Reckless refill - Men charged with operating illegal mobile gas station

Chad Bryan, Sunday Gleaner Writer

Two men alleged to have been operating a mobile gas station were hauled before the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court last Wednesday. They have been charged with dealing in or selling petroleum without a licence, and operating a petroleum mobile filling station without a licence.

The men were nabbed in St Andrew late last year, following the seizure of a motor truck and equipment used to operate a mobile gas station. Items seized by the police include a petrol pump, 14 motor vehicle tyres, a cable, and mechanical tools.

The Crown alleges that the police, while on patrol, spotted a man pumping gas from a tank in the back of a motor truck. It is reported that the truck had been retrofitted to facilitate the operation. The Crown further alleges that one of the men was unable to provide a licence permitting him to sell gasolene. He was subsequently charged with breaches of the Petroleum Act.

Another man later turned up at the police station and was also charged. The men are booked to reappear in court on February 5, at which point the matter will be mentioned. Attorney-at-law Patrick Peterkin represents the men.

Immediate past president of the Jamaica Gasolene Retailers Association (JGRA), Trevor Heaven, is aware of the practice and maintained that the association is in full support of legal action against those involved.

"You cannot get a licence to transport gas like that. I only know of the smaller tanks for servicing service vehicles, and these are done off the (public) roads. It's like a vehicle with diesel oil in particular, that goes to remote sites which services tractors and bulldozers," Heaven said.

"Bauxite companies use them quite a bit, but there are some regulations and rules, and there is a structure in place. You cannot have a man who just gets a container and puts this in the back of a truck and goes out and sells fuel. It's ridiculous," Heaven said, adding that it would also give rise to public-safety concerns.

"You wouldn't drive around and see people transporting a vehicle with gas. Everybody feels like there is a lot of money selling gas. You have a vehicle and you go around selling gas and there is no regulation, nothing from the Bureau of Standards," he said.

Heaven added that the JGRA has also seen persons advertising this kind of service on the road, which the association has come out strongly against. Though the practice is not prevalent, he recalls seeing advertisements in St Ann and Trelawny.

Heaven was also concerned about the fuel itself.

"The source of the fuel is in question, and the quality of the fuel is also in question. There is no regulation in terms of testing and calibration and verification and the amount. You just don't know what you are getting," Heaven pointed out.

In an article written in 2003 by Carla Paras-Sison for The Philippine Star, an oil company was looking into the prospects of operating a mobile gas station. According to the article, the fuel tanker would have a capacity of 5,000 litres, with a built-in fuel dispenser with litre and value indicators.

However, for safety reasons the tanker would carry only diesel and kerosene fuels.