Gas Pumping Law Changes in Oregon

[Jim Koepke]

In Oregon it has been unlawful for a driver to pump their own gasoline. One attendant told me this lowered the insurance cost which also made the prices lower than in California or Washington. The law changed on the first of the year to allow people in counties with a population of less than 40,000 to pump their own gasoline.

The internet is having a blast:

375444

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/memes-poke-fun-at-oregonians-who-dont-want-to-pump-their-own-gas_us_5a4e6035e4b0b0e5a7abb081

jtk

[John K Jordan]

Oh good grief. Next thing you known they'll be preparing their own food and walking their own dogs. What is this world coming to?

JKJ

[Mel Fulks]

It needs to be taken seriously. Years ago a person smoking while fueling would have the pump turned off immediately by station employee. That never happens now. Yeah, they've added fume recovery stuff. Maintenance is lousy. Oregon is pretty rural. I don't see any humor.

[Stephen Tashiro]

In Oregon it has been unlawful for a driver to pump their own gasoline.

Many stations in other states provide equipment for drivers to wash their own windshields. Is that also the custom in Oregon? - or do Oregon attendants wash windshields and check oil like atendants in the rest of the US did in the Old Days?

[Ole Anderson]

My 92 YO MIL knew how to pump her own gas. It isn't rocket science, unless you fill your plastic containers in your truck, then the static charge could let it go off like a rocket...

On my RV trip three years ago, I was real uncomfortable letting someone pump my gas in OR. Plus, do I tip him??

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

Some of the idiotic posts here and there about the shock at having to pump there own gas is just dumbfounding. Now I do remember seeing attendant less gas stations down south years ago. Just a couple pumps under a spot light out in the middle of no where. Not allowed in several other states, He in PA, I don't know of any station that has a pump jockey, but they all have foreigners sitting in the booth to collect the funds from the primitives who deal in cash. One lady thought working as a nurse in prison was less dangerous than pumping her own gas. Gosh, I wonder how she manages not to spray herself with an aerosol can of bug killer.

[Art Mann]

It needs to be taken seriously. Years ago a person smoking while fueling would have the pump turned off immediately by station employee. That never happens now. Yeah, they've added fume recovery stuff. Maintenance is lousy. Oregon is pretty rural. I don't see any humor.

The funny part is that people are worried about safety when the rest of the nation has been pumping their own gas for least 40 years with no ill effects. To me, a law forcing people to have someone else pump their gas is about the same as a law forcing people to have someone else wash their clothes.

[Mike Cutler]

Jim

I'm kind of not sure if this is a goof, or not.
I haven't seen an attended gas station, other than the 'Jersey T-Pike, in decades. I didn't know they were even still around, in any state. We barely have just gas/service stations in Connecticut. Most of them are attached to convenience stores, or pseudo smoke/head shops.
Next thing you'll see is the little stickers on all of the pumps, lawfully holding you responsible for spillage, and mandating that you must remain in attendance.

[David Bassett]

Many stations in other states provide equipment for drivers to wash their own windshields. Is that also the custom in Oregon? - or do Oregon attendants wash windshields and check oil like atendants in the rest of the US did in the Old Days?

Last time I was through there, most big stations (interstate stops, etc.) had two options: Full serve, which did all that, and Mini-serve, which was pump the gas (to meet the law.) Don't know if that is still true or if it was ever that way out in the small counties affected by this.

[Frederick Skelly]

I've driven all over the country and haven't seen significant problems at or with self service gas stations. There can and will always be idiots. But I can't recall hearing about a self serve gas station exploding. If it has happened, it must be mighty rare. Now spillage - yes, that can and does happen. But even pump attendants can occasionally have that happen - the attendant put down some absorbing stuff like cat litter, washed the side of my car real quick, and I was back on my way. In a self serve, you tell the attendant and they clean the mess or tell you how. (Seen that too.)

I really don't believe this will be a problem for Oregon, after folks get used to it. Honest guys.

Fred

[Lee Schierer]

In New Jersey you can't pump your own gas at any station. They will yell at you if you even touch the nozzle.

[Mike Trent]

If true, this means NJ is the last state to not allow “civilians” to pump their own gas.

[Mel Fulks]

Rural stores are often farther from fire stations. And a guy pulling up in a van packed with gasoline cans that all need to be filled might make someone call the police and say something. I bet that there is rule against giving flying lessons to guys who don't want landing lessons. Once that would have seemed silly. Rule changes to selling gasoline need better news coverage that comedy ridicule.

