Who should you use to send Hazmat?

Ragman

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
And I'm chopped liver?
At least the "2 highly respected members" acknowledged me - and neither sent me to fetch a beer, so that's progress, eh?
Thanks, guys.

So sorry, now I feel real bad.

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Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
I am a shipper, shipping one 450# drum of flammable paint, what is the minimum information required on the B.O.L.?

UN or NA ID number, Proper Shipping Name, Hazard Class or Division Number (plus the Sub Class or Division Number in parentheses if the material has one), Packing Group, Total Quantity in weight or as otherwise appropriate, and Total Number and Type of Packages.

1 Drum UN1263 Paint 3 I 450 lbs.

Any materials shipped that are found on the Table of Hazardous Materials are required to have the above basic description of the material, regardless of placarding requirements. It is important as a driver to know what is required on shipping papers, rather than rely on underpaid shipping clerks to be correct.
 
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ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
OK. I read those. It's just that by using the terminology the way you are, it leaves the distinct impression that if you transport anything on the Table of Hazardous Materials, then it is HAZMAT for the purposes of having to have a CDL with a HAZMAT endorsement.

It leaves the distinct impression?

Come on, Turtle. Are you even trying to be fair and open minded? I could not have been more clear:

Question 4: Am I required to have a HAZMAT endorsement on my CDL to transport this cargo, and how do I know?

No, on this load, a HAZMAT endorsement is not required. As Turtle correctly states, if the truck is required to be placarded, the endorsement is required. If the truck is not required to be placarded, the endorsement is not required.

Do vehicle placards trigger anything? Yes they do and there is no disagreement here. If the vehicle is placarded, the driver of that vehicle must have a HAZMAT-endorsed CDL to legally drive that vehicle while it is so loaded and placarded.

If say 500 lbs. of Item X was being shipped, it would still be HAZMAT because it is listed in the Hazardous Materials Table. It would still be the driver's responsibility to make sure that the shipping papers are properly prepared in accordance with HAZMAT regs, Placards would not be required, And the driver would not need a HAZMAT-endorsed CDL to drive the vehicle.

If you pointed to the placarded truck and asked me if a HAZMAT-endorsed CDL is required to DRIVE it, I would say yes, absolutely. If placards are required on the truck, a HAZMAT-endorsed CDL is required to drive it.

If placards are required, then I would say, yes, a HAZMAT-endorsed CDL is required to drive a truck that is loaded with that skid.

If the truck is placarded, a HAZMAT-endorsed CDL is required. If the truck is not placarded, a HAZMAT-endorsed CDL is not required.

If a driver asked me to point out the regs that told him or her when a HAZMAT-endorsed CDL is required and when it is not required, I would not turn to the HAZMAT regulations because you can read those all day long and not find the answer to the question the driver is asking.

The driver is not asking a HAZMAT question, he or she is asking a CDL question. To answer it, you must turn to the regs that talk about CDL's, and look where that takes us, Turtle. It takes us straight to the definition you cited!

49 CFR 383 is titled "Commercial driver's license standards; requirements and penalties"

49 CFR 383.5, Definitions, includes the definition Turtle cited above.

How do you know which definition to use? That's where applicibility comes in. Depending on the question you ask, one definition will be more applicable than the other and that will be the one to use.

If you ask, "Under what circumstances do I need a HAZMAT-endorsed CDL?" the definition Turtle cites provides the best answer.

If you ask, "How do I know if a particular material or substance is HAZMAT or not?" the definition I cite provides the best answer.

It seems that the reason this debate went 'round and 'round like it did is because Turtle and I had different questions in mind when we were offering up our comments.

Next time, before we debate the answers, let's make sure we agree on the question.

Are we done now?
 
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cheri1122

Veteran Expediter
Driver
So sorry, now I feel real bad.

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That picture is totally unfair - now I feel bad too!
It's hard enough to get more women to speak up here [and you might be surprised to find some are pretty knowledgeable] when we seem to be invisible sometimes.
I know you didn't mean it that way, I was just being snarky & you don't deserve it. I'm sorry too.

 

Ragman

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
That picture is totally unfair - now I feel bad too!
It's hard enough to get more women to speak up here [and you might be surprised to find some are pretty knowledgeable] when we seem to be invisible sometimes.
I know you didn't mean it that way, I was just being snarky & you don't deserve it. I'm sorry too.


Don't feel bad, I'm just having some fun.
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ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
UN or NA ID number, Proper Shipping Name, Hazard Class or Division Number (plus the Sub Class or Division Number in parentheses if the material has one), Packing Group, Total Quantity in weight or as otherwise appropriate, and Total Number and Type of Packages.

1 Drum UN1263 Paint 3 I 450 lbs.

I would add:

- Emergency response information
- Emergency response telephone number
- Shipper's certification
 

ryansexpress

Seasoned Expediter
No wonder Phil hasn't posted on his blog since July. This is occupying his time...lol.. waiting on the blog to be updated now.
 

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
I would add:

- Emergency response information
- Emergency response telephone number
- Shipper's certification

It wouldn't be wrong or incorrect to add those, but they are not required in the example posed by Moot.
 

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
It wouldn't be wrong or incorrect to add those, but they are not required in the example posed by Moot.

I do not agree, but I am not going to argue the point or ask you to defend yours. I'm tired of this.
 
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davekc

Senior Moderator
Staff member
Fleet Owner
After laboring through this thread, I'm not sure if it confirmed what I already know or confused me on what I thought I had known.
In any event, I believe this is the longest thread in several years regarding a hazmat topic.
 

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
I do not agree, but I am not going to argue the point or ask you to defend yours. I'm tired of this.
Greezus, Phil. You said it yourself, it's a simple question, what is the minimum information required on the B.O.L? Not what all is required amongst all of the shipping papers, but the minimum required on the BOL.

Emergency Response information is required to be WITH the shipping papers, but it can be on the BOL itself, or it can be associated with the shipping papers in the form of the Emergency Response Guidebook, a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), or any other form that provides all the information required by the regulation.

The Emergency Response phone number is required in most cases to be on the BOL, but not in every case. It depends on the material and the quantity.

The shipper's certification can likewise be on the BOL or elsewhere, but it is not required to be on the BOL itself. The shipper's certification is often a page unto itself or part of another page of the shipping papers.

Answering the question of, "What all is required to be included on or as part of the shipping papers?," instead of the question asked, is a other example of making assumptions and introducing something outside the scope of the question. Moot asked a very simple question, and you turned it into a very different, more complex question.
 

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
No wonder Phil hasn't posted on his blog since July. This is occupying his time...lol.. waiting on the blog to be updated now.

Yes it is and it's my own fault. I'm up to my eyeballs in writing projects these days and for a break I come here to write some more. As one of my infantry school TAC officers used to say, "No discipline!"

I'll get the blog caught up as time permits and my self-discipline improves.
 
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ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
The shipper's certification can likewise be on the BOL or elsewhere, but it is not required to be on the BOL itself. The shipper's certification is often a page unto itself or part of another page of the shipping papers.

Readers, please note the following (red highlight mine):

§ 172.204 Shipper’s certification.
(a) General. Except as provided in
paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section,
each person who offers a hazardous material
for transportation shall certify
that the material is offered for transportation
in accordance with this subchapter
by printing (manually or mechanically)
on the shipping paper containing
the required shipping description
the certification contained in
paragraph (a)(1) of this section or the
certification (declaration) containing
the language contained in paragraph
(a)(2) of this section.
 
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