CDL · Hazardous Materials · 7 min read
Following Hazardous Cargo Road Rules
- Identify the strict parking, vehicle attendance, and emergency warning device rules for placarded loads and Division 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 explosives.
- Explain route planning requirements, travel restrictions, safe driving practices around open fires, and mandatory railroad crossing procedures.
- Describe fire prevention rules, smoking boundaries, fueling precautions, tire inspection steps, and proper handling of shipping papers and emergency gear.
Parking and Vehicle Attendance Rules
Parking a vehicle loaded with hazardous cargo requires far more caution than parking standard freight. If your vehicle carries Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives, you must never park within 5 feet of the traveled part of the road. In addition, you must not park an explosives-laden vehicle within 300 feet of a bridge, tunnel, or building, nor within 300 feet of an open fire or any place where people gather, except for brief operational necessities such as fueling. If your job requires you to park a vehicle carrying Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives, you may do so only briefly. You must never park such a vehicle on private property unless the property owner has been made aware of the danger.
Placarded vehicles not transporting Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives have different parking rules. You may park a placarded vehicle not transporting Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives within 5 feet of the traveled part of the road only briefly and only if your work requires it. Regardless of cargo class, you must never uncouple a trailer and leave it with hazardous materials on a public street. Do not park a placarded vehicle not transporting Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives within 300 feet of an open fire; for vehicles carrying those explosives, the manual makes an exception for short periods needed for vehicle operation necessities. However, for a vehicle hauling Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives, the manual allows short periods near an open fire if needed for vehicle operation necessities, such as fueling.
Vehicles carrying hazardous cargo also demand constant surveillance. Someone must always watch a placarded vehicle whenever it is parked on a public roadway or shoulder. For Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives, someone must watch the parked vehicle at all times unless it is left unattended in an authorized safe haven. An authorized safe haven is an approved place for parking unattended vehicles loaded with explosives, and designation of authorized safe havens is usually made by local authorities. A driver may let someone else watch an explosives-laden vehicle only if the vehicle is on the property of the shipper, carrier, or consignee.
The manual specifies exact requirements for the person attending a placarded vehicle. To attend a placarded vehicle, a person must be awake and either in the vehicle but not in the sleeper berth, or within 100 feet of the vehicle with it in clear view. The attendant must be aware of the materials’ hazards, know what to do in emergencies, and be able to move the vehicle if needed.
| Rule or Restriction | Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 Explosives | Placarded Vehicles (Non-Explosives) |
|---|---|---|
| Parking within 5 feet of traveled road | Never allowed under any circumstance. | Allowed only briefly, and only if your work requires it. |
| Parking within 300 feet of bridges, tunnels, buildings, or crowds | Prohibited, except for brief periods needed for operational necessities like fueling. | General 300-foot distance rule focuses on open fires. |
| Unattended parking allowed | Only in an authorized safe haven, usually designated by local authorities. | Must always be watched when parked on a public roadway or shoulder. |
| Letting someone else attend the vehicle | Only permitted on the property of the shipper, carrier, or consignee. | Allowed if the person meets all standard attendance criteria. |
Common mistakes
- Assuming that striking a tire with a mallet or kicking the tread is an acceptable way to check pressure; the CDL manual states the only acceptable method is using a tire pressure gauge.
- Leaving shipping papers in a briefcase, glove compartment, or sleeper berth when exiting the vehicle, rather than placing them on the driver's seat or in the driver's door pouch.
- Using burning flares or fuses around an empty tank used for Class 3 flammable liquids or Division 2.1 flammable gas, even though the warning-device prohibition applies whether that tank is loaded or empty.
- Thinking you can rest in the sleeper berth while 'attending' a placarded vehicle parked on a public shoulder, which violates the requirement to be awake and out of the berth.
Key points
- Never park within 5 feet of the traveled road with Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives, and keep 300 feet away from bridges, tunnels, buildings, gatherings, and fires except for brief operational necessities like fueling.
- An attendant must be awake and either in the vehicle but not in the sleeper berth, or within 100 feet with the vehicle in clear view; the attendant must also understand the materials’ hazards, know what to do in emergencies, and be able to move the vehicle if needed.
- Division 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 explosives may only be left unattended in an authorized safe haven, usually designated by local authorities.
- Drivers must stop 15 to 50 feet before railroad tracks when operating placarded vehicles, vehicles hauling any chlorine, or hazardous materials cargo tanks (loaded or empty), and must not shift gears while crossing.
- Never use burning signals like flares or fuses around a vehicle loaded with Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives, or around a tank used for Class 3 flammable liquids or Division 2.1 flammable gas, whether loaded or empty.
- Examine each tire at the beginning of each trip and each time the vehicle is parked; use a tire pressure gauge when checking pressure, and remove any overheated tire to a safe distance before driving again after correcting the cause.
- When behind the wheel, keep shipping papers within reach while belted or in the driver’s door pouch, where someone entering the cab can easily see them; when not behind the wheel, leave them in the door pouch or on the driver’s seat, and keep emergency response information in the same location.
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