Search

Hazmat Shippers Brace for Holiday Shipageddon

Posted on 10/22/2020 by Roger Marks

FedEx and UPS have warned shippers to expect significant delays this holiday season. Together, the companies added 100,000 seasonal employees to their workforces as they brace for an “unprecedented peak season.” With nearly all holiday capacity already spoken for, as many as seven million packages per day may experience delays. The coming logistics crisis has already been dubbed "shipageddon." 

Hazardous materials shippers are wisely scheduling hazmat employee training in advance of the holiday rush. Untrained or under-trained employees can make mistakes that lead to frustrated and rejected shipments, fees from carriers, incidents in transit, and DOT civil penalties now as high as $81,993 per day, per violation.

In advance of the holiday rush, organizations should identify employees who need hazmat training and provide it as soon as possible. Online hazmat courses are more popular than ever in 2020, partly because of the flexibility they offer to fit training into a busy work schedule.  

Lion Technology offers hazmat training required to ship by ground, air, and vessel in compliance with the latest regulations for 2020-2021. 

Hazmat Ground Shipper Certification (DOT)
Hazmat Air Shipper Certification (IATA) 
Hazmat Vessel Shipper Certification (IMDG) 

Plus, find specialized hazmat courses to ship lithium batteries and hazmat limited quantities. 

Who Needs Hazmat Training?

US DOT requires hazmat training for all “hazmat employees”—defined as any employee who affects the safety of hazardous materials in transportation (49 CFR 171.8).

That definition covers a lot of people. Personnel who identify which materials are regulated, who classify those materials according to 49 CFR criteria, or who select proper shipping names absolutely need hazmat training to fulfill those roles.

Employees who package materials, affix marks and labels, fill out shipping papers, convey emergency response info, select a mode of transportation (highway, air, rail, etc.), offer hazmat placards are all “hazmat employees” by DOT’s definition.

“Hazmat employee” can also cover some less-obvious job roles. A worker who selects or orders packaging must know which packages are authorized for and compatible with your material—that takes hazmat training.

Lastly, an employee who signs shipping papers or Hazardous Waste Manifests need comprehensive hazmat training. When you sign a hazmat shipping paper, you legally certify that the shipment was prepared in full compliance with the latest US and/or international regulations.

Browse online hazmat training courses. 

For more on who needs hazmat training, view the Hazmat Training FAQ.

Training New Hazmat Employees

To meet demand during the holiday months, may retailers and e-commerce shippers will hire new or seasonal staff. For new hazmat employees, DOT requires training within 90 days of hire date. New employees may not work unsupervised until hazmat training is complete. 

Re-training for hazmat employees is required once every three years. 

[see 49 CFR 172.704]

Streamlined Hazmat Courses for Shipping Ops Personnel

For non-manager shipping employees, Lion offers a step-by-step hazmat training course that provides general awareness, security awareness, and function-specific hazmat training for typical job roles.  

Or get even more granular with unique courses aimed at specific hazmat job roles like packager, loading dock worker, and shipping clerk. 
 
 

Tags: 49 CFR, DOT, hazmat training

Find a Post

Compliance Archives

Lion - Quotes

Course instructor was better prepared and presented better than other trainers. Course manual and references were easier to use as well.

Marty Brownfield

Hazardous Waste Professional

These are the best classes I attend each year. I always take something away and implement improvements at my sites.

Kim Racine

EH&S Manager

These are the best commercial course references I have seen (10+ years). Great job!

Ed Grzybowski

EHS & Facility Engineer

The instructor was very very informative, helpful, understandable and pleasant. This course answered many questions I had, being new to this industry.

Frances Mona

Shipping Manager

No comparison. Lion has the best RCRA training ever!!

Matt Sabine

Environmental Specialist

The course was very informative and presented in a way that was easily understood and remembered. I would recommend this course.

Jeffrey Tierno

Hazmat Shipping Professional

Lion Technology workshops are amazing!! You always learn so much, and the instructors are fantastic.

Dorothy Rurak

Environmental Specialist

The training was impressive. I am not a fan of online training but this was put together very well. I would recommend Lion to others.

Donnie James

Quality Manager

If I need thorough training or updating, I always use Lion. Lion is always the best in both instruction and materials.

Bryce Parker

EHS Manager

Much better than my previous class with another company. The Lion instructor made sense, kept me awake and made me laugh!

Marti Severs

Enterprise Safety Manager

Download Our Latest Whitepaper

A guide to developing standard operating procedures, or SOPs, that help you select, manage, and audit your hazmat agents and contractors.

Latest Whitepaper

By submitting your phone number, you agree to receive recurring marketing and training text messages. Consent to receive text messages is not required for any purchases. Text STOP at any time to cancel. Message and data rates may apply. View our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.