Imagine you're driving across state lines, and you are running low on fuel. You pull off the road, coast into a gas station, and you start opening the door only to have it swung close in a moment. Before you can react, a stranger leans in with a smile and tells you to sit tight; he’ll handle it. Welcome to New Jersey, the only state in the country where pumping your own gas is illegal. Instead, every gas station employs dedicated attendants, known as "pump jockeys," whose sole job is to fill your car for you.
For some background, the vast majority of stations used to hire pump jockeys since gas pumps were more complicated, and it was necessary to have someone trained to operate them. Gas stations began the transition towards self-service starting in the 1970s as the oil embargo and subsequent shortage caused the closure of many full-service stations. With the closure and increased cost of gas stations, along with better and safer gas pumps, many stations began to transition to self-service. Nowadays, full-service gas stations are rare, with most examples being in New Jersey.
New Jersey's ban originated in the 1940s when a small gas station was trying to compete against larger established stations by offering self-service at lower costs and prices. The larger stations did not want competition and so they petitioned for a ban on self-service citing safety and job protection. As mentioned, fuel pumps were more sophisticated and riskier, so the concern for safety may have been justified. The New Jersey law banning self-service gas pumps went into effect in 1949. The only other state to pass a ban was Oregon in 1951, which banned self-service due to concerns with safety hazards and job protection.1 Oregon has since repealed the ban first in rural areas in 2017 and then fully in 2023.
The exact role of a pump jockey is outlined in the New Jersey Retail Gasoline Dispensing Safety Act and Regulations.2 In which they describe a pump jockey as someone who pumps gasoline and prevents others from pumping gasoline. They are generally minimum wage jobs, earning 16 dollars an hour.
The ban is enforced with fees which are primarily intended for gas stations in violation. For pumping your own gas, the first offense ranges from 50 to 250 dollars. There is a 500 dollar fine for each subsequent offence. Attendants, themselves, will also act to prevent consumers from pumping themselves.
The primary motivation to keep the ban in place has been to protect jobs and provide a better service. There are estimated to be about 7000 gas station attendants employed in New Jersey. Lifting the ban would cause the loss of these low requirement jobs.
The main considerations for removing the ban are convenience and cost. Self-service is convenient for the consumer as they only need to get out of their car, pump the gas and leave without having to wait and deal with an attendant. And since pump jockeys are paid employees, removing them would save the gas stations money which would allow them to lower prices. Removing the ban is expected to decrease oil prices by about 4.4 cents per gallon.3 Data from Oregon did not show a clear change in prices, though it might have been hidden by other price fluctuations.
The act is criticized as it artificially drives up prices and protects jobs for a low-skilled profession. The measure is not friendly to non-Jerseyan drivers who may not know they can't pump their own gas. And while there is some convenience in not having to get out of your car, you are forced to deal with the inconvenience of having to wait.
The ban is still supported in New Jersey as it has become a unique aspect of their state and thus a cultural point. Some like not having to get out of their car to pump gas. While others see it as a job creation measure that protects blue collar jobs that don't require any experience or education. In any event, the ban seems unlikely to change in the foreseeable future.
Bibliography
Benshoff, Laura. “You Haven’t Been Able to Pump Own Gas in New Jersey since 1949. That Might Change.” NPR, April 20, 2022. https://www.npr.org/2022/04/20/1093045172/you-havent-been-able-to-pump-own-gas-in-new-jersey-since-1949-that-might-change.
Cms, Oit -. “Official Site of the State of New Jersey.” Public Safety and Occupational Safety and Health | Retail Gasoline Dispensing Safety Act and Regulations. Accessed May 17, 2026. https://www.nj.gov/labor/safetyandhealth/resources-support/laws-regulations/gasact.shtml#3A-8.
Marchetti, Tony. “The Pumping Predicament.” Monmouth Magazine, July 1, 2024. https://www.monmouth.edu/magazine/the-pumping-predicament/.
Melo, Vitor. “Self‐service Bans and Gasoline Prices: The Effect of Allowing Consumers to Pump Their Own Gas.” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 43, no. 3 (January 12, 2024): 804–17. https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.22564.
“State Gas Price Averages.” AAA Fuel Prices. Accessed May 17, 2026. https://gasprices.aaa.com/state-gas-price-averages/.
“Self-Serve Fueling.” Oregon State Fire Marshal : Self-Serve Fueling : State of Oregon. Accessed May 21, 2026. https://www.oregon.gov/osfm/pages/self-serve-fueling.aspx.