Update: DOT Hazmat Rule for Highway, Rail, Vessel

Update: January 8, 2025

PHMSA extended the public comment period for an additional 90 days, until April 28, 2025, for the rulemaking Advancing the Safety of Highway, Rail, and Vessel Transportation (HM-265)..

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PHMSA has proposed to amend the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) by revising specific requirements related to rail, highway, and vessel transportation. The rule is intended to clarify the meaning and intention of the hazmat regulations by addressing several hazmat transportation issues, including: 

-Rail tank car design, use, and service/maintenance 
-Highway cargo tank specifications
-Highway cargo tank requalification requirements
-Required markings on tanks transporting distillate fuels 

PHMSA will accept comments on the proposed rule until 
January 27, 2025 April 28, 2025.

Proposed Hazmat Regulation Updates

PHMSA arrived at the proposed revisions by reviewing recommendations from the Rail Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC)—a Federal advisory committee that, in 2017, approved a set of consensus recommendations to improve hazardous materials transportation safety. 

Public comments and petitions for rulemaking were also considered as part of the rulemaking process. PHMSA accepted insights about how to clarify and improve the hazmat regulations from shippers, carriers, chemical industry stakeholders, law enforcement, firefighting organizations, public utilities, and others. 

The proposed rule includes a substantial list of HMR sections that will be affected (shown at right).

Stakeholders and the public can submit comments online at regulations.gov.

Get Required Hazmat Training Before 2024 Ends

Want a stronger or more fluent understanding of the US DOT hazmat regulations for shippers? 

Professionals nationwide attend Lion's Hazmat Ground Shipper Certification Workshop for expert-led training to simplify the every day responsibilities of 49 CFR compliance for hazmat shippers—classifying materials,  shipping names, UN packaging, labels and placards, shipping papers, etc.

Don't miss the final hazmat training workshops of 2024: 

Philadelphia, PA	December 4—5, 2024
Dallas, TX	December 12—13, 2024
Hartford, CT	December 18—19, 2024

 

Webinars and Online Training
​​​​​​Can't make it to an in-person workshop?

Join us for a live webinar or train when and where you want with self-paced online hazmat training. Lion's hazmat courses are designed to help satisfy US and international hazmat employee training requirements for shippers in 49 CFR, the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR), and the IMDG Code. 

US DOT requires training for all "hazmat employees," and requires re-training every 3 years. 

Tags: DOT, hazardous materials, hazmat, hazmat shipping