Filling a Gas Can: Take It Out of the Truck Bed Before You Start

Leaving a gas can in the pickup bed while filling it may seem convenient. It is the wrong shortcut. Put the portable container on the ground before dispensing gasoline—even if the truck bed looks like a stable work surface.

The essentials: use a certified gasoline container, shut off ignition sources, keep the nozzle touching the container inlet and leave the required expansion space. Do not fill a drink bottle, washer-fluid jug or other improvised container.

1. Start with the container, not the pump

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety recommends approved portable containers, such as CSA- or ULC-approved products. Check the container’s label and instructions, including its intended fuel, fill limit and closure procedure.

Do not rely on red plastic alone as proof of suitability. Before the trip, inspect the container for cracks, damaged caps or an unusable spout. If you cannot identify its approval or safely close it, replace it with a suitable product rather than trying to make it work at the station.

Plan how much fuel you actually need and where it will go afterwards. This is a small portable-container guide, not instructions for filling drums, slip tanks or commercial fuel-transfer equipment.

2. Move it to the ground before dispensing

CCOHS explains that filling a portable fuel tank on a plastic-lined truck bed can create a static-related fire hazard. Its advice is to remove the container from the vehicle, fill it on the ground and maintain nozzle contact while filling.

Do not fill it in the trunk, cargo area or on the tailgate. If you cannot safely lift or handle the container, use a smaller suitable container or ask the station attendant about assistance before opening it. A full container will be harder to move than an empty one.

3. Fill slowly and stay with it

• Turn the vehicle and other ignition sources off. Follow station rules, keep flames and smoking away, and keep children clear of the dispensing area.
• Keep the nozzle in contact with the container inlet while dispensing. Do not improvise a grounding wire or modify the can.
• Fill slowly, watching the level. Never jam the nozzle open or walk away.
• Stop at the container’s specified safe fill level, leaving expansion room. Do not fill to the brim or squeeze in extra fuel to round off the sale.

Ontario’s Technical Standards and Safety Authority advises leaving expansion space, keeping ignition sources away and securing the fill and vent closures when finished. Follow the particular container’s instructions; its nominal capacity is not a reason to overfill it.

4. A “20 L” can is not a measuring instrument

Measurement Canada explains that portable containers are not certified for measurement accuracy. A pump reading above the can’s stated capacity does not by itself prove the pump is wrong: filling beyond the marked line, manufacturing variation or changes to the container can affect the apparent volume.

That explanation is not permission to fill beyond the safe line. If a receipt seems wrong, retain the receipt and note the station, pump number, date and concern. Discuss it with the retailer and use Measurement Canada’s complaint process if it remains unresolved. Do not recreate the fill by deliberately overfilling the can.

5. Finish safely—and do not turn the car into fuel storage

Close the container as directed and check for leakage before handling it further. Follow the container’s transport instructions and applicable local requirements. If it is leaking or damaged, do not put it into the vehicle; notify the attendant and ask for safe assistance.

TSSA warns against leaving portable gasoline containers in direct sun or using a car trunk for storage. Make fuel collection a planned task, not something you leave in the vehicle while running unrelated errands. Ask the supplier about safe transport if your vehicle cannot accommodate the container appropriately.

If there is a spill or fire

Stop dispensing if safe and notify station staff immediately. Keep people away from the spill and ignition sources. If fire starts, leave the area, alert others and call emergency services from a safe place. Do not try to carry a burning container or drive away through spilled fuel.

For unwanted gasoline at home, ask your municipality or hazardous-waste facility how to bring it in safely. Never pour it onto the ground or into a drain, and do not use gasoline as a cleaning product. Keep it in an appropriate labelled container until it can be handled safely.

Sources checked November 1, 2026. Follow the fuel supplier’s instructions and the certified container’s directions.