What you can do to prevent fuel spillage
Fuel spillages pose a significant safety risk, and they’re also a real inconvenience to boot. Statistics from Highways England have provided insight into the damage that can be caused to roads by fuel spillage, as well as the cost incursions that could potentially come along with it. That’s without getting into the potential losses you could face as a fleet manager from fuel spillage, particularly with the current cost of petrol and diesel at an all time high.
Fuel left on the road surface for as little as 2 hours leads to structural damage, resulting in the need for resurfacing. From a study of these types of incidents, Highways England found that:
41% of incidents were estimated to be 2 hours or less
14% of incidents were between 2-5 hours
22% of incidents were over 5 hours
The cost of repair can be around £540,000 for a 4-hour delay on a busy route.
The organisation also conducted a survey which found that 42% of over 200 HGV fleets, don’t equip their vehicles with spill kits. Here at TankSafe, we’re firm believers of the classic phrase “prevention is better than cure”. That’s why we’ve developed TankSafe Optimum. It’s the only security device that can offer you 3 in 1 protection, saving you from fuel spills, overfilling, and 100% of fuel theft. As well as that though, here’s a couple of other things that you can you do to help reduce the damage caused by fuel spillage.
Drivers can take responsibility for their vehicles
Your drivers can play a vital role in ensuring that your fleet vehicles remain free from the risk of fuel spillage. By implementing a few simple due diligence tasks to the daily routines of your drivers, you can massively decrease the likelihood of a fuel spillage occurring. This includes tasks such as:
Carrying out daily checks of their vehicles for any signs of a spillage
Ensuring they're aware of the environmental risks associated with fuel spillages
Improving their awareness of penalty notices and fines associated with fuel spillages
Having an understanding of their diesel spill response plan, and how to use a spill kit
Build an awareness of the financial consequences
As we’ve already established, fuel spills can be expensive to clean up. However, it’s not just the public sector clean-up teams that foot the bill for fuel spillages - a leaking tank, however minor, could attract a £50 fixed penalty notice from the DVSA. This also applies to vehicles with missing or defective fuel caps, and in extreme cases, operators have even been prosecuted and served with fines as high as £1000 in the past for this offence.
Invest in anti-siphon technology
As well as providing your vehicles with unbeatable protection from fuel theft, our fuel security devices also help in the prevention of fuel spillage. We offer a range here at TankSafe, but our most popular by far is TankSafe Optimum.
Our TankSafe Optimum fuel security and safety device has a unique design that features a locking float valve at the bottom of the device which rises with the fuel levels in the tank. This prevents skimming and siphoning theft, as well as over-filling and spillage. The obstruction in the device means that it can’t be penetrated by thieves, so they can’t access the fuel in your tank. The device is unique and proven to be far more effective than basic anti-siphons.
If you’ve got any questions regarding any of our anti-siphoning devices here at TankSafe, our experts will be happy to answer them - feel free to give us a quick call on 01253 400 401, and we’ll be happy to help however we can!