Gas & Oil

Tips for Consumers at Gas Stations

  • Make sure that you see a Weights and Measures approval seal on the device that you pull up to.
  • If you pull into a station based on a low price that you see on a road sign, make sure that the price you see on the road sign is also the price on the pump. In Pennsylvania, road signs are not required but price displays on pumps are required. If there is a road sign or a pump topper, it must agree with the price on the pump.
  • When you pull up to a pump, watch the transaction. At full-serve stations, look at the pump before the gas is dispensed and make sure the delivery starts at zero. At full-serve stations, attendants keep the traffic flowing and many times will ask you to pull up to the end pump. Don't pull up so far that you can't see the numbers displayed on the pump.
  • For safety purposes, don't smoke or use a cell phone while purchasing gasoline.
  • If you are at a self-serve station, wait a few seconds after the pump is activated before you begin to dispense the product. If the pump jumps to one, two, three cents or more before you begin to pump, notify the attendant, then notify Weights and Measures.
  • If you experience any problems involving a consumer transaction or suspected short measure, call Bucks County Consumer Protection and one of our inspectors will investigate the problem and notify you of the results.

Oil Truck Deliveries

The Bucks County Department of Weights and Measures certifies all oil trucks registered in Bucks County. Oil trucks can deliver oil at rates ranging from 20 to 120 gallons per minute. All oil trucks are sealed by Bucks County Sealers.

Information that must be contained on the printed delivery ticket:

  • Date and time of delivery
  • The delivery vehicle assigned company truck number
  • Driver's signature or employee number
  • Price per gallon
  • A printed non-repetitive serial number
  • Product ID (i.e. fuel oil)
  • Purchaser's name and address
  • Vendor's name and address
  • Volume, in terms of gallons, to the nearest 1/10th of a gallon

What You Should Know About Oil Deliveries

Millions of consumers across Pennsylvania use domestic fuel oil for heating and hot water purposes. How do you know you are getting the amount of product that you are paying for?

First of all, you really don't. Nearly all transactions of weight, measure, and count are based on consumer trust. You may be on an automatic delivery plan or you may call for a fill-up when your tank is low, but either way, you trust that the truck's meter is accurate, has been legally certified, and is being used in an appropriate manner. You receive a printed meter ticket that is required by law to contain a number of important items of information. View what you can do to protect yourself in this "transaction of trust":

  • First, you should limit your dealings to local firms with well-established reputations. Be wary of super discount outfits that travel into your area from long distances.
  • Check to see if the firm is listed in the local yellow pages.
  • Make sure the delivery truck has a current approval decal on the back near the meter. A current approval decal would be one that is not more than 12 months old.
  • Make sure you receive a meter-printed delivery ticket on each delivery. Pennsylvania law requires that meter tickets contain the following information:
    • The "printed" volume in terms of gallons to the nearest one-tenth gallon
    • The date and time of delivery
    • The delivery vehicle's permanently assigned company number
    • The driver's signature or employee number
    • The price per gallon
    • The product identification
    • The purchaser's name and address
    • The vendor's name and address (Note that the volume must be printed by the meter (hand-writing the volume is illegal) and the meter ticket must bear a printed non-repetitive serial number. The seller or deliverer is required to maintain the vendor's copy on file for two years in an orderly and retrievable manner.)

Contact

Always try to resolve any questions or problems by first calling the vendor. If you do not receive a satisfactory answer, you should call your local Weights and Measures office for assistance or information on the status of the delivery vehicle. In Bucks County, you can call the Office of Consumer Protection/Weights and Measures at 215-348-6060.