[Mel Fulks]

If true, this means NJ is the last state to not allow “civilians” to pump their own gas.
Is that a post 911 rule? I remember filling my own tank there years ago....only place the car ever took a gallon OVER the tank capacity

[Larry Frank]

I have a difficult time understanding why you can not pump your own gas.

I would have loved to have someone pump my gas the other morning. It was -13 F and a stiff wind.

[Frederick Skelly]

In New Jersey you can't pump your own gas at any station. They will yell at you if you even touch the nozzle.

Maybe they have different liability laws? Or perhaps the state feels they are protecting some (lower paying) jobs? (That may not be as stupid a theory as it sounds. I recall reading about NY/NJ turning away out of state power company guys that came there to help after that Sandy storm a few years ago, because they weren't in a union. Dunno.)

Fred

[Frederick Skelly]

Rural stores are often farther from fire stations. And a guy pulling up in a van packed with gasoline cans that all need to be filled might make someone call the police and say something. I bet that there is rule against giving flying lessons to guys who don't want landing lessons. Once that would have seemed silly. Rule changes to selling gasoline need better news coverage that comedy ridicule.

Honest Mel, this is only scary because it's a change to what folks are used to. Most states allow this now and have operated safely for years. I've even seen some that retain one "full service" pump where elderly and other folks who don't want to pump their own gas can have an attendant do it. It costs a dime extra per gallon, or something minimal like that.

Fred

[Nathan Johnson]

I wouldn't even know where there was a full service station here. It's been self serve here as long as I've been driving.

[Ed Labadie]

Still one station in the next town over that has 2 full service pumps, you pay extra for the service, rest of the station is self serve. Must be enough people use them as they have an employee in the service bay on 2nd shift to cover them.

Nice to get a tire repaired or oil change at 8:00pm with no waiting.

Ed

[Jim Becker]

The change in Oregon sounds like it will be helpful to folks in more rural areas, including the stations, although it's not great for some jobs I suspect.

Not only does New Jersey still not allow consumers to pump their own gas, they also require Costco to sell to non-members. That last part I learned about recently. I used to buy my gas weekly in New Jersey because the price difference was significant. But when they raised their tax 23 cents per, the delta became so low that it was no longer practical to drive to where i was buying near Flemington. That also meant I was no longer shopping at other places nearby, like Home Depot and a very nice wine store... Now, it's Costco for 100% of my gas which is about, oh...25 cents a gallon less than ant of the more local places. That's significant with a 24 gallon tank. :)

There still are a few stations in my area that offer (or require) full service, but they also charge an arm, a leg and probably some other appendage for the privilege. That said, there are some folks who do need the assistance for physical reasons and it's too bad that at some places they have to pay extra while most self-serve stations provide a way to call for assistance.

[Cary Falk]

My understanding is that more rural counties have the option to pump their own gas if they want to. There will still be attendants to pump if people don't want to. You can pump your own diesel in Oregon if you like already. It is more of a saving jobs thing then safty thing. I hate buying gas in OR and avoid it even if it is cheaper. It takes 2 or 3 times longer to get filled up and you have to go hunting for a gas station that is open past 11pm. The weather in the Portland/Vancouver is pretty mild so I don't mind pumping gas in the winter.

[Jerome Stanek]

Last one I went to was in Indiana I didn't know that I couldn't pump my own when the attendant came up and told me. That was 2005

[Myk Rian]

In Oregon it has been unlawful for a driver to pump their own gasoline. One attendant told me this lowered the insurance cost which also made the prices lower than in California or Washington. The law changed on the first of the year to allow people in counties with a population of less than 40,000 to pump their own gasoline.

The internet is having a blast:

375444

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/memes-poke-fun-at-oregonians-who-dont-want-to-pump-their-own-gas_us_5a4e6035e4b0b0e5a7abb081

jtk

They need a sign out there saying "Mobil burns best"

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Last time I was in a state that did not let me pump my own fuel, I got out and supervised the fill-up.

I remember thinking that this kid pumping my gas was not old enough to be out of college and if he was more qualified to pump gas than I, there had to be something odd or unsavory going on. I don't think they appreciated being watched, but I was polite with no snide comments.

[Myk Rian]

I was pumping gas in high school, and felt pretty well qualified.

[Jim Becker]

I was pumping gas in high school, and felt pretty well qualified.
Same...it was my second summer job...at like a buck and a half an hour. :) And when there were no gas customers, there were cars to be washed for customers.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

I pumped my own gas in Cherry Hill NJ in October 2015 and no one died, yelled or even noticed.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

What I said referred to the job prerequisite of not speaking or comprehending English.

[Bill Carey]

Same...it was my second summer job...at like a buck and a half an hour. :) And when there were no gas customers, there were cars to be washed for customers.
I not only was qualified as a highschool junior to pump gas, but also had the advanced windshield washing degree. And 1.50 would have been a raise.

