Indiana Code 6-6-2.5-40. Transportation of special fuel; requirements and procedures; violations
(b) Every person transporting special fuel in vehicles upon the Indiana public highways shall carry on board a shipping paper issued by the terminal operator or the bulk plant operator of the facility where the special fuel was obtained, which shipping paper shall set out on its face the state of destination of the special fuel transported in the vehicle, except that operators of vehicles with a capacity of not more than five thousand four hundred (5,400) gallons that have received special fuel at a bulk plant in Indiana for delivery to an end consumer in Indiana are exempt from this provision with respect to the special fuel. A person who violates this subsection commits a Class A infraction (as defined in IC 34-28-5-4).
Attorney's Note
Under the Indiana Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Level 6 felony | between 6 mos. and 2 1/2 years | up to $10,000 |
Terms Used In Indiana Code 6-6-2.5-40
- bulk end user: means a person who receives into the person's own storage facilities at least two hundred forty thousand (240,000) gallons annually of special fuel for the person's own consumption. See Indiana Code 6-6-2.5-4
- bulk plant: means a gasoline or special fuel storage facility, other than a terminal, that is primarily used for redistribution of gasoline and special fuel by a motor vehicle with a capacity of not more than five thousand four hundred (5,400) gallons. See Indiana Code 6-6-2.5-5
- department: means the department of state revenue. See Indiana Code 6-6-2.5-7
- destination state: means the state for which a motor vehicle or barge is destined for off-loading into storage facilities for consumption or resale. See Indiana Code 6-6-2.5-8
- person: means a natural person, a partnership, a firm, an association, a corporation, a representative appointed by a court, the state, a political subdivision (as defined in IC 36-1-2-13), or any other entity, group, or syndicate. See Indiana Code 6-6-2.5-17
- received: means the removal from any refinery or terminal in Indiana, or the entry into Indiana of any special fuel for consumption, use, sale, or warehousing, except for transfers in bulk into or within a terminal in Indiana between registered suppliers. See Indiana Code 6-6-2.5-20
- special fuel: means all combustible gases and liquids that are:
Indiana Code 6-6-2.5-22
- supplier: means a person that imports or acquires immediately upon import into Indiana special fuel by pipeline or marine vessel from within a state, territory, or possession of the United States into a terminal or that imports special fuel into Indiana from a foreign country, or that produces, manufactures, or refines special fuel within Indiana, or that owns special fuel in the pipeline and terminal distribution system in Indiana, and is subject to the general taxing or police jurisdiction of Indiana, and in any case is also registered under Section 4101 of the Internal Revenue Code for transactions in taxable motor fuels in the bulk distribution system. See Indiana Code 6-6-2.5-23
- terminal: means a fuel storage and distribution facility that is supplied by pipeline or marine vessel, and from which special fuel may be removed at a rack and that has been registered as a qualified terminal by the Internal Revenue Service for receipt of taxable motor fuels free of federal motor fuel taxes. See Indiana Code 6-6-2.5-24
- terminal operator: means the person who by ownership or contractual agreement is charged with the responsibility and physical control over the operation of the terminal. See Indiana Code 6-6-2.5-25
- transporter: means the person and its agent, including the driver, that transports special fuel. See Indiana Code 6-6-2.5-25.9
(d) Each operator of a special fuel retail outlet or bulk plant shall receive, examine, and retain for a period of thirty (30) days at the delivery location the terminal issued shipping document received from the transporter for every shipment of special fuel that is delivered to that location, with record retention of the shipping paper of three (3) years required offsite. A person who knowingly violates or knowingly aids and abets another person in violating this subsection commits a Level 6 felony.
(e) No bulk end user, retail dealer, bulk plant operator, or wholesale distributor shall knowingly accept delivery of special fuel into storage facilities in Indiana if that delivery is not accompanied by a shipping paper issued by the terminal operator or bulk plant operator that sets out on its face Indiana as the state of destination of the special fuel. A person who knowingly violates or knowingly aids and abets another person in violating this subsection commits a Level 6 felony.
(f) The department shall provide for relief in a case where a shipment of special fuel is legitimately diverted from the represented destination state after the shipping paper has been issued by the terminal operator or where the terminal operator failed to cause proper information to be printed on the shipping paper. These relief provisions shall include a provision requiring that the shipper or its agent obtain a diversion number within twenty-four (24) hours of the diversion and report the number on the shipper’s or agent’s monthly return to the department, and the relief provision shall be consistent with the refund provisions of this chapter.
(g) The supplier and the terminal operator shall be entitled to rely for all purposes of this chapter on the representation by the shipper or the shipper’s agent as to the shipper’s intended state of destination or tax exempt use. The shipper, the importer, the transporter, the shipper’s agent, and any purchaser, not the supplier or terminal operator, shall be jointly liable for any tax otherwise due to the state as a result of a diversion of the special fuel from the represented destination state.
As added by P.L.277-1993(ss), SEC.44. Amended by P.L.18-1994, SEC.29; P.L.85-1995, SEC.24; P.L.1-1998, SEC.80; P.L.158-2013, SEC.96; P.L.234-2019, SEC.21.