thanks Scrap

[Dp26]

No experience, but it looks like PL/PD is the coverage.

[chief916]

30 minutes ago, Dp26 said:

No experience, but it looks like PL/PD is the coverage.

Forgive me but I can only make a swag at PL/PD.  Personal liability/Property damage???  Yes?

[Dp26]

Pd is property damage (during accident). 

[chief916]

On 2/17/2019 at 2:05 AM, Dp26 said:

Pd is property damage (during accident). 

Okay got it.  Thank you.

[Pete Kildow]

Also toss a bag of Adult Dipers in the side compartment. They will soak up a fuel leak. Unless its pouring out. I have driven a limb into the hole. And get it taken care of.

And had a drive shalft come out. Grossing 102K and it was not fun. Came of the back of the trans. Lifted the drives off the ground for a second. Did not hurt a tank.  But it ripped out the swing bearing. Thus taking out a brake chamber.

[maveric]

On 2/16/2019 at 12:03 PM, Scrap said:

  We try to keep one of those New Pig Truck Bags in the trucks as much as practical to give us something to at least try to keep it contained.  Don't plug the hole with every Calvin Klein you can find in the sleeper because the truckstop replacements suck! 

 

I carry a toilet wax ring for plugging the hole in a fuel tank. Works great as a temp fix. Stops the leak, but don't drive with it. The road heat and vibration will knock it loose. (which makes a bigger hazmat mess)

[chief916]

2 hours ago, maveric said:

I carry a toilet wax ring for plugging the hole in a fuel tank. Works great as a temp fix. Stops the leak, but don't drive with it. The road heat and vibration will knock it loose. (which makes a bigger hazmat mess)

That's a great idea....will be sure to get a couple for my trips.

thank you

[chief916]

On ‎2‎/‎19‎/‎2019 at 5:01 PM, Pete Kildow said:

Also toss a bag of Adult Dipers in the side compartment. They will soak up a fuel leak. Unless its pouring out. I have driven a limb into the hole. And get it taken care of.

And had a drive shalft come out. Grossing 102K and it was not fun. Came of the back of the trans. Lifted the drives off the ground for a second. Did not hurt a tank.  But it ripped out the swing bearing. Thus taking out a brake chamber.

10-4 on the diapers.  This is great info to know.

thank you

[SuiteSuccess]

On 2/19/2019 at 5:01 PM, Pete Kildow said:

Also toss a bag of Adult Dipers in the side compartment. They will soak up a fuel leak. Unless its pouring out. I have driven a limb into the hole. And get it taken care of.

And had a drive shalft come out. Grossing 102K and it was not fun. Came of the back of the trans. Lifted the drives off the ground for a second. Did not hurt a tank.  But it ripped out the swing bearing. Thus taking out a brake chamber.

Pete,

Never know, diapers may come in handy in case of emergency stop when the Kia slams on his brakes in front of you on the freeway. 😜

[rickeieio]

Back when I was young, and cars had steel fuel tanks, you could buy a fuel tank repair kit at any auto parts store.  It had epoxy and a fiberglass patch, and a wax crayon to plug the hole.  Identify the leak, and stop flow with the wax.  San/prep surface, being careful not to disturb the wax.  Mix epoxy and apply patch, smearing more epoxy into fabric.  Wait prescribed time and drive on.......Oh wait, DT was supposed to say that..🤣

It might take a big wax crayon to stop the fuel from an errant drive shaft, but with a toilet ring, some burlap, and a ratchet strap, I bet we could get on down the road.

[Pete Kildow]

21 hours ago, SuiteSuccess said:

Pete,

Never know, diapers may come in handy in case of emergency stop when the Kia slams on his brakes in front of you on the freeway. 😜

Might take the whole pack on that one. But then again, would not feel the Kia bouncing off the bumper. 🧐

I did see a Cabover hit a Geo Metro years ago. That was the fastest that Metro ever moved.

[WeBeFulltimers]

On 2/21/2019 at 3:28 PM, Pete Kildow said:

Might take the whole pack on that one. But then again, would not feel the Kia bouncing off the bumper. 🧐

I did see a Cabover hit a Geo Metro years ago. That was the fastest that Metro ever moved.

The driver of a cabover is ALWAYS the first on the scene of an accident!

[Randyretired]

I saw pictures of a TT that the tow vehicle lost control of while passing a loaded semi.  The TT slid across the road in front of the semi on slick, snow covered roads.  The semi hit it broadside.  Everything that is used to build a TT was scattered all over the area.  It looked like the TT just exploded.