[Stan Calow]

I'm old enough to remember when having an attendant pump your gas was the norm. It was a respectable teenage job. People around here freaked out when it became possible to pump it yourself - especially the older folks and ladies who did not want to get out of the car. It was not universally popular, just like self-service checkout at the big box stores isn't now.

I've seen plenty of people light up a cigarette at the pump or doing stupid things like filling glass jars, as well of plenty of videos of static electricity fires at gas stations in fire safety training. It happens.

[Michael Weber]

My daughter lives in Oregon and she always told me the justification was jobs.

[Mike Henderson]

... And 1.50 would have been a raise.

Yeah, me too. The summer after high school before I started college, I worked in a hamburger joint for $1/hr. 10 hours/day, 7 days a week - $70 for a weeks work. I actually didn't have to work 7 days but I wanted the money.

I did work my way up to short order cook. I could flip an egg (or two) with wrist motion for an order of "over easy". The grease from the cooking made the skin on my face break out.

Of course, that was a lot of years ago.

Mike

[Ronald Blue]

I'm sure Oregon will be burning shortly. The good old days. Pull into a station across the hose and the bell dings to alert the attendant of your presence. Most stations in those days also did service work and had one or two bays. Often a sign out front stating "mechanic on duty". Many people these days have never experienced full service stations.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

About 30 years ago, my grandfather gave me a bunch of his old work shirts. They said Sinclair on the back and on the front pocket with a picture of a dinosaur. So I wore them as I would any old shirt. They were quite comfortable and I wore one one day when I was driving to the beach to go fishing. I stopped at a gas station and pumped my own gas and then went to the attendant in the building and paid him. As I was going back out to me car a guy comes up and hands me a $20 bill. I stood there holding it and asked, what is this for., just as another guy hands me money. I really had no clue that Sinclair was a gas station. Apparently, all the Sinclair stations on the east coast closed when i was about 4 yrs old in the 1950's. The attendant came running out and started screaming about a second after I handed the money back to the guys. Heck it was a Chevron station on the south side of Dover Del., not even the same company.

[Jim Koepke]

Many stations in other states provide equipment for drivers to wash their own windshields. Is that also the custom in Oregon? - or do Oregon attendants wash windshields and check oil like atendants in the rest of the US did in the Old Days?

No, they only pump the gasoline.

They will usually gladly accept tips. One of the problems is a gas jockey is likely not going to get more than minimum wage. With a tight job market it might be very difficult to find employees wanting to work outside in all kinds of weather.

jtk

[glenn bradley]

In New Jersey you can't pump your own gas at any station. They will yell at you if you even touch the nozzle.

Had this happen a couple of decades ago in Oregon. I pulled up in my rent-a-car, hoped out and grabbed the nozzle, the attendant raced out of his little hut yelling like a banshee. Who knew!?! Proceeded to tell me of the potential for economic shock to the state if bonafide Petroleum Relocation Engineers were not mandated for the restoration of depleted fuel systems on personal transport devices operated within the Oregon borders.

[Jim Koepke]

On another note, today was the first time for me when pumping gasoline the nozzle didn't shut itself off, resulting in a spilling of gasoline.

The attendants were ready for it, blocking the lane and spraying down the spill with some blue liquid.

jtk

[Brian Elfert]

I started buying gas around 1990. Only once have I ever bought gas full serve. I pulled into a small gas station in the south some place and got out to pump my gas. The attendant came out and explained it was full serve only. It was the most expensive gas I had ever purchased to date at around $1.65 a gallon.

[David Helm]

Oregon has had this no self service law for as long as gas has been pumped. It is about jobs. They also do not have a state sales tax. Sounds pretty progressive to me.

[Jim Koepke]

Oregon has had this no self service law for as long as gas has been pumped. It is about jobs. They also do not have a state sales tax. Sounds pretty progressive to me.

Here in Washington we are always getting asked if we are Oregon or Washington. Oregon people shopping in Washington are not charged sales tax. Though one Oregonian who works in Washington told me she still has to pay Oregon income tax on her Washington earnings. Washington doesn't have an income tax. California has both. But in California services are not subject to sales tax. That caught me off guard when performing service for pay here in Washington, since there is a sales tax on services in Washington. Oregon has a somewhat strange estate tax and their property taxes are higher. Some folks in Oregon feel they should charge a sales tax because a lot of people from Southern Washington shop there and do not support the infrastructure via taxes.

Th moral of the story seems to be no matter how they are figured, someone somewhere is going to complain about taxes.

jtk