IMHO, grounding is not possible and the only thing which can help is what is referred to in the LINK as bonding. Bonding is what you do to putting things at the same electrical potential of zero. ESD(electro static discharge) is a very costly problem which causes microscopic and other burning of connections within electronic circuits like system boards, cards and everything else electronic. The solution is when you work on something you place it on a conductive mat and connect by a cable between the mat and yourself with the part or parts your working on placed on and connected to the mat. Once no potential is established between you and the part you can work on it. If your working in a large computer or storage farm environment, to prevent ESD you will connect yourself to the chassis of the equipment you are working by a cord clamped on the frame of what your working on located within a rack. That's what is supposed to be done but in the electronic world and even in some training video's and manuals you can find common reference to just touching or holding the frame of what your going to work with being good enough. I one time threw out of one of my customer GM Lordstown complex in fact a support person there to help me find a problem because he did not use his grounding strap while working on equipment I was responsible for.
You offered a problem and I offered a possible solution. Grounding will not work and at the track expecting race car, trailer, fuel and mechanic to be wired together(bonded) is not a viable expectation. With that in mind and relating to the piss poor slob electronic ESD prevention method of touch and maintaining touch I then went and tried to show how at least a touch method of grounding might become common practice. Ignorance and stupid were not used in joke but as intentionally picked words to stress and cause others to remember the example. The reason the back of a pickup can explode while filling jugs is most likely because who ever is filling them never caused the static electrical potential to be discharged prior to filling. The buildup occurs when you move getting out your pickup, walking to the pump and even operating the pump. I'm sure you know if you get out of your vehicle and touch it while going to the pump you will get a static shock. But if you go to the pump it doesn't happen and it doesn't happen because while going to the pump both you and the pump become "grounded" and are at the same electrical potential. Sometimes if you have rubber sole shoes on you may even experience static electricity when you touch the pump. But it doesn't take much to set your level of potential to the same potential as the pump, so that static discharge is not likely to happen. From the pickup story what I saw happening is who ever was fueling jugs in the back got out of their truck and first went back to take the lid off the jugs for filling. That's fine as soon as he touched the unopened jugs he put himself and the jugs at the same electrical potential. If there was a discharge the jugs were closed and no problem. If there were fumes available at that time then there could have been a problem. The jugs are now opened and he again MOVED building up static which was most likely put at zero potential. Next you take the the pump handle and move it to the pickup with open jugs to be filled. If there was left over fuel in the jugs that fuel would be evaporating and possibly filling the jugs with fuel vapor just waiting for a source of ignition. In my scenario the person filling the jugs for what ever reason was being very careful not to scratch or get fuel on the pickup, trying their best to only have the fuel go into the jugs. What then in my opinion happened was because they never made contact with the pickup or jugs leveling the electrical potential, a spark occurred and most likely caused the vapor buildup in the jugs to explode. Gas burns vapor explodes. Jugs build up with vapor either prior to being filled or during filling and if you never made connection to the jugs or at least the pickup truck your going can get an explosion. Simply turning from the pump and raising your arms to a position to put fuel in the jugs can cause a static build up and discharge.
The off color story is the education part to make readers think about what might happen. Big racer/drivers often think about the advantages little horse jockey drivers have. The reality of it is most of the little horse jockey drivers are small but most are also strong like small pit bulls. Fuel jugs with their plastic container can weigh as much as 40 pounds and most are going to use both hand when filling a car from a 40 pound jug. My suggestion mandating the use of 3 gallon jugs with handles so a jug could be dispensed into the car with one hand was real. Lighter jugs might mean it will be more likely for racers to at least touch the car before fueling which would set the electrical potential to zero.
You just read again how I think an explosion in a pickup truck when filling fuel jugs can occur. If this makes one person bond with the pickup truck stopping an accident from happening the off color is worth the effort. I do think a staged youtube video where the possibility is shown and explained would go viral among the racing community. I don't know if I my explanation of how I think an explosion can occur is the same as what you all came up with, I offered my thoughts not having a clue what you discussed or thought about. If this all so called joke or not makes racers think about and do something to set their electrical potential to zero by touching, BEFORE FUELING it not only educated but caused others to remember the story.
Ignorance is not a funny word or a word I used to be funny, it means someone does not have needed knowledge and nothing else. Maybe this thread will help spread knowledge.
stupid or dumb is when you have the knowledge and still error by not acting in a needed way.
The reference saying it has happened in pickups with and without a bed liner means nothing except to say even if the jugs are in a bed liner there can still be a difference in potential between the jugs and what contacts the jugs. I don't think it's possible for a spark to come from the pump, I think it had to come from movement made while filling the jugs or moving to fill the jugs. I would guess if your not in contact or bonded to the truck and jugs, just the motion of moving from filling one jug to another could cause a spark. There ain't no way to fix the problem other then making people aware of the possibility. Solution would be to make everyone take what there filling out of the pickup or trunk and put it on the ground next to the pump to be filled, but that ain't going to happen.
