Category: HazMat Transportation

Waste barrels with hazard warning symbols in the warehouse

Why Shippers Should Take Their Hazmat Shipping Compliance Seriously

Hazmat compliance. For some shippers, what is required for compliance can vary depending on their company’s point of view. On the one hand, compliance requirements can be considered tedious regulatory bureaucracy. But in today’s competitive economy, wherein efficiency counts, some shippers are taking compliance to another level and considering it a competitive edge. What made […]

Can Class 9 Placards Get You Into Trouble If Your Shipment Isn’t HazMat?

Question: I understand that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) hazardous material regulations do not require a Class 9 placard for domestic transportation of either non-bulk or bulk shipments but that some shippers decide to attach a placard to their Class 9 domestic hazmat shipment with the applicable UN number even when the placard is not […]

EHS on Tap: E30 What’s the Story with e-Manifests?

Way back in 2012, the Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest Establishment Act (also known as the e-Manifest Act) directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to establish a hazardous waste e-Manifesting system. After over 5 years of development, the EPA is ready to launch the e-Manifest system on June 30th. But what does it all mean for […]

Hazmat truck driver

Can Your Drivers Prevent a Chemical Release?

It is clear from a recently released Chemical Safety Board (CSB) report concerning a major chemical release that the driver involved was not sufficiently trained in safe cargo tank motor vehicle (CTMV) unloading operations. Are your drivers adequately trained to prevent or respond to a chemical release?

intermediate bulk containers

Oops! Dropping an IBC that Contains Hazardous Materials

There’s a broken plastic fitting on a pump mounted to the top neck fill on an intermediate bulk container (IBC), but the opening is located at 6 inches or more above the fluid level of the package. Also, there’s a little discharge but no continued leakage. Did you pass the IBC drop test for transporting hazardous […]

Big green and blue barrels standing on wooden pallets on a chemical plant

Oops! Can You Pass the Nonbulk Hazmat Drop Test?

You’re preparing to transport some nonbulk hazardous material in a combination packaging that consists of a solid plastic container with an inner 3-millimeter (mil) polyethylene bag. Is it OK if the inner packaging develops punctures and ¼ -inch to ½ -inch (in.) holes upon impact if there is no leakage of the filling substance?

How a Real-Life Hazmat Emergency Led to a Regulation

In yesterday’s Advisor, we discussed a hazardous materials (hazmat) transportation requirement that all manually activated on-truck remote shutoff devices for closure of the internal valve on cargo tanks be marked “Emergency Shutoff.” Violations of this requirement have been regularly targeted by Department of Transportation (DOT) roadside inspectors. Sometimes it might feel like the DOT just […]

Are You Properly Marking Your Hazmat Cargo Tank?

When Department of Transportation (DOT) roadside inspectors stop your hazardous materials (hazmat) truck, they are going to check your cargo tank to make sure that the manual remote shutoff device is marked correctly—a requirement that has popped up in top violations of hazmat regulations for 3 years now. Why is this requirement being violated more […]

Truck trailer hazardous material road

Is Your Hazmat Leaking?

When Department of Transportation (DOT) roadside inspectors stop your truck, they may no longer be surprised to see leaking hazardous materials (hazmat)—a violation that is pushing toward the top 10 violations of hazardous materials regulations. What’s happening here? Why are hazmats leaking in trucks?