Road sweepers running on Red Diesel?

[sdq8]

Here's a good one for you;

A Road Sweeper whilst traveliing to "a site" has to mandatorily use white diesel however, upon reaching "the site" can legally switch over and run on red diesel so, where do you stand when "the site" is a normal road such as following a road planer collecting the chips.......Red or White? Going a step further, once the sweeper is full you are then technically "Off-Site" and have to switch back to white diesel to drive down the same road to discharge the load so why can't you use red diesel all the time??

This actually happned to me many years back whilst driving a sweeper in the Lake District and was stopped by the mobile HM Customs & Excise Boys, they too couldn't provide an answer!

[sddsddean]

I do a lot of planing and the firm we work with have been advised to run the sweepers on white, as although you may be working 'on site', the site is still a public road. The planers themselves still run on red. A lot of this is due to grey areas in the legislation. For instance, if I am loading in a quarry, that doesn't count as driving time as you are off site, but if you get stopped the next day by plod or VOSA, how do you prove it?

[Panic Button]

Sorry Dean, but they changed the rules on that last year. Probably because of the greyness of it that you comment on.
All driving off and on road now counts towards driving time.

As regards switching beteween red and white diesel, I thought you had to change the fuel filter when you changed to white, in order to avoid being accused of using red on the road? Perhaps this doesn't apply to road works vehicles.

[sddsddean]

1st bit: probably a good thing PB.
2nd bit: This again is a problem. You can use both theoretically, but of course red stains the filters etc, so how do you prove you have used red or white at the appropriate times. It all works fine on paper, but the practicalities don't! Obviously those who write the legislation have never been anywhere near the cab of a truck!

[bednobs]

ohh, i dont understand the difference, what is the difference between red and white diesel?

[sddsddean]

White diesel is the normal stuff you buy at the pumps for your car/van/lorry and is charged at full fuel duty. Red diesel is stained with a red dye and is used by those who do not have to pay full duty. Examples are plant used on site, boats, farmers etc. Now white is about �1.10 / litre, whereas I think red is about 40p/litre, so you can see why people will try and use red if they can get away with it!

[bednobs]

thanks for that. I understand now. Ok then it answers the question really. You should use the white stuff when you are working on the road, as you are contributing to the wear and tear that the extra duty help to maintain, surely. It sounds like the red stuff iis really meant for equipment that dosent use the road at all therefore dosent have to contribute to its maintenance, or equipment that can be bought to site on a lorry, so dosent have to drive down the road

[EDDIE51]

As far as I know 'Red' stains the entire fuel system ,tank, pipes,pump, filter so they can tell if you have used it. Far better idea is to use central heating oil (kerosene ) ,just the same as diesel and no dye or tax!

[EDDIE51]

While we are on about diesel. I have just picked up a new motability car,Zafira Diesel. It has to be filled up with diesel and 'adblue' what is that all about? The old one didn't need adblue!

[BRIGHT SPARK]

Eddie......this was an 8 year old post...but Adblue reduces oxide emissions from diesel engines.