CDL · Hazardous Materials · 6 min read
Knowing Who Must Do What
- Identify what hazardous materials are, where federal regulations are located, and the three core goals of these safety rules.
- Distinguish the specific responsibilities of shippers and commercial drivers regarding packaging, risk communication, and shipping paper certification.
- Explain the training, licensing, permitting, and inspection requirements required to legally transport hazardous materials.
Understanding Hazardous Materials and the Regulations
In the commercial driving industry, safety begins with understanding what you carry. Hazardous materials are products that pose a risk to health, safety, and property during transportation. On highway signs, you will frequently see the term hazardous materials shortened to HAZMAT. In government regulatory texts, you will commonly see it abbreviated simply as HM. Hazardous materials cover a wide variety of substances, including explosives, various types of gas, solids, flammable and combustible liquids, and other materials. Because of the serious risks and potential consequences involved if these products escape, all levels of government regulate the handling and movement of hazardous materials.
The federal rules governing these products are known as the Hazardous Materials Regulations. These rules are located in Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, covering parts 171 through 180. The common reference for the Hazardous Materials Regulations is 49 CFR 171 - 180. Within these regulations, you will find the Hazardous Materials Table, which contains an extensive list of hazardous items. However, this list is not all-inclusive. Whether a material is legally considered hazardous is based on its specific characteristics and the shipper's decision on whether those characteristics meet a formal regulatory definition.
Operating within these rules is not optional. Following hazardous materials rules reduces the risk of injury to you, emergency responders, and the general public. Non-compliance with hazardous materials regulations can result in fines and jail. State CDL testing rules and passing scores can vary; drivers transporting hazardous materials should learn the applicable federal and state rules and check for permits and special routes where they drive.
Common mistakes
- Believing that an item is non-hazardous simply because it is omitted from the Hazardous Materials Table, forgetting that the table is not all-inclusive and classification depends on material characteristics.
- The shipper must supply placards, and a driver seeking the hazardous materials endorsement must know how to properly placard a vehicle in accordance with the rules.
- Assuming hazardous materials training is a one-time requirement when getting licensed, overlooking the federal mandate that drivers must be trained and tested at least once every three years.
- Assuming standard truck routes apply to all hazardous freight, forgetting that states, counties, and the federal government may enforce special routes, permits, or exemptions for materials like certain explosives, bulk hazardous waste, or rocket fuel.
Key points
- Hazardous materials (HM or HAZMAT) are substances that pose a risk to health, safety, and property during transportation, regulated under 49 CFR 171 - 180 to prevent injury, fines, and jail.
- The Hazardous Materials Table is not all-inclusive; a material's status is determined by its characteristics and the shipper's decision on whether it meets regulatory definitions.
- The three main goals of hazardous materials regulations are to contain the material, communicate the risk, and assure safe drivers and equipment.
- Shippers must package freight safely, supply placards, provide emergency response info, prepare proper shipping papers, and certify compliance (except when pulling cargo tanks supplied by the driver or employer).
- Drivers must hold a CDL endorsement before transporting hazardous materials in any size vehicle as defined in 49 CFR 383.5, and must know how to identify, load, placard, and transport shipments safely.
- Hazardous materials employees must be trained and tested at least once every three years. All drivers must receive security training; drivers transporting cargo tanks or portable tanks must also receive specialized training. Employers must retain each employee’s training record while the employee works with hazardous materials and for 90 days afterward.
- Drivers must inspect their vehicles before and during trips, know required special routes and permits, and be prepared for law enforcement to check papers, placards, endorsements, and driver knowledge.
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