What Is a Dry Run in Fuel Delivery?
A dry run is a fuel delivery trip that ends without the truck unloading. The driver reaches the site, or tries to, and leaves with the product still on board. The term is trade usage, not a regulatory term, and it names two things: the wasted trip, and the charge some carriers bill for it.
The truck, the driver’s hours and the miles are spent whether or not any fuel goes into the tank, which is why some carriers charge for a trip that delivered nothing.
Why dry runs happen
A dry run usually comes down to something at the site that stopped the unload. Causes include:
- The site is closed or locked when the truck arrives, or no one is there to let the driver in.
- The tank has no room: someone else filled it, usage was lower than expected, or the order was bigger than the tank could take.
- The truck cannot reach the fill: a blocked drive, a parked vehicle, a gate code that does not work, or ground the truck cannot cross.
- The order was cancelled or changed after the truck was dispatched, or the address or product on it was wrong.
Who pays for a dry run
Whether a dry run is charged, how it is priced and who is billed are matters for the agreement between the parties. A carrier may bill the party that ordered the delivery, and a supplier or broker may pass that charge on to the customer; the agreement decides.
The time to settle it is before the load. Ask whether a dry-run charge applies, how it is priced and which causes it covers, the same way you would ask about wait time or a pump-off charge. How to buy bulk fuel: comparing quotes lists the other charges worth asking about.
How to prevent a dry run
Each cause has a check that can be run before the truck leaves.
- Access. Confirm the site’s hours, the gate code or key, and who will be there, and pass them to the driver with the order.
- Room in the tank. Check the tank level close to the delivery, and order no more than the tank can safely take. Overfill prevention at the delivery tank covers the checks a driver runs at the drop.
- Reaching the fill. Note where the fill is and keep the way to it clear on delivery day. If the fill sits higher than the truck’s outlet, the delivery may need a pump-off.
- Changes. Tell the carrier about a cancellation or a change as early as you can, before dispatch where possible.
When a delivery does go ahead, the quantity unloaded is recorded on the delivery ticket. A dry run has no delivered quantity to record.