Out of Gas on I-295, or the Wrong Fuel at the Pump: What Portland Drivers Do Next

September 25, 2026

An empty tank and a misfueled tank look like the same roadside problem. One is a twenty-minute fix. The other gets more expensive every second the engine runs.

Where Maine law lets you stop, and where it does not

The first decision gets made in the seconds after the engine stumbles, and it is about geography rather than mechanics. Under Title 29-A, section 2068, a vehicle may not be parked on a traffic lane, an acceleration or deceleration lane, or on a bridge forming part of a limited-access highway, nor on the shoulder left of the traffic lanes. On I-295 through Portland that leaves the right shoulder, and rules out stopping on Tukey's Bridge at all.

Off the highway the same section turns on clearance and sightlines: at least 10 feet of clear width for other vehicles to pass, and a clear view of the way for 300 feet beyond the parked car before an approaching driver comes within 200 feet of it.

One exception applies here: section 2068 does not apply to a vehicle disabled to the extent that it is impossible to avoid stopping and temporarily leaving it. A dry tank generally qualifies. It covers the stop, not what happens next.

• Get as far right as the pavement allows, and further if the ground beyond it is firm.
• Set the parking brake. Section 2068 requires brakes to be effectively set on a vehicle left standing unattended on a public way.
• Hazards on while the car is still rolling, not after it stops.
• Turn the front wheels away from the travel lane, so a car struck from behind rolls toward the shoulder.

The engine quits before the car does

A tank does not empty like a light switch. Fuel flow weakens first, the engine surges and stumbles, and only once the tank is dry does the car coast to a stop. That short window is worth spending on steering rather than on hoping the next exit is closer than it is.

Once the engine stops, hydraulic power steering goes heavy immediately and vacuum-assisted brakes hold only a pump or two of boost. Reach the shoulder while there is still assist, and if the pedal has gone hard, press firmly and steadily instead of pumping.

What running dry costs beyond the walk to the station

The tank is not the only casualty. A modern electric fuel pump sits inside the tank and depends on the fuel around it for cooling. As J.D. Power puts it, fuel pumps need fuel flowing through them to stay cool, and if that flow is drastically reduced or nonexistent the pump's motor can burn out and require replacement. Older cars add a second risk: debris that normally sits harmlessly below the pickup can reach the pump and filter when the level drops far enough.

So a car that will not restart after fuel is added is not necessarily still empty. The system has to re-prime: turn the key to the on position for a few seconds, several times over, before cranking. Crank continuously and you risk finishing off a pump the dry run already weakened. If two or three honest attempts do nothing, the next call is roadside help in Portland, Maine rather than another gallon.

The wrong fuel is a worse problem than no fuel

An empty tank is an inconvenience. A tank with the wrong fuel in it is a repair bill that grows while the engine runs. Diesel pumps typically carry green handles and larger-diameter nozzles, which is why the mistake tends to run one direction: a gasoline nozzle slides easily into a diesel pickup, while a diesel nozzle often will not fit a gasoline filler.

Kelley Blue Book documents the reverse case: diesel is thicker than gasoline, and the more viscous fuel can clog and damage a gas engine's injection system, with unburned diesel going on to damage the catalytic converter.

Either direction, the instruction is the same and it feels wrong at the time. Do not start the engine — not to clear the pump lane, not to reach a space thirty feet away. A misfueled tank is a drain-and-flush job; a misfueled fuel system is an injector, pump and converter job, and starting the engine is the step that moves the car from the first to the second. Book flatbed towing so the drivetrain never turns under power.

Fuel delivery or a tow: which call this actually is

Not every fuel problem is a tow, and not every one is a can of gas. A dispatcher will ask what happened at the pump and what the car did afterward, because those two answers pick the truck.

• Empty tank, engine shut off promptly: a fuel delivery under roadside assistance is usually the whole fix.
• Empty tank, cranked hard, still nothing after refueling: treat it as a pump or filter problem and plan on a tow.
• Wrong fuel, engine never started: a flatbed to a shop that can drop and flush the tank.
• Wrong fuel, engine started and running rough: the same tow, a larger repair. Shut it off where it sits.
• Stopped in a travel lane or on a bridge: the car has to move before the fuel question gets solved.

Leaving it there turns a fuel problem into a fee problem

The tow nobody ordered is the expensive one. Under Title 29-A, section 2069, a law enforcement officer may cause a vehicle interfering with snow removal or the normal movement of traffic to be removed to a suitable parking place at the expense of the registered owner. The same section adds that the State and its agents are not liable for towing or storage charges.

A car left on the I-295 shoulder overnight because fuel felt easier to sort out in the morning may not be there in the morning, and getting it back means storage stacked on a tow. What it costs to get a towed car back in Portland covers that version.

More from the blog

• Long-Distance and Out-of-State Car Transport From Portland: How It Differs From a Local Tow
• Motorcycle, Camper and Box Truck Towing: Why Each One Needs a Different Truck
• Your Car Won't Shift Out of Park: What Portland Drivers Can Check Before Calling for a Flatbed