Quote:
Originally Posted by Laneco
Also - Lubey - the red- dye thing. Just FYI, it's not the DOT that enforces red-dye, it's the IRS. It is considered tax evasion. Just a little bit of red-dye makes the whole tank turn red. IRS usually works with DOT to do sampling of vehicles in highway operation because the DOT officers have traffic authority to stop the vehicle. Once stopped, the IRS agent will test each tank, not DOT. The fines are issued based on the existing tank and the "mother" tank if known. If the vehicle operator has a storage tank with red dye on their property, and red-dye is found in their on-road vehicle, the fine is based on the large tank... Fines start at about a grand for the tank on the vehicle and if they prove red-dye tanks on your property linked to highway use, you are in mucho $$$$ trouble. Think 5 figures and up with many fines in the six figure region for gross offenders.
When I was a DOT officer, I worked a case with the IRS guys where the vehicle operator stopped at McDonalds for 99 cent breakfast sandwich. Parked the truck behind the business in public area (fair game for me to initiate action). When the IRS guys pulled the sample from the guys tank, I about croaked... Most of the red-dye samples were somewhat red indicating a dilute mixture. This guy was running straight red-dye - two one hundred gallon tanks plus a 2,000 gallon mother tank with no off-road equipment at all. I think they spent about 2 years on the case and fined the guy $80,000... Very expensive breakfast sandwich.
angela
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I know someone who was caught "red handed" putting untaxed fuel from a separate tank which was in the bed of his truck, into his F-350's fuel tank. He runs heavy equipment btw. The fine was $10,000. and he had to submit to IRS audits for a specified period of time.