Department of Agriculture and Forestry, State of Louisiana - Mike Strain DVM, Commissioner

Out of Sight, but Always Seen

by Lee Mabile

As consumers, our normal retail purchases are made while being able to compare the products offered on the shelf. There is one group of products that most people purchase but never see. These products are motor fuels. Motor fuels are rarely seen by the consumer but are one of the most purchased products. How do you know you are getting a gallon of gas, diesel, or E85? Is the product you selected really being dispensed? That’s where the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s Weights and Measures program comes into play. Our Weights and Measures inspectors are tasked with making sure that you are getting what you pay for.

As consumers, our normal retail purchases are made while being able to compare the products offered on the shelf. There is one group of products that most people purchase but never see. These products are motor fuels. Motor fuels are rarely seen by the consumer but are one of the most purchased products. How do you know you are getting a gallon of gas, diesel, or E85? Is the product you selected really being dispensed? That’s where the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s Weights and Measures program comes into play. Our Weights and Measures inspectors are tasked with making sure that you are getting what you pay for.

On an annual basis, LDAF inspects more than 75,000 retail motor fuel devices at more than 3,000 retail outlets. These devices, aka gas pumps, are checked for accuracy, function, safety, and several other items that are required by NIST Handbook 44. The accuracy of these devices is checked using field testing equipment that is certified for calibration by our NIST traceable metrology laboratory. When gas pumps are found out of tolerance, these devices are taken out of service until the device is calibrated and retested. Louisiana Weights and Measures officials also inspect the inner workings of the fuel pumps to ensure no fraudulent card-skimming devices are attached.

Louisiana Weights and Measures officials are also tasked with investigating consumer complaints. In 2022, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry investigated 530 complaints against retail motor fuel locations. The 530 complaints consisted of a combination of calibration, price advertisement, credit card skimming devices, price computation, labeling requirements, and contamination. All complaints received are investigated. When a contaminated complaint is received, samples are taken, field-tested, and sent to our in-house motor fuels laboratory for fuel quality analysis. When a sample does not meet the ASTM-prescribed specifications for that fuel type, the locations devices are removed from service, and the fuel cannot be sold. Once the repairs have been made, resampling must occur. The location will not be allowed to sell the product until a sample passes fuel quality testing.

Louisiana Weights and Measures officials are out in the field every day testing the devices that give us our unseen products. The device testing and fuel sampling allow our diligent staff to ensure that the motor fuel product you purchase is delivered in the correct quantity and meets all quality standards. As consumers, you may not see the product you are purchasing; however, our Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Weights and Measures team always have our eyes on these products. They may be out of site to the consumer, but motor fuels are always seen by our Weights and Measures staff.