tank on wheels

Now for the rest of the rules you will need the Hazardous Materials Compliance Pocketbook. (the red book)
In the material index it list Diesel fuel as....
Hazard Class or division..... .3
ID #..... ..... ..... ..... ...NA1993
PG..... ..... ..... ..... .....III (this is the packing group. Group III is minor degree of danger)
Label Codes..... ..... ..... ..NONE
Placards..... ..... ..... .....Combustible (Bulk Only)
A hazard class 3 covers flammable and combustible liquids. Flammable is flash point not more than 141° F.(GASOLINE) Combustible is flash between 141° F. and 200° F.(DIESEL)
It goes on to say how you must use a bonding wire while loading ect..ect. It list all the other rules I stated. Get a copy and read it.

Any bulk tank that was placarded while loaded must still carry these same placards when empty until such time it has been loaded with another product that requires a different placard or no placards or has been washed out by steam cleaning. This is why when you see a gas truck deliver at a station and leave the placards are still on it.

So yes your story would make me verrrrr rry confused also. You all are very lucky. The only thing I can say is it was a few years ago and the DOT man's wife must of been nice to him the night before. I would not try that trick now. They are very strict on hazardous materials now; at least in my area. But what do I know. I only work for the largest supplier of road diesel in the US and load; haul; and deliver over 150,000 gallons of diesel and gas a week.

I have a CDL with a tank and hazardous endorsement and while I should know all the rules I am not dumb enough to think I do.

With that said I will give you some incite so you will have a idea of what questions to ask.
A cargo tank is any bulk liquid tank of any size whether or not permanently attached to vehicle that is of such size it is not removed from vehicle for loading or unloading.
Any vehicle whether it be a cargo tank are a equipment trailer has the same rules to follow to be licensed for road use. In addition to this a cargo tank on a truck or trailer must have a annually tank leak test.
The cut off for a CDL is 26,000 lbs or any size vehicle that needs placards.
The cut off for the tank endorsement is 1000 gallons.
The cut off for a hazardous material endorsement is any vehicle that needs placards.
The cut off rules for placards of class 3 flammable or combustible liquids is 1001 lbs. This means you can haul up to 1001 lbs of diesel in 5 gallon cans ( about 138 gallons) and not fall under this rule. If you read a little further down the rule it says this does not apply to cargo tanks. A cargo tank (see rule above) is required to have ID number placards on 2 opposing sides for up to 1000 gallons and all 4 sides for above 1000 gallons. The ID # for gas is 1203 and the # for diesel is 1993.

So as you can see there are many rules to consider and while some posters may have well intensions of giving you good advise I would take these post with a grain of salt. Contact and talk to your local DOT because every since 9/11 they have gotten real hard on hazardous materials.

There are inspection issues, CDL requirements,
etc.