Groups File Suit Against Oil Firms on ‘Hot Fuel’ Overcharges

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A group representing independent truck drivers and motorists in seven states filed a complaint Wednesday against 17 oil companies and gasoline and diesel retailers for overcharging at the pump for fuel heated above the industry standard.

So-called “hot fuel” provides less energy than a standard gallon and bilks consumers of more than two billion dollars nationwide, said the groups backing the suit, Public Citizen and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association.

“Automobile and truck traffic will be heavy during this holiday season,” said Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen. “This lawsuit comes at a particularly appropriate time to expose a system that has been quietly picking money from the pockets of citizens throughout the country.

The group said that fuel retailers have been overcharging drivers by selling gasoline or diesel that is warmer than the industry standard of 60 degrees.

Like all liquids, the volume of fuel expands and contracts when the temperature changes, and hotter fuel has less energy in each gallon than cooler fuel, the groups said.

The suit seeks relief for motor fuel consumers in California, Texas, Florida, Arizona, New Jersey, North Carolina and Virginia. It calls for remedies in the form of restitution and the installation of temperature correction equipment for pumps that dispense gasoline and diesel fuel.

In September, trucking officials, including a top official with the Truckload Carriers Association, called the hot fuel issue “jaw dropping” and said it warranted further study by the trucking industry.

(Click here for previous coverage.)