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FMCSA Updates Hazmat Safety Permit Rules for Radioactives Transporters

Posted on 6/22/2016 by Roger Marks

In the Federal Register on Friday, the US DOT Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) posted a Rule to update the vehicle inspection requirements for motor carriers who transport highway-route control quantities (HRCQ) of radioactive materials.

Under 49 CFR 385.415, motor carriers must perform a pre-trip inspection on each motor vehicle used to transport a highway-route controlled quantity of radioactive materials (a Class 7 hazardous material). Since 2005, the US DOT’s standard for these pre-trip inspections comes from the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), as incorporated-by-reference into the 49 CFR Hazardous Materials Regulations.

Geiger counter and radioactive hazardous substance


Previously, motor carriers were directed by 49 CFR 385.4 to follow the April 1, 2015 edition of the CVSA Level VI out-of-service criteria. CVSA released a new edition of its Level VI inspection and out-of-service criteria on April 1, 2016. FMCSA’s new Rule simply updates the edition incorporated in the US regulations to the newest edition.

From the Federal Register, “FMCSA has reviewed the April 1, 20156 edition and determined there are no substantive changes that would result in motor carriers being subjected to a new or amended standard.” In other words, this is mostly an administrative change.  
See details about CVSA’s inspection levels (I-VII) here.

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If you ship hazmat by ground, air, or vessel, staying up to speed with the latest requirements is crucial. If you miss critical changes or don’t understand the rules that apply to your activities, US DOT can levy fines up to $75,000 per day, per violation. Be confident you know the details about how complex regulations affect you shipments, and leave nothing to chance.

At the Complete Multimodal Hazmat Shipper Workshops, build your step-by-step approach to classifying materials; choosing Proper Shipping Names; packaging, marking, and labeling DG shipments; filling out hazmat shipping papers; meeting reporting and recordkeeping responsibilities; and much, much more.  Don’t miss the workshops in July, when the hazmat training trusted nationwide comes to New Jersey, Boston, Baltimore, Hartford, Philadelphia, Williamsburg, and Charlotte.  

Tags: DOT, hazmat shipping, new rules, PHMSA

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