Talking about fuel.... here's a good one for you!

[DutchmenSport]

The wife had a business meeting in Wilmington, Delaware on Monday and Tuesday of this week. Her company paid for the motel room and we debated about bringing the fifth wheel, but couldn't locate any campgrounds, so we opted for the motel.

Meanwhile, after her meetings, we decided to explore the area, so took the rest of Tuesday (May 24) and drove into New Jersey. My dad was stationed at Camp Kilmer after World War 2 and my younger sister was born there. I've NEVER been to New Jersey, so decided this would be a great opportunity to find the location where my sister was born. So we did! We were successful. But, here's the clincher....


We left Delaware and upon entering New Jersey we needed to stop for gas. We were not towing towing the camper, we were traveling in our small Chevy Colorado pick-up truck.

I jumped out of the truck and started to the fuel pump when an attendant stopped me. He said he'd pump the fuel for me. Well... honestly, it's been more than 35 years since I've had anyone pump my fuel, and he even washed the windshield.

Talking to the attendant, I told him I was from Indiana and I thought that was really nice of him to pump the gas but it really wasn't necessary. I did not need the assistance.

That is when he told me, it's the New Jersey state law that only service station attendants can pump gas. What? He said, New Jersey is one of only 2 states remaining that will not allow patrons to pump their own gas.

It goes without saying, we did not see a single RV anywhere in Delaware or New Jersey, and we never saw any 18 wheeler semi trucks either. I wonder if someone has to pump their fuel too?

So, my wife did some internet research today (We're back home again) and she told me, it is illegal to pump your own fuel in New Jersey. If you do the fine is between $50 and $250 for doing so!

OMG! Can you believe that!

I don't know of anyone traveling to New Jersey, but if you do ... beware!
___________

[Theunz]

We also were in NJ a year ago in our car and had a similar experience. Pulled up to a pump and immediately a young girl showed up at the passenger side window (fill side) and said how much. Stunned, my wife said what?, the young girl said how much gas do you want. Wife replied we are going to fill it, but my husband will do it. The girl replied in a deep northeastern accent“ youth in Neaw Jueasy we fill it for ya”. We still laugh about it today��. Wife wants to move to NJ!

[AZ Traveler]

Last time I was in Oregon they also had a similar law.

[rohrmann]

Not sure about New Jersey, but in Oregon, this only legally applies to gasoline, and recently, in remote areas, there are provisions that allow the driver to pump gas at certain times. Even though, this applies to gasoline, much of the time the attendants will pump the diesel too. Never had them wash the windshield.

[NWCampers]

I’ll give you one to laugh at. I grew up in Oregon, thinking it was normal to have fuel attendants. First time I drove out of state and needed fuel I sat at the pump for what felt like forever in my truck waiting for the attendant. I started getting irritated that nobody came to pump it and actually left to go to another gas station. It was at the second station that it dawned on me I had to do it myself. I had no idea Oregon was one of only two states that did this.

Lindsey (better sign my name. My husband would not want anyone thinking it was him that did this:lol:)

[MandK]

Here's another good one. My daughter moved to NJ to advance her career several years ago. She was dating a guy that was NJ born and raised and never owned a car (very common when living close to NY city, they just use public transportation) My daughter was driving the two of them to a Yankees/Red sox game at Fenway and somewhere in Mass they pulled into a gas station and she got out and said "I got to pee, you pump the gas" when she came back he was still trying to figure out how to get the gas flowing :)

[Montana Man]

We stopped in Oregon for fuel. Not knowing this law about pumping, I started to fuel up myself. An attendant came out and said you can't do that, we have to pump it. I said ok then asked why can't I do it? He said it is a law and how great it was because it created so many jobs. I asked him how much more does this fuel cost me so you can have a job pumping fuel? He didn't have a clue about what his job did to the cost of fuel. I wonder how many attendants there are these days as so many are choosing to not work.

