BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A handful of local gas stations were found to be out of compliance since late July, according to the Texas Department of Agriculture.
You can find the latest inspection information here.
The state’s Fuel Stations out of Compliance Report lists stations that where inspectors found violations that resulted in pumps being temporarily placed out of order.
This map details which local gas stations the state found to be out of compliance between late July and mid-September.
The Weights and Measures Enforcement Action Report dates back further and includes various types of violations found at gas stations, not just those that resulted in pumps being shut down.
Some of the types of violations found by state inspectors include “short measure,” meaning the pump delivered less fuel than the amount shown on the display, and "does not hold zero,” meaning the transaction did not start at zero gallons or $0.00.
Click here to find out what each violation type means.
“For a customer to actually know what amount is coming out from the pump is pretty difficult,” said Roberto Ruiz, a fuel pump inspector with the Texas Department of Agriculture.
The state inspects a gas station every three years or after a customer makes a complaint.
“We want to make sure that if, in fact, we do pump 5 gallons here, that the customer is getting 5 gallons. And we can tell that based on this prover,” said Ruiz, pointing to the measuring devices inspectors use when testing gas pumps.
The state allows for some variance. When an inspector measures out 5 gallons of gas, that measurement can read 5 gallons plus or minus roughly 6 tablespoons and the pump would still be in compliance.
Any more in either direction would result in a violation.
Stations are fined based on the violation found and, if warranted, inspectors place a tag on the pump rendering it out of service until repairs are made.
“The businesses are taking more care of their stations,” Ruiz said. “It really doesn’t pay for them — or help them — for us to go and find a violation.”
That was the case at Ken’s Texaco on Austin Highway.
“The last time they'd been checked by the state was in 2006. Our office called the state,” said Randall Ratcliff, manager of Ken’s Texaco. “One of the nozzles was pumping too much fuel and two of them weren't pumping quite enough fuel.”
The problems at the pumps at Ken’s have since been fixed and Ratcliff says its not just state inspectors who are on the lookout for issues.
“That’s one thing we've taught our guys to check. When they pull {the nozzle} off, if it jumps up a few cents then you're stealing 3 cents from the customer. And that's not right,” Ratcliff said.
Representatives of nearly all the gas stations listed on the state’s latest Fuel Stations Out of Compliance Report said the violations at their respective stations have already been fixed or are in the process of being repaired.
Two of the gas stations on the report were Valero Corner Stores. In response, CST Brands issued a statement saying, “In San Antonio alone, CST brands operates 160 Corner Store sites with nearly 1300 fuel dispensing positions. Our fuel meters are regularly calibrated by independent, highly-qualified contractors in order to maintain accuracy and provide the greatest benefit to our customers. We immediately correct any fuel dispensers which are out of compliance as we did with the two San Antonio fuel pumps listed on this report.”