Scoring Free Diesel Fuel, NOT!

[Panopticon]

http://www.abc2news.com/news/local/story...231917253b

$100,000 truck + bolt cutters = 1800 gallons of #2 fuel oil...
Not quite...

[quote ABC 2 News - ]
On its face, it would take little more than a set of bolt cutters to remove the lock and chain, which stood between the thief and the loot that could be measured by the liquid gallon, but Tanya Brumwell says it also would take some know-how.
"I can't imagine to know how to drive a truck like that and to get it out of here that quick," said Brumwell whose company shares a lot with the Alliance Fuel Company.

The six-wheeled truck carries a value of $100,000, but early in the investigation, police suspected it was what the truck was carrying that the thief was after.
"The type 2 diesel fuel or heating fuel is also... can be used as diesel fuel for trucks and cars,” said Anne Arundel County Police Lt. Jeffrey Silverman, “So it's possible the motivation behind the theft was due to the higher cost of fuel."

With the price of diesel at 4.99 right now and with more than 1,800 gallons on the stolen rig, the hijackers arguably got away with $9,000 worth.

But not for long.
Working with police in Baltimore County, investigators tracked down the stolen truck and its off-loaded fuel.
No word yet on the person or people responsible for the theft.
...said Anne Arundel County Police Lt. Jeffrey Silverman, “So it's possible the motivation behind the theft was due to the higher cost of fuel."
{geewhiz LT, that's a friggin' brilliant theory!}

I'm sure a gas tanker will get jacked any day now.

[MacArtist]

Hopefully, we don't get to the Mad Max "Road Warrior" scenario.

[simonm]

In Europe, diesel fuels are "marked" according to what they are going to be used for. Essentially this means that there is a chemical additive which corresponds to the tax paid paid on the fuel.

For example, fuel used by farmers in tractors has a much lower tax. If you put this in your car it will leave traces of the chemical for years in your fuel tank.

If you get pulled over by "customs & excise" agents and traces are found you will get a hefty fine and more than likely they will look at the mileage on your car/truck and then work out how much tax you could potentially have avoided if every single mile was done with the lower taxed fuel. You then get a bill for the tax.

Fuel "laundering" is the name for the criminal enterprise for removing the chemicals and reselling the fuel.

[shadow]

I might be wrong, but it's the similar thing here in the US, except they dye the fuel difference colors depending on use (and taxes paid). Again, I'm not sure on that.

[Filliam H. Muffman]

I have very rarely heard of a regular consumer getting fined in California for using untaxed fuel.

[Racer X]

they do dye the fuels in the US.

[Bill in NC]

They check RVs w/ diesel-pushers here for dyed (untaxed) fuel.