CDL · Hazardous Materials · 7 min read
Reading Papers Labels and Placards
- Identify and locate hazardous materials shipping papers, manifests, and required emergency information.
- Interpret the Hazardous Materials Table and properly structure basic shipping descriptions.
- Apply vehicle placarding rules, dimension specifications, and table thresholds correctly.
Managing Shipping Papers and Emergency Documentation
Transporting hazardous materials begins with strict documentation. Shipping orders, bills of lading, and manifests are all recognized forms of shipping papers. These documents inform you, emergency personnel, and inspectors about the exact cargo on your vehicle. Shippers must describe hazardous materials correctly on shipping papers, which must list an emergency response telephone number unless excepted. In addition, emergency response information must be kept directly with the hazardous materials shipping papers at all times.
Because immediate access to this information is critical during an incident, carriers and drivers must quickly identify hazardous materials shipping papers or keep them on top of other shipping papers. Location rules depend on where you are. While driving with a fastened seat belt, you must keep hazardous materials shipping papers in a door pouch or in clear view within immediate reach. When a driver is out of the vehicle, the shipping papers must be left on the driver's seat. Leaving the cab for a quick delivery or a meal break still requires placing the paperwork right on that seat so emergency responders can locate it instantly.
Specific recordkeeping and handling rules apply to record retention and hazardous waste. Shippers must retain a copy of the shipping papers, or an electronic image, for 2 years after the material is accepted by the initial carrier. For hazardous waste, shippers must keep records for 3 years. A motor carrier providing transport service only must retain a copy of the shipping paper for 1 year. When hauling hazardous waste, the word WASTE must appear before the proper shipping name on the shipping paper. Furthermore, the shipper and each carrier must sign the Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest by hand, and the driver's copy after delivery must contain the signature and date of the person to whom the waste was delivered.
Common mistakes
- Leaving shipping papers in a bag or sleeper berth instead of placing them on the driver's seat when exiting the vehicle.
- Writing shipping descriptions out of order, such as listing the proper shipping name before the four-digit identification number.
- Using a DANGEROUS placard when 2,205 pounds or more of a single Table 2 hazard class was loaded at one location.
- Failing to display additional poison placards for materials marked INHALATION HAZARD because the total load weighs under 1,001 pounds.
Key points
- While driving with your seat belt fastened, keep hazardous materials shipping papers in a pouch on the driver's door or in clear view within immediate reach; leave them on the driver's seat when you are out of the vehicle.
- Basic shipping descriptions must list the identification number, proper shipping name, hazard class or division, and packing group in that exact order without unauthorized abbreviations.
- When a vehicle must be placarded, it needs at least four identical placards, on the front, rear, and both sides, readable from all four directions and at least three inches from other markings.
- Table 1 materials, materials marked INHALATION HAZARD, and materials with a dangerous when wet secondary hazard require placarding in any amount.
- Except for bulk packages and the excerpt's special-hazard rules, Table 2 materials require placards when their combined amount reaches 1,001 pounds, including packaging. A DANGEROUS placard is an option when two or more Table 2 hazard classes require different placards, their combined amount is at least 1,001 pounds, and less than 2,205 pounds of any one Table 2 hazard class material was loaded at any one place.
- Class 9 placards are not required for domestic highway transportation, and an improperly placarded vehicle may only move during an emergency to protect life or property.
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