07/08/2011
On July 7, 2011, Federal regulatory agencies published their semiannual regulatory agendas and regulatory plans as required under the Regulatory Flexibility Act [5 U.S.C. 602]. The agenda is where agencies summarize all current or projected rulemakings and review existing regulations and completed actions. While the detailed agendas are no longer published in the Federal Register...
07/06/2011
Dry ice is commonly used by the medical, pharmaceutical, and food industries to keep perishable goods frozen during shipment. The substance poses a variety of health and safety threats, including explosion and suffocation. With enforcement on the rise, thorough knowledge of the regulations is essential to avoid penalties for non-compliance that can be as high as...
06/21/2011
There are 34 pages in the Hazardous Materials Transportation Safety and Security Reauthorization Act of 2005 [HMTA; Pub. L. 109-59] and 1,105 pages in the Hazardous Material Regulations [HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180] to enforce that law. These laws and rules govern every element of hazardous materials transportation safety and security. Have you ever read or skimmed through them? Do you know where to find a copy...
06/15/2011
Following up from yesterday’s post, the National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD), like the ATA, is also objecting to overreaching elements of PHMSA’s proposed regulations for cargo tank loading and unloading...
06/14/2011
The U.S. Coast Guard is establishing a Chemical Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC) to advise the Department of Homeland Security and the Guard on the safe and secure transportation of hazardous materials in bulk...
On June 9, the American Trucking Association (ATA) filed comments with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, criticizing its proposal to require...
06/09/2011
05/31/2011
Q. I’ve heard the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is phasing out the Consumer Commodity (ORM-D) exceptions from the Hazardous Material Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR parts 171-180). When did this happen? When does it take effect? And does this mean that regular consumer products need shipping papers and the whole rigmarole of marks, labels, and UN specification packaging like regular hazmat...
05/17/2011
Q. We ship a mineral spirits product that has a flashpoint of 120ºF in 55-gallon drums. The product has no other DOT hazards and is only shipped by highway. We have been using the opportunity that the DOT provided at 49 CFR 173.150(f) to reclassify our product as a combustible liquid so that we can take advantage of the exception at 49 CFR 173.120(b)(2). We heard that the DOT is eliminating the combustible liquid designation. What will this mean for our shipments?
04/19/2011
Each year shippers and carriers of certain quantities and types of hazardous materials must comply with the registration requirements at 49 CFR 107, Subpart G. Registration, including a registration fee, is required for any person that offers or transports...
If a carrier rejects your hazardous materials shipment, your team must spend valuable time repackaging, relabeling, rewriting paperwork, or otherwise correcting mistakes big and small. Held-up and rejected shipments disrupt logistics, stall your operations, and can severely impact the bottom line.