My point being, if less-than 1000 pounds of sealed drums of paint can go in a cargo van, so can 3000 pounds of it. There is no more, nor no less, of an inhalation hazard once you hit the magical placarded 1001 pound mark with paint drums. So the reasoning behind not hauling van-haulable, placardaded HAZMAT has little to do with the driver being separated from the load. It's about van drivers not having a clue as to how to log and scale when placarded. Betcha.
Many tipes of HAZMAT must be placarded in any amount, even one pound of it. Almost none of those can go in a van, anyway, due to the regulations requiring a separation of that type of freight from the driver. That's not the kind of HAZMAT I'm talking about.
Certainly paint, many solvents, all (or certainly almost all) Class 9 substances, etc., can easily be carried in a van and are not required to be in a separate box from the driver, regardless of weight. So, if you'll put a 750 pound drum of paint on a van, why would you not put two of them on there? The only reason is that it must be placarded. And placards mean log books and scales for drivers who don't know how to log and scale.
It's simply easier to stick a vanload of 2 skids of paint drums on a straight truck that logs all the time, than it is to educate a van driver for 3 or 4 loggable loads a month, I guess. And of course, there are plenty of van drivers who would refuse a placarded HAZMAT load, simply because they don't want to have to log or scale for the trip. And by the same token, these types of drivers are merely steering wheel holders, and not professional drivers. IMHO.
For many reasons, I just find it amusing, and a bit troublesome, that a company would choose to encourage the "steering wheel holder" mindset of a segment of its fleet. Placarded HAZMAT is just one small corner of the mindset picture. I mean, there are vans out here with no e-track, no tie-downs, load bars, not even a bungy cord. Ran into one the other day who not only had no restraints of any kind, he didn't even have a deck. The freight went right onto the bare metal floor of the van with nothing whatsoever to secure it. Driver said that, 'as long as they plastic-wrap it to the skid good enough, it won't go anywhere.'
Astounding.
"Gots me a van, a set of keys, and a full tank of gas. I'm a truck driver. Gimme money. I gots to be home every weekend, though. Oh, and I don't go to Canada. Or out west. Or New York. Or haul HAZMAT. I'm a truck driver, tho. Got a CDL and everything. Gimme money."
Yepper. LOL
Many tipes of HAZMAT must be placarded in any amount, even one pound of it. Almost none of those can go in a van, anyway, due to the regulations requiring a separation of that type of freight from the driver. That's not the kind of HAZMAT I'm talking about.
Certainly paint, many solvents, all (or certainly almost all) Class 9 substances, etc., can easily be carried in a van and are not required to be in a separate box from the driver, regardless of weight. So, if you'll put a 750 pound drum of paint on a van, why would you not put two of them on there? The only reason is that it must be placarded. And placards mean log books and scales for drivers who don't know how to log and scale.
It's simply easier to stick a vanload of 2 skids of paint drums on a straight truck that logs all the time, than it is to educate a van driver for 3 or 4 loggable loads a month, I guess. And of course, there are plenty of van drivers who would refuse a placarded HAZMAT load, simply because they don't want to have to log or scale for the trip. And by the same token, these types of drivers are merely steering wheel holders, and not professional drivers. IMHO.
For many reasons, I just find it amusing, and a bit troublesome, that a company would choose to encourage the "steering wheel holder" mindset of a segment of its fleet. Placarded HAZMAT is just one small corner of the mindset picture. I mean, there are vans out here with no e-track, no tie-downs, load bars, not even a bungy cord. Ran into one the other day who not only had no restraints of any kind, he didn't even have a deck. The freight went right onto the bare metal floor of the van with nothing whatsoever to secure it. Driver said that, 'as long as they plastic-wrap it to the skid good enough, it won't go anywhere.'
Astounding.
"Gots me a van, a set of keys, and a full tank of gas. I'm a truck driver. Gimme money. I gots to be home every weekend, though. Oh, and I don't go to Canada. Or out west. Or New York. Or haul HAZMAT. I'm a truck driver, tho. Got a CDL and everything. Gimme money."
Yepper. LOL