Woman Goes To Sheetz For Gas. Then She Sees Something Shocking On The Display: 'Whoever Got Gas Before Me...'

A North Carolina woman pulls up to a pump at Sheetz for gas. Then she notices the numbers on the display and is concerned for the person who purchased gas before her.

Creator Emily (@emilychristineee1) posted a video with her startling discovery. As she pans to the display, viewers can see the last customer purchased 84.4 gallons of gas at a total of $489.66.

Emily asks a reasonable question in the on-screen text: “Whoever got gas before me, are you OK?"

Viewers React To North Carolina Sheetz Customer’s Gas Bill

In the video's comments section, viewers reacted to the previous customer’s bill and to the high price of gas in general.

“Holy Sheetz,” joked one viewer.

A second person noted the number of gallons. “Did they fill up Optimus Prime?” they asked.

“Who else went straight to the comments to find out what this could fill up?” a third person queried.

Someone else said, “I was worried about the person yesterday that only got $.39 worth. Hopefully they lived close by.”

Another person said, “As the wife of a trucker, it was probably a truck that got that much in diesel. As in a big truck.”

What Can Hold So Much Gas? And What Is An Auxiliary Tank?

According to the Used Truck Association, how many gallons a semi-truck can hold depends on a couple of factors, including whether it has a single- or dual-tank setup. A single-tank setup typically holds between 100 and 150 gallons of diesel fuel. Most passenger trucks hold 20 to 36 gallons.

That led to several comments suggesting it was a diesel truck that filled up before Emily, and that is certainly possible. It's also possible that it was a passenger truck with an auxiliary tank, which allows drivers to store an extra 20 to 30 gallons of fuel. 

Gas Prices: 'I’ll Just Walk Then'

AAA tracks average gas prices nationally and by state. Currently, the national average gas price is $4.32, and the average price in North Carolina is $3.95. Of course, that’s for a regular gallon of gas. The current average diesel price is $5.11.

And, no, in general, U.S. truckers are not OK. According to this CNN article from March, the Iran War and the corresponding jump in diesel to $5 per gallon are overwhelming small truckers in particular. One of the truckers that CNN spoke to spent $999.99 and didn’t even get to fill up the 18-wheeler Mack truck he depends on to earn his livelihood.

In a Reddit post to r/Truckers two months ago, a group of NBA reporters asked about the impacts of rising diesel costs. One person said, “None. My company pays the fuel and I drive the truck. I haul food and people get to eat. No headlines for you here.”

However, a second person said they are making adjustments in response to the price increases. “I parked my fancy truck and started driving my spare,” they wrote. “A little aero daycab is a lot less thirsty than a cabover with a built caterpillar. Even though I’m getting almost twice the mileage, I’m still spending more on fuel than I was two months ago.”

Motor1 contacted Emily and Sheetz via email for comment. We will update this story if they respond.