Updated 9/18/25

Gas shortages are going to happen. What happened with the Colonial Pipeline was nothing new. There have been shortages since the 1970s in some way, shape, or form. In addition, natural disasters have delayed shipments for a week or longer. 

However, people panic very quickly now and exhibit very little good sense in the process. We have seen a lot of panicking over the last fifteen months and we will continue to do so. Why? 

People do not want anything to disrupt their daily lives or inconvenience them in any way. We saw it with the toilet paper shortage and we will continue to see it with anything else that may become a shortage. 

Fuel, especially gas, is not necessarily something you want to stockpile large quantities of unless you know what you are doing. As someone who has worked in this industry for several years, you have to be diligent and plan when stockpiling fuel.

For starters, gas is not the same as diesel. This may be common knowledge for most people, but I still run across people who think differently. Diesel has a lower octane rating than gas. Therefore, you cannot run diesel in a gas-powered vehicle or motor because gas-powered vehicles can not easily combust diesel due to the low octane in the diesel fuel. 

People have tried to put diesel in their gas-powered engines and have been stranded due to that very issue. The repairs can become costly as the fuel system must be drained and fuel filters replaced. The engine will start running rough and start knocking until it quits running. Not a good idea.

Next, you should not stockpile gas without a good rotation plan in place. Due to the ethanol in gas, gas cannot be stockpiled for longer than 2-3 months at the most. After that, the gas will go bad unless you mix a stabilizer into the container, like Sta-Bil, to preserve the gas longer. But, even then, you should still be using it up in six months.

If you plan to use gas in your vehicles, you should decide on a good rotation plan. For example, every two months, you empty the containers into your vehicles and get them refilled. You can do it once a month if you feel safer. Otherwise, your gas will go bad.

There are different octane ratings in gas that you should take into consideration. The higher the number (and price) of the gas, the higher the octane level of the gas. This means it has less ethanol in it when it has a higher octane rating. Many people use a higher octane, like 91, to use in their mowers and other small engines. Higher octane gas stores better, but it still needs to be rotated regularly. You can also find non-oxygenated gasoline at some pumps that have no additives like ethanol. This is best for long-term storage, but still requires regular rotation and treatment with fuel stabilizers.

Diesel will last longer than gas in storage. However, you need to know that there is a difference in diesel fuels. During the spring, summer, and fall, diesel is usually blended with biodiesel. Many states have mandated this to comply with environmental regulations. This is not a problem until winter. In temperatures of 10 degrees or colder (in Fahrenheit), biodiesel will begin to “gel” in containers, barrels, and tanks, causing problems. You will have to add an anti-gelling treatment before it gets too cold. If you do gel, you will have to warm up the tank somehow, add warm fuel, change plugged fuel filters, and lose valuable time doing so. Many semi-trucks come with tank heaters to combat this problem, but it’s still a problem with northern winter temperatures.

What you should stockpile is unblended diesel if you want to stockpile diesel. In the industry, we call it #1 diesel. What is sold through the rest of the year is #2 diesel. #1 Diesel costs more but doesn’t gel in cold temperatures unless you get extremely cold (30-40 degrees below zero Fahrenheit). You will notice that in frigid temperatures, semi-trucks are either stored inside heated buildings or not shut off at all to prevent gelling. However, #1 diesel may not be available all year round, but only in the winter.

Diesel is also different depending on the application. Diesel sold for agricultural use is dyed red and is supposed to be only used in machines that do not see road use. Tractors and some construction equipment would be good examples. You generally can not purchase this at the pump. Red diesel fuel can not be used in vehicles or semi-trucks. If you were to get caught using red diesel fuel in your vehicles, you would get fined. Red diesel fuel is exempt from road taxes. You can usually only get it delivered by a local fuel delivery company or a cooperative.

Whether you are storing gas or diesel, please use the correct containers for storage. If you are concerned about a potential shortage later, consider purchasing containers now that are rated for gas and diesel storage. Five-gallon containers are sold online and at stores. Red fuel containers are generally used for gas. Yellow fuel containers are used for diesel. Blue fuel containers are used for kerosene. If you plan on storing more fuel or need fuel for other equipment, 55-gallon and 100-gallon fuel barrels would be a good idea. You can get bigger than that, but you will need to talk to a local refined fuels supplier to purchase one and start the delivery of fuel. 

While having gas and diesel stored is beneficial, engaging in the actions of panicked people is not advisable. So think ahead and be prepared.

Thanks for reading,
Erica

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