Shipping Hazmat, Help please.
- Thread starter Guacapoli
- Start date
No, you don't need a hazmat endorsement for under 10000# of that item. There is a lot more involved than just putting on a vehicle. 1st, any hazmat that is transported, must run a log book. Must be properly secured & must b checked the 1st 50mi, then every 150mi or 3hrs whichever comes 1st. This must be noted on the log every time u do so. There's a lot involved. Me personally, I would talk to the person u are getting ur product from. They have to comply w/ the same rules u will have to follow. There r a lot of steps that happens b4 it gets to the driver. From training of employees to certify to insurance requirements. Ur regular insurance will not cover u on hazmat loads.
There is just way too much info to just cover here. Make sure all ur ducks r in a row. DOT has no sense of humor when it comes to hazmat. God forbid, 1 accident could bankrupt a company. I'm sure there is a safety company out there that can help you. It's worth the money to hire a consultant.
That's only if the load requires placards.
If it's paint, and it's under 1001 pounds, then there's almost nothing at all to cover here. No ducks to get lined up. It's the same as car, truck and marine batteries. You have to have a HAZMAT endorsement to haul them if they weigh more than 1000 pounds, but if it's less than that, you can just drive to Walmart, buy 3 or 4, and drive right back home, easy peasy. Believe it or not, you can go to Lowes and buy 5 gallon buckets of paint, and then drive home with them, all without a CDL and a HAZMAT endorsement, as long as it doesn't weigh more than 1000 pounds.
This article should clear up any confusion with regard to transporting hazardous material.
http://expeditenow.com/truckingblogs/395-can-you-haul-hazmat-without-an-endorsement.html
I'm just going by fmsca and past experience. Got told by DOT in several states, any hazmat u log. Going to the store and buying paint is private. So I can have alcohol in my car, can I have it in my truck? Also, when I pick-up ANY hazmat @ a customer, I have to do a hazmat certification b4 I leave. "This is to certify the above named materials are properly classified, described, packaged, marked, & labeled, &.are in proper condition for transportation according to the applicable regulations of the department of transportation." Must sign & print name, contact #. Also need an emergency response number ie Chemtrec.
The log is to show that u did ur inspection of freight along the route. Like I said, I don't know all the regulations, just the ones I deal with. That's why I would hire a consultant instead of trusting dummies, like me, to tell what u need to do. Or ask the supplier that u deal with.
That link only talks about a driver. It doesn't talk about what a company has to do to ship. What insurance u need to haul. Nothing about logs. fmsca(whoops, dyslexia kicked in) has a whole section on company requirements for shipping hazmat. And 1 phone call to ur insurance company could solve whether you are covered carrying hazmat.
It's correct that " any hazmat u log" (whatever "u" means), but that only applies to placarded HAZMAT. If the load doesn't require placards, then a CDL with a HAZMAT endorsement is not required, and neither is a log book unless the vehicle is a Commercial Motor Vehicle as defined by the DOT.
Yes, going to the store and buying paint is private, but according the US Code of Federal Regulations, whether it's private, public or for-hire interstate commerce, it's the weight that matters.
Having alcohol in your car or truck has nothing to do with the hazardous material regulations.
Yes, you do have to do a HAZMAT certification before you leave, but that's a shipper and shipping papers regulation that has nothing to do with whether or not the load requires placards, or whether you need a HAZMAT endorsement on your CDL.
Yes, the log is to show you inspected the freight en route, among several other things the logbook is for, but the logbook only applies to people who are required to log. If you haul hazardous material which doesn't require placards, in a vehicle which doesn't require you to log, then you don't have to log.
You don't need to listen to dummies or hire a consultant to learn what to do. All you need to do is read the Hazardous Materials Regulations in the US CFR or the FMCSA regulations.
Yes, going to the store and buying paint is private, but according the US Code of Federal Regulations, whether it's private, public or for-hire interstate commerce, it's the weight that matters.
Having alcohol in your car or truck has nothing to do with the hazardous material regulations.
Yes, you do have to do a HAZMAT certification before you leave, but that's a shipper and shipping papers regulation that has nothing to do with whether or not the load requires placards, or whether you need a HAZMAT endorsement on your CDL.
Yes, the log is to show you inspected the freight en route, among several other things the logbook is for, but the logbook only applies to people who are required to log. If you haul hazardous material which doesn't require placards, in a vehicle which doesn't require you to log, then you don't have to log.
You don't need to listen to dummies or hire a consultant to learn what to do. All you need to do is read the Hazardous Materials Regulations in the US CFR or the FMCSA regulations.
In a cargo van (or any vehicle under 10,001 pounds) you are only required by the DOT to have $300,000 of public liability insurance. If you move hazardous freight in the same vehicle, the insurance requirements go up to between $750,000 and $5 million, depending on the commodities transported. More companies aren't hauling it for a variety of reasons. One is they don't want the headache or the additional risk of hauling HAZMAT. Another is they don't want to start requiring CDLs with HAZMAT endorsements for their van drivers, plus having to deal with moron van drivers trying to figure out how to log and scale once or twice a month, they don't want to deal with all the logbook violations they are gonna get.
That's because the article was written for drivers, mainly those in cargo vans, to know whether or not they can haul hazardous materials without a CDL and a HAZMAT endorsement. It wasn't part of the scope of the article to inform shippers or carriers of their requirements. The reason logs aren't mentioned is because if the load doesn't require placards, and you're driving an unregulated vehicle, then you don't have to log. If you drive a CMV then you have to log all the time regardless of what you're hauling. The only time you have to log while driving a cargo van is when you're hauling something which requires placards. If you're driving a cargo with a skid containing a 5 gallon bucket of paint, you don't have to log that load, regardless of the pretty (and scary for some) pictures on the bucket.
And, one look at your insurance certificate will tell you whether you're covered carrying HAZMAT. If it says $300,000, you're not. If it's at least $750,000, you are.
So you are saying your insurance requirements go up if you carry hazmat? Huh. Companies like FedEx pays more & charges more for hazmat, placarded or not. Huh? Have you been stopped for roadside inspection, in a cargo van not placarded, and told any hazmat u have to log? Maybe they need to tell the Laredo,tx DOT that this blog on a website said he was wrong.
I can only go on my experience on the road. He was asking about his company also. I was just letting them know what I personally, as a driver, have to do. I would hate to c anyone get in trouble for misinformation. It's hard enough to make money without the DOT getting into ur pockets. He asked, I answered to the best of my abilities. I'm sorry if I was wrong.
Just because they require a cdl with hazmat doesn't mean anything. Landstar requires the same for every van driver. They don't force you to my knoledge to actually carry hazmat. Turtle is correct on this one and yes it sounds like the laredo dot did have it wrong. It sure isn't the first time a dot guy was wrong and it will not be the last.
I was just letting him know there are companies that require hazmat endorsement for cargo vans. Yes, they don't force u to take any load. I do a logbook for hazmat, placarded or not, for cyoa. That's what the DOT man told me. He asked the question, that was the answer he gave me. I had a log, so I was covered. Appreciate you jumping in on this. We needed a third party.