U.S. DOT Updates Regulations on Transporting Hazardous Materials

(World Trade Interactive)

The Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has issued a final rule, effective Oct. 1, amending the Hazardous Materials Regulations to update, clarify or provide relief from certain requirements governing the classification, packaging or labeling of hazardous materials transported in commerce. PHMSA’s amendments include:

• adding a new entry to the Hazardous Materials Table for ethanol and gasoline blends with more than 10 percent alcohol;

• expanding the exceptions from regulation for small quantities of hazardous materials;

• updating provisions incorporating consensus standards issued by the Chlorine Institute and the Compressed Gas Association;

• adding a definition for “household wastes” to clarify the current exception in the HMR for transportation of such materials;

• revising the HMT to harmonize certain entries with international standards by removing, adding and revising certain proper shipping names;

• revising certain hazard communication provisions to address shipping paper requirements for marine pollutants, marking requirements for limited quantities, proper shipping name markings on packages and labeling of intermediate bulk containers;

• clarifying requirements applicable to the transportation of dry ice on aircraft, detonator assemblies and packagings authorized for the transportation of certain explosives;

• clarifying that a shipper must use a carrier with a safety permit to transport hazardous materials for which safety permits are required as specified under the federal motor carrier safety regulations; and

• clarifying segregation requirements for hazardous materials transported by motor carrier.

The Federal Register notice is available here.