“I didn’t know…”
A Ram 3500 driver’s video of filling up his truck with pink fuel sparked a litany of online replies that ranged from horror and confusion to wry commentary.
Ohio-based TikTok creator Lane Beatty (@lanebeatty) uploaded the clip recently. To date, it has racked up over 1.1 million views.
“The lion isn’t concerned with what color the fuel is,” Beatty writes in a text overlay of his video.
He records himself pouring fuel into the vehicle from a pump with a green handle. After lifting the handle, he reveals that the fuel has a pink hue. Many who replied were taken aback by the color.
“I didn’t know petrol was pink!” one person wrote. Another quipped, “Is the lion putting cherry slush in his vehicle?” Someone else joked, “God forbid a car wants a little pink drink.”
Someone else noted both the hue of the fuel along with the car’s pump handle: “Please tell me you drive a diesel,” they remarked. Another assumed that Lane was pouring diesel fuel into a gasoline-powered engine. “Please tell me that’s for a cheater’s car?” they said.
According to the fuel-centric website OFTRB, there are various reasons why drivers may find themselves dispensing pink liquid at a gas station. In post on the subject, OFTRB writes that “typically [petrol is]… associated with a clear or slightly yellowish liquid.” However, there are instances when gasoline is dyed pink with a chemical called solvent red 26 or other synthetic colorizers “that are water-soluble and highly concentrated.” This is done in order to distinguish it from different fuel grades.
The same piece says that “when [dyes] are added to petrol…[they] do not affect the chemical properties or performance of the fuel.” It also indicates that this is an “industry standard” practice, which allows fuel sellers to distinguish between dyed and undyed fuel and their corresponding grades.
Additionally, OFTRB states that this pink coloring serves not only to aid in “identification and differentiation,” but also, regional tax laws and local compliance regulations play a part, along with environmental concerns. Some jurisdictions require pink petrol to specifically be used for “off-road or non-highway” use. TruckersReport writes that dyed fuel (usually red or pink) isn’t taxed. That’s because it’s designated for farm equipment and machinery, i.e. not for road warriors on American highways.
With this in mind, one tongue-in-cheek reply to Beatty’s video begins to make more sense. A fellow TikToker wrote, “The lion is not frightened by the concept of tax evasion.” It seems that at least one person viewed the Ram owner’s video and speculated that Beatty was filling his Ram with pink, non-taxed diesel fuel to take out on the open road.
Some regulatory bodies have disputed whether or not it’s necessary to add dyes to fuel. A 1996 article in The Oklahoman argued against artificially coloring petrol. Proponents of dissolving the practice claimed that the need for using these dyes has dwindled over time, as most don’t see the color of the fuel due to modern vehicular and pump design.
The Oklahoman further reported that “color-coding of gasoline” became a more widely adopted practice during the 1970s. This was due to mandates by the Environmental Protection Agency, which worked to “phase-out…leaded fuels in order to help reduce air pollution.”
As some TikTokers who replied to Beatty’s post mentioned, fuel that isn’t yellowish in color indicates that it’s diesel.
In several other videos on Beatty’s account, he shows that he drives a Ram 3500 with a Cummins inline 6 diesel engine. Other clips show that he also operates a tractor on what appears to be a spacious property.
Another visual clue instantly cues viewers into the fact that Beatty is driving a diesel truck: the green fuel pump. Most gas sellers use this handle color for diesel. But there are some stations that don’t follow this color scheme. For example, BP doesn’t, which has been criticized by drivers who find themselves double and triple-checking their fuel selection whenever they pump.
Motor1 has reached out to Beatty via a direct message on TikTok for further comment. We’ll update this if he responds.
What Owners Are Saying
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motor1.com?
– The Motor1.com Team