Is there a regulation that deals with when a soldier lets a military vehicle run out of fuel?

That has to be the most KISS counseling bullet I have ever read.

I like that, short and simple. I will add that the young CPL should find a fueling requirement in the unit SOP. I would also advise that he start inspecting a random vehicle in his section before every mission. If it isn't inspected, it isn't done. I would grab a driver and do PMCS on his vehicle even as the CO.

You will need two references.
For you, ATP 6-22.1.
For the Soldier and the counseling, TM-9-2320-365-10.
The counseling plan of action might include corrective training, that should be the counseled SM conducting PMCS on an LMTV, possibly also teaching PMCS on an LMTV to others.
The LMTV gets around 8 MPG, leaving the motor pool/fuel point with less than a full tank is stupid, and contrary to the TM and any SOP you might have.

CPL (Join to see) - Your Command should be able to answer your question... but I tend to agree with SFC (Join to see) advice. Have you ever thought your Command may be seeing how you handle this situation if there were not any major consequesnces as a result of his actions. If there were none... talk to your Command about what SFC (Join to see) suggested;

"Is this worth hanging paper on a Soldier or could it be dealt with as teaching and learning experience with the caveat it will be a formal counseling if it happens again?"

What can it hurt? IMO.

Are they requiring a formal counseling session? Will the command accept an informal counseling? It’s worth asking for additional guidance. If they want it to be formal, search the regs for what was done incorrectly, check the PMCS checklist to see if fuel level is there. If it isn’t, ask for a copy of the local SOP stating a full tank is required. If you’re formally counseling a Soldier it’s because they did something wrong. If it was wrong it should be in writing somewhere. The Army loves putting things in writing. If it isn’t I’m writing, work with your CoC and see if they’ll support an informal counseling until “full tank” is on paper somewhere. You never know. It may be. Our written SOP was “no vehicle is parked with less than 1/2 tank of fuel”.

https://capl.army.mil/atp-6-22x1/web/counseling-fundamentals.html

CPL (Join to see)

With all due respect,CPL (Join to see), it *is* your choice. If you write up a formal counseling statement, it will be your signature at the bottom, not someone on your NCO chain of supervision or your chain of command.
So whatever you write down should reflect what you think needs to be said, including any mitigating factors or corrective training (see SFC (Join to see)'s "Don't do dumb stuff" example).

CPL (Join to see) - You have been ordered to counsel. However informal counseling is *still* counseling. Not a card to play all of the time, but it *is* a card to play SOME of the time. If you truly feel that this is an event that does not need to be documented, you have a loophole.

Personally, I would believe that this is something that *should* be documented. I would be looking at a line of counseling involving dereliction of duty. Yes, running out of gas is small. So is *checking* the gas. But the small things become big things quickly in combat. And had that been a convoy in combat, this could have become very big very quick. I understand it *wasn't.* But we sweat in peace so that we don't bleed in war. Time to impress on this young Soldier the importance of peaceful sweat - and maybe even induce a bit of sweating. Just my $0.02.