[JABURKHOLDER]

This is news to me. It's been a few years but never encountered this in NJ or OR.
2016, Port Republic, NJ, bought diesel many times a few blocks from the campground. Filled it myself.
2016, Coburg, OR at a Travel America truck stop, filled the truck with diesel myself.
Is diesel the exception ? If so, seems weird.

[Carl n Susan]

OR has been changing the rules. Rural areas (whatever those are) are exempt from requiring an attendant to pump any type of fuel. More populated areas now allow you pump diesel fuel. But gasoline has to be pumped by an attendant. Stations that have both (like Costco and Fred Meyer) pump both for you. Lastly, if you are filling at an Indian Casino (Seven Feathers on I-5 is a popular one), you will be pumping your own fuel regardless of the type. They have have a total exemption.

[NWCampers]

Carl is correct for Oregon. You can pump diesel yourself (too many occurrences of attendants mistakenly putting gas in the diesel tanks) and since Covid deemed it unsafe for attendants to serve you due to distance, aside from in the cities on the west side of the state, you can now pump gasoline yourself too. And on all reservations there are no attendants.

There are some of us that simply live here, we don’t make or agree with the crazy rules.

[Byron B]

Asking for a friend: Are these Union jobs?

[Donjamin]

I’ve been to Oregon several times with our 5th wheel and also on a motorcycle. Attendants will have to pump gas/diesel for both the truck and the bike. However, the attendant handed me the gas nozzle when I was on my bike and allowed me to fill up my motorcycle myself. Being from California - it was just weird not to be able to pump your own fuel.

Don

[laverdur]

One of many reasons I won't travel through NJ. Oregon has the same restriction for gasoline but not for diesel fuel. In eastern OR we are allowed to pump our own gas. Does that mean that the farmers are smarter than the city folks?

[RicknTee]

Oregon is the other state. Although a couple years ago they relaxed it for rural areas. Also gas attendants will hand you the nozzle for motorcycle, they don't want to spill gas on tank.

[jeririgged223]

New Jersey and Oregon......... if they do away with that think of how many hundreds of thousands of welfare recipients they'd have to add to the roles. At least this way they are employed.

[Drewman]

Yes, I was floored when I learned that visiting New Jersey a couple years ago

[Daryles]

[QUOTE=NWCampers;1251963]Carl is correct for Oregon. You can pump diesel yourself (too many occurrences of attendants mistakenly putting gas in the diesel tanks).

OMG,
I never thought about the attendant putting gas in my diesel!!!
We were in NJ for a month. I never paid attention.
Count ourselves lucky...

[Robinpterp]

We live near the MD/DE line and you likely would not see many RVs in the Wilmington area at that time of the week. Travel down Rt. 1 in DE on a Friday or Sunday and there are dozens of them.

My mother-in-law lived in NJ for the last few years of her life, and the gas pumping thing was new to me when we visited. And their traffic circles are crazy too...usually traffic in the circle has the right of way, but the ones we encountered, traffic entering the circle had the right of way.

[TAKPAK]

As a native Oregonian, yes the attendant pumps your gas for you. The law was invoked decades (centuries) ago by the state fire marshal. It was considered dangerous to allow the untrained to pump their own gas. I worked at my cousin's gas station in high school and college and pumped lots of gas. Washed windshields, checked oil and coolant, and did it all pretty much. Today they are no longer called "service stations" just "fuel depot" or "gas station" these days. Eastern Oregon is farming/ranching country so those good old boys know what fuel they need and how to fill it, be it tractor, combine, truck, etc. I am not sure that most people today in this area (the large cities) would even know where the heck the gas fill area is on their car. And of course some people don't like the "gas smell" on their hands (diesel is worse). All this said, times are a-changing. There is a move to relax the pumping restrictions and let people pump their own gas. However, I bet that most in the big cities will still prefer/like the attendant to pump it for them, especially on those cold rainy days you don't want to get out of your warm car!! I do find it interesting that at Costco, it's mostly older fellows working the pumps, while at Fred Meyer it's a younger crowd!