Fueling Checklist

Capture tractor odometer and trailer hubometer at the pump. These values drive MPG calculations and IFTA jurisdictional mileage. Mismatched start/end odometers across fueling events are the most common IFTA audit finding.

Walk both saddle tanks, the crossover line, and the fuel/water separator. Look for weeping at the cap gasket, hairline cracks at the strap mounts, and stains on the frame rail below the tank. Any active drip is a Part 396 defect — DVIR it and route to the shop before dispatch.

Modern aftertreatment derates engine power when DEF drops below 10%. Top off at the same fuel stop — separate DEF nozzle, blue cap. Never pour DEF into the diesel tank or vice versa; cross-contamination is a $5K–$15K aftertreatment repair.

Engine off, ignition off, APU off, cell phones holstered. Static discharge from a running engine or hand-held electronics at the nozzle is the single most common cause of fuel-island fires.

Identify the nearest ABC extinguisher and the pump emergency-stop button before you start dispensing. At unattended cardlocks the e-stop is typically a red palm-button on the dispenser column.

Diesel exposure on skin and eyes is the most underreported driver injury. PPE lives in the cab door pocket; if it's missing, pull a replacement pack from the dispatch office before the next run.

Check the nozzle spout for burrs, the trigger latch for cleanliness, and the hose for abrasion, kinks, or fuel weeping. A torn breakaway coupling is a drive-off hazard — report it to the site operator and use the adjacent pump.

Confirm the pump is set to ULSD (ultra-low sulfur diesel), not off-road red dye, kerosene, or DEF. Red-dye diesel in an on-highway tractor is a $1,000+ federal penalty plus state assessments. Verify the price display zeroed before triggering the nozzle.

Use the assigned Comdata, EFS, WEX, or RTS card for this tractor — never a personal card. Enter the unit number and driver PIN exactly; mismatched unit/driver entries are the top reason fuel-card transactions get flagged for fraud review.

Split gallons roughly 50/50 between driver and curb-side tanks to keep axle weights legal — a full single tank can push the steer over 12,000 lb. Stop when the nozzle first clicks off; do not top off past the auto-shutoff. Overfilling vents fuel through the cap and creates an EPA spill report.

Reefer takes ULSD from the dedicated reefer pump or jug. Confirm set point and discharge air temperature before walking away — a temperature alarm on a loaded reefer in the next 30 minutes is almost always traced to fueling the unit while the door was open or the set point was bumped.

Open the petcock on the Davco or Racor housing into a clear cup. Water sits at the bottom — clear or slightly yellow diesel above, milky or layered fluid below means water contamination. Close the petcock as soon as clean fuel runs.

Inspect the sample against a white background. Cloudy fuel in cold weather usually means waxing — switch to #1 blend or treat with anti-gel. Visible water, rust, or black sediment means stop and call dispatch before continuing the run.

Photograph the sample jar and the pump receipt, and send to dispatch plus shop on the same message. The site operator owes a credit and the tank may need to be polished; the shop needs to know before the tractor leaves the yard so they can pre-stage a filter swap.

Wipe the fill neck and bumper with the absorbent pad from the fuel-island spill kit. Drop used pads in the labeled waste drum — not the regular trash, which triggers a SPCC violation on site audits.

IFTA requires a legible receipt showing date, location, gallons, price per gallon, fuel type, and unit/driver identifier. Faded thermal receipts in the visor turn unreadable in a week — photograph at the pump and upload through the ELD or Motive/Samsara driver app.

Mark on-duty not-driving for the fueling stop in the ELD (Motive, Samsara, Geotab). Pure fueling time is not driving time but counts against the 14-hour clock — drivers who leave it logged as driving lose recap hours later in the week.