Best Employee Practices—Avoid Topping Off The Tank
This week we saw an article concerning “topping off” a motorist’s tank that caught our attention. The author makes a case that topping off your tank is not needed. Rather than rely on an attendant to make that determination, residents should have the right to pump their own gas to avoid damaging their vehicles.
That noted, the article was a timely reminder to station owners about the need to properly instruct their employees.
Today, there is virtually no reason for any attendant to top off a customer’s tank. In fact, doing so is downright careless and could cost your business money.
From a logistical perspective, it makes little sense to add more fuel to round off a sale to the nearest dollar (or quarter or dime, for that matter). Years ago, customers would predominantly pay in cash, and topping off the tank to a rounded number meant an easier time giving a customer change. No attendant wants to juggle with pennies or nickels, after all. However, in the present landscape when customers are overwhelmingly paying for fuel with a card or for a flat dollar amount ($20), the rationale for topping off the tank is gone.
Making change is a hassle, but what about causing actual damage?
From an exposure and liability standpoint, topping off a gas tank may be harmful to the customer’s vehicle. Since 1998, all new light duty vehicles have been equipped with an onboard refueling vapor recovery (ORVR) system. The system consists of a charcoal canister that collects harmful fuel vapors. When a vehicle is being fueled, the ORVR system will absorb the fumes and reduce hydrocarbon emissions.
As an aside, the existence of the ORVR system is a central reason why New Jersey (eventually) mandated that retail service stations decommission their Stage II Vapor Recovery System by December 2020. Though the Garden State was late to do so, the ORVR onboard canisters meant that keeping Stage II operational was unnecessary.
So how does topping off the tank harm the vehicle?
Today’s dispensers and pump nozzles are designed to shut down when the tank is full. When an attendant overfills the tank, it can damage the charcoal canister. The additional fuel will saturate the canister, damaging it, which triggers a check-engine light. A canister typically lasts for the life of the vehicle; but when damaged, it is costly to repair and an inconvenience to the vehicle owner.
Lastly, overfilling the tank may also lead to excess fuel dripping on the exterior of the vehicle or spilling on the ground. The environmental hazards of spilling fuel aside, dripping fuel on the side of a car can damage the vehicle’s paint over time; further irritating a customer and creating an easily avoidable liability.
Knowing this, why should any station owner permit an attendant to top off a customer’s tank?
Ultimately, topping off the tank is a bad practice that serves no purpose in today’s retail landscape. Perhaps there was a “valid reason” to do so decades ago; but that justification has not been true for nearly 30 years. And since credit- and debit-card purchases make up most of the transactions, the need to “round” makes even less sense today.
Rather than risking damaging a customer’s vehicle, your business would be best served by telling your attendants to stop pumping when the fuel pump clicks off. Even if there’s never any damage caused, why tick off a customer who can easily take their future business elsewhere?
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