Written on: November 21, 2022
The economy here in the Finger Lakes region is diverse and includes industries such as agriculture, manufacturing, hospitality and tourism, health care, marinas, trucking, construction, and more.
Many of these industries rely on diesel fuels to get the job done. Hometowne Energy is the region’s leader for dependable on-road and off-road diesel delivery.
Hometowne Energy not only delivers diesel to businesses but also to schools and local municipalities. We have a large fleet of delivery vehicles that allows us to provide prompt and responsive service to our customers as well as quality fuel at a competitive price!
We understand that winter weather can be rough here in the Finger Lakes, which is why we blend our diesel fuels for cold weather earlier than other area diesel providers and keep an eye on weather forecasts all winter long to make sure we have a plentiful supply of winter-blend diesel fuels for our customers.
If you’re not familiar with diesel fuels, here is some essential information about them and how they are used.
Diesel fuel in the United States is most often distilled from crude oil at petroleum refineries and is ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD). This type of diesel has 15 parts per million (PPM) or less of sulfur.
The U.S. produced 1.63 billion barrels (68.35 billion gallons) of ULSD in 2021.
In the 19th century, Rudolf Diesel invented a compression ignition engine that was more thermal efficient than any other invention of its time. Consequently, diesel fuel was named after him.
[h3]Are on-road diesel and off-road diesel different from each other?
Off-road diesel and on-road diesel only differ in function; There are no chemical differences.
Diesel used for commercial vehicles driven on public roads, like trucks, buses, and shuttles, is called on-road diesel. Thus, the federal excise tax applies to it.
Off-road diesel is a type of fuel primarily used in large construction machinery, agricultural vehicles, backhoes, and bulldozers. Since it not used for transportation purposes, off-road diesel does not have an excise tax.
On-road diesel is not dyed but rather the latter which has a red dye to prevent it from being used for regular vehicles as this would help drivers avoid the excise tax. If caught using off-road diesel penalties include hefty fines each time. In New York, the penalty is $10 per gallon or $1,000 per violation.
Diesel fuel isn’t exclusive to large transport trucks or equipment; it has numerous other purposes.
Diesel-powered standby generators provide backup electricity to keep lights on and running medical equipment operational in many area hospitals, health care facilities, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other institutions during a power outage.
Diesel is used by government agencies to power school buses, snowplows and other road maintenance vehicles and equipment.
Are you ready to get commercial diesel fuel services you can count on? Get in touch with the commercial fuels experts at Hometowne Energy to set up a consultation!