[RandyA]

Back in the "Old Days" gasoline tanks in cars/trucks could rust quickly and small holes would frequently appear.  There was little or no protection from flying road projectiles that liked to pierce the exposed bottom of the tank.  Our cure was to rub over the hole/leak with a bar of Ivory soap.  The leak stopped instantly and would stay sealed until the next big rain storm.  I do not know if it would work on diesel fuel but suspect it would.  Whatever is used to seal a fuel leak cannot be dissolved by the fuel and must displace the surface tension around the tank so that it can adhere to the tank material.  A bag of kitty litter can come in handy for soaking up an oil or fuel spill as well as adding traction on ice.

I don't know what the EPA or locals would do about covering the cost of a big diesel spill from one of our trucks but I do know that it can become a serious issue if the spillage can get into even a small creek, stream or drainage ditch that flows into a significant waterway.  I need to talk with my insurance underwriter because I can find nothing in my policy that addresses the possibility.

[maveric]

Randy,

The wax ring does the same thing as the soap, but it is sticky, so it also adheres to the tank. I have used it to plug some good sized holes in diesel tanks. Had a driver that ran over an alignment prybar (pointed on one end), which wedged itself neatly in the bottom of his tank. We pulled the bar out and crammed a bunch of wax into it. He was actually able to make it to the next town to get it repaired. The hole was about the size of a $.50 piece.

The last one we ran on, the driver ran over a phone box in a parking lot (actually, next to the lot) and put a hole about 1" x 4". The wax stopped the leak, but he was advised to have it fixed before moving the truck. Instead, he decided to fill the tank up (100 gal), and then wondered why it started leaking again. State patrol put him OOS, and since the guy was a complete idiot, the company fired him on the spot. He dumped almost 100 gal of fuel on the ground between the 2 incidents. The bill from the FD was almost $3500 alone, not including clean up. The fuel was close to a waterway, but was stopped before it entered it. If it gets into a main waterway, the Coast Guard ends up getting involved. 

[Sehc]

If fuel spills are your concern, make up a containment kit. There are pads that absorb oil and not water. Best thing going.

[jenandjon]

I didn't think this was such a big deal until the other day. Another farmer that we work with had a driver who laid over a truck in Oklahoma. The estimate to clean up 100 gallons of fuel was $30,000.

[chief916]

3 hours ago, jenandjon said:

I didn't think this was such a big deal until the other day. Another farmer that we work with had a driver who laid over a truck in Oklahoma. The estimate to clean up 100 gallons of fuel was $30,000.

This is why I had posted the initial question at the beginning.  Who pays for doing the clean up?  I don't think the farmer or his crew have the equipment nor the expertise.  Someone and I'm thinking the farmer is going to get a huge bill.  When something like this happens to one or two of us while we are traveling with two or three hundred gallons on board...it's probably going to ruin somebody's day and most likely their trip.  That's why I carry an unbrella policy.  I'm not saying that it's the end all be all but it gives me piece of mind encase a lawsuit we're to ensue.

[Jack Mayer]

 

 

 

 

3

31 minutes ago, chief916 said:

 When something like this happens to one or two of us while we are traveling with two or three hundred gallons on board...it's probably going to ruin somebody's day and most likely their trip.  That's why I carry an unbrella policy.  I'm not saying that it's the end all be all but it gives me piece of mind encase a lawsuit we're to ensue.

Are you sure that Umbrella will cover a fuel spill? I tend to doubt it. The umbrella that I had a few years ago would not - I specifically had them check with the underwriter.  It would be nice if it would - but you better be sure.

 

[Moresmoke]

Decided to do a bit of reading on this. As usual disclaimers for certain locations and policies apply. I am not a lawyer or an insurance agent.

In general it appears that fuel spilled from the truck’s tanks is covered, but only if there is a liability claim for bodily injury or property damage resulting from said “accident”. You squeeze a car into the Jersey barrier and rip open a tank - covered. You run off the road to miss a deer and bust the crossover line on your classic - not covered.

Also, any fuel/other materials carried on the vehicle (not part of the operating systems) are not included. So if you roll the truck and your 3 gas cans go flying - that is not covered by general vehicle policies.

For those of you that have one of the saddle tanks converted to black water... You are on your own for figuring that out!

[jenandjon]

On 3/19/2019 at 10:36 PM, Moresmoke said:

 

In general it appears that fuel spilled from the truck’s tanks is covered, but only if there is a liability claim for bodily injury or property damage resulting from said “accident”. You squeeze a car into the Jersey barrier and rip open a tank - covered. You run off the road to miss a deer and bust the crossover line on your classic - not covered.

 

Pretty much what my agent said also. Hit the deer, covered. Hit the ditch to miss the deer, not covered. Because you drove into the ditch on purpose.