- Make drivers slow down
- Generate revenue for the government
- Communicate the risk of the cargo
- Discourage you from carrying it
From The CDL Manual
9.1 – The Intent of the Regulations
9.1.1 – Contain the Material
Transporting hazardous materials can be risky. The regulations are intended to protect you, those around you and the environment. They tell shippers how to package the materials safely and drivers how to load, transport and unload the material. These are called "containment rules."
9.1.2 – Communicate the Risk
To communicate the risk, shippers must warn drivers and others about the material's hazards. The regulations require shippers to put hazard warning labels on packages, provide proper shipping papers, emergency response information and placards. These steps communicate the hazard to the shipper, the carrier and the driver.
- Radioactive
- Poison
- Corrosives
- Flammable gases
From The CDL Manual
Class #7:
Name: Radioactive
Example: Uranium
- Helium
- Flourine
- Gasoline
- Propane
From The CDL Manual
Division #2.1:
Name: Flammable Gases
Example: Propane
- Shipping papers
- Bills of lading
- A post-it note
- Manifests
From The CDL Manual
A shipping paper describes the hazardous materials being transported. Shipping orders, bills of lading and manifests are all shipping papers.
- In clear view within reach while driving
- In the glove compartment
- On the driver’s seat when out of the vehicle
- In a pouch on the driver’s door
From The CDL Manual
Drivers to keep hazardous materials shipping papers:
- In a pouch on the driver’s door, or
- In clear view within reach while driving, or
- On the driver’s seat when out of the vehicle.
- 6
- 4
- 3
- 2
From The CDL Manual
A placarded vehicle must have at least four identical placards.
- Placards are signs put on the outside of a vehicle that identify the hazard class of the cargo.
- Hazmat placards are round in shape
- Placards are used to warn others of hazardous materials.
- A placarded vehicle must have at least four identical placards.
From The CDL Manual
Placards —
Placards are used to warn others of hazardous materials. Placards are signs put on the outside of a vehicle that identify the hazard class of the cargo. A placarded vehicle must have at least four identical placards. They are put on the front, rear and both sides (see Figure 9-3 on page 89). Placards must be readable from all four directions. They are 10 3/4-inches square, turned upright on a point, in a diamond shape. Cargo tanks and other bulk packaging display the ID number of their contents on placards or orange panels.
- Hazard matching
- Hazard matrix
- Hazardous matters
- Hazardous materials
From The CDL Manual
Hazardous materials are products that pose a risk to health, safety and property during transportation. The term often is shortened to HAZMAT, which you may see on road signs, or HM in government regulations.
- Square
- Triangle
- Round
- Diamond
From The CDL Manual
Placards must be readable from all four directions. They are at least 10 3/4 inches square, square-on-point, in a diamond shape.
- The DOT
- Your employer
- The shipper
- Local DMV
From The CDL Manual
The regulations require training and testing for all drivers involved in transporting hazardous materials. Your employer or a designated representative is required to provide this training and testing. Hazardous materials employers are required to keep a record of that training on each employee as long as they are working with hazardous materials, and for 90 days thereafter.