Runner Gunner Driving a Car for Days with Diesel Fuel Leak

UPSGUY72

Well-Known Member
About a month ago I was driving a P700 that had a Diesel leak. It was leaking diesel out of the filter or pump on the top of the engine. I drove it 2 miles down off the mountain and parked it in a closed gas station and waited till they brought me out another car and towed that one back. The mechanic was nice and brought me out a brand new P900 that just had the sticker put out it.
 

UPSGUY72

Well-Known Member
This driver is a friend-ing idiot. With no brains or balls. He wrote it up apparently not under a safety issue and then when they didn't fix it he took it out again. instead of refusing to drive the car like he should have.

If he got stopped he and UPS would have been in a lot of trouble with the DOT in that state.
 
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UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
This driver is a friend-ing idiot. With no brains or balls. He wrote it up apparently not under a safety issue and then when they didn't fix it he took it out again. instead of refusing to drive the car like he should have.

If he got stopped he and UPS would have been in a lot of trouble with the DOT in that state.

We had a driver who was stopped for a DOT safety check cited for having an empty windshield washer container. Can you imagine if he had pulled in with a significant diesel leak?
 
A

anonymous6

Guest
when my feeder tractor was in the shop for 2 weeks I had to use a different tractor every night. the first week I red tagged 3-4 tractors and the second week 2 tractors. the dispatchers were not happy but a lot of our drivers won't write up ****.

there is nothing you can do about it except what you did. trying to explain to the guy how dangerous it is for him or worse yet to the general public. it's more dangerous in feeder when you could be pulling a dangerous set that weighs more than 30 tons.

people just don't get it.

just stick to your guns and refuse to pull dangerous equipment. you'll sleep better.
 

Re-Raise

Well-Known Member
About a month ago I was driving a P700 that had a Diesel leak. It was leaking diesel out of the filter or pump on the top of the engine. I drove it 2 miles down off the mountain and parked it in a closed gas station and waited till they brought me out another car and towed that one back. The mechanic was nice and brought me out a brand new P900 that just had the sticker put out it.

My P700 was doing the same thing a couple of years ago. I noticed the pool of fuel under my vehicle and pulled it up to a truck repair shop that I deliver to down the road. They stopped what they were doing and replaced a gasket or something in the pump for me. Took them about 5 minutes and they wouldn't let me pay them for it.

It helps to grow up in the area and deliver to the same people for 20 plus years.

On a side note. Our center mechanic has been out with a back injury for about 6 months and they haven't hired anyone to take his place. If the truck was actually on fire, they might tow it to another center for repairs.
 

Cementups

Box Monkey
On a side note. Our center mechanic has been out with a back injury for about 6 months and they haven't hired anyone to take his place. If the truck was actually on fire, they might tow it to another center for repairs.


We just had one our swing mechanics pass away last weekend and two of the mechanics's told me I should put in for. Most of our driver's barely know how to fuel their car never mind do any repair work. I said I don't know enough about diesels and he said, no worries, they'll train you. I declined though since I prefer my daylight hours though I'm pretty sure I have more seniority than most of our mechanics. I was told you bid the shift, not the job as a mechanic.
 

FilingBluesFL

Well-Known Member
I would guess from a fuel line and then when driving the breeze flowing through engine compartment is blowing it up on the windshield.

^^^^ This.

The aerodynamics of a hood on a car, package car or otherwise, is to have a negative pressure area inside the area where the motor is, so as to draw air from the front of the radiator, through it and it goes into the area where the motor is.

But the air will escape through the gaps in the hood, and it'll blow all over the place underneath. And of course the air will bring along with it the fuel.
 

Jackburton

Gone Fish'n
^^^^ This.

The aerodynamics of a hood on a car, package car or otherwise, is to have a negative pressure area inside the area where the motor is, so as to draw air from the front of the radiator, through it and it goes into the area where the motor is.

But the air will escape through the gaps in the hood, and it'll blow all over the place underneath. And of course the air will bring along with it the fuel.
Surprised the fuel didn't leak inside the cab between the engine cover.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
I would have lit a cigarette on the spot and asked him the "Five seeing Habits"

Liquid diesel has a flash point of 144 degrees friend and an autoignition temperature of 410 degrees friend. (thank you Wikipedia) The heat from your cigarette would not ignite the liquid; however, it is always the vapors that are far more dangerous.
 

toonertoo

Most Awesome Dog
Staff member
Perhaps but it is still a safety and environmental issue which needs to be addressed immediately. You certainly don't take a pkg car with a known issue such as this on road for 8-10 hours. The driver most definitely should have written it up but, since he didn't, why didn't the car washers or whomever parked the pkg car notice the leak and notify mgt?
He said he wrote it up. My guess is they wrote OK to run.
 

Nimnim

The Nim
He said he wrote it up. My guess is they wrote OK to run.

I know it's technically ok to run, even with unleaded unless it's leaking onto the exhaust manifold it's not likely to ignite, but I just don't understand the reasoning behind saying a fuel leak is ok to run. Gas isn't that cheap that some bean counter wouldn't say put another truck out and not say fix it so we don't potentially get epa fines.

I'm willing to think it either wasn't written up or written up improperly.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
He said he wrote it up. My guess is they wrote OK to run.

When the mechanics write that and you sign off it you are saying/agreeing that the work was indeed done and that the vehicle is in fact safe to operate.

A lot of drivers don't realize that the DVIR is a legal document and can be used in a court of law if needed. Completed DVIR books are kept in storage (I don't know how long they have to be kept) in case of an issue such as this.

The vehicle was clearly unsafe to run and should not have been on road after being written up the first time.
 
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