Who should you use to send Hazmat?

[arachnyd]

A family friend's company asked me who they should send their expedited hazmat loads through, as they were using a local place until they found out their insurance coverage wouldn't substantially cover the hazmat risk in case of accident. We got talking about the topic- There seems to be a lot of expediters who say they "do hazmat", yet they don't seem to take many loads. I figure all the big companies should maintain the required insurance a mom-and-pop shop may not carry, and as long as they have a hazmat certified driver? but as far as what big company to go through, does it matter?

Any recommendations or thoughts on the topic from other expediters perspective?

 

[Turtle]

All the carriers I know of who "do HAMAT" do a lot of it. They don't take them for the same price as non-HAZMAT loads, though. There is a lot of risk in HAZMAT, and by that I mean more than just the insurance risk. Hauling it requires substantial additional precautions that many aren't willing to do. Any carrier that routinely carries HAZMAT will know, understand, and employ those precautions, as a general rule. What kind of, and in what quantity the HAZMAT is can make a difference. Any well-established carrier who routinely hauls hazardous materials requiring placards should be fine.

 

[arachnyd]

Turtle- Excellent, that's what I was thinking, but I really appreciate your insight!

 

[purgoose10]

I carry explosives in state and all of our shipping out of state go by Landstar. I would say they are one of the best at handling that class of Hazmat.

 

[ATeam]

There seems to be a lot of expediters who say they "do hazmat", yet they don't seem to take many loads.

A carrier may be fully qualified and capable to haul HAZMAT but not every driver in the fleet may. There are a number of individual expediters who can be quite vocal about and proud of their decision to not haul HAZMAT, yet they may also run with a carrier that hauls the stuff. Other drivers in that fleet stand ready, willing and able to take the loads.

As a customer, you would be dealing with the carrier or an agent or broker to book your loads. The truck and driver(s) will be found for you.

 

[EasyDoesIt]

To protect yourself make a copy of the driver's license of the person signing the BOL and make sure they have a hazmat endorsement. I was sent once to pick up a load that turned out to be hazmat and I refused because I didn't have the endorsement. Company wanted me to "just bring it to the yard."

 

[arachnyd]

I carry explosives in state and all of our shipping out of state go by Landstar. I would say they are one of the best at handling that class of Hazmat.

Thanks for the rec!

There are a number of individual expediters who can be quite vocal about and proud of their decision to not haul HAZMAT, yet they may also run with a carrier that hauls the stuff. Other drivers in that fleet stand ready, willing and able to take the loads.

As a customer, you would be dealing with the carrier or an agent or broker to book your loads. The truck and driver(s) will be found for you.

When I've read about hazmat expediting on the forum, I've definately seen a number of very vocal expediters arguing why running hazmat is a waste of time and money, but I've heard some pretty vocal CARRIERS who say the same thing (That they dont get enough loads to justify the overhead, insurance, and risk).

To protect yourself make a copy of the driver's license of the person signing the BOL and make sure they have a hazmat endorsement. I was sent once to pick up a load that turned out to be hazmat and I refused because I didn't have the endorsement. Company wanted me to "just bring it to the yard."

Probably a smart move by you- Even reputable companies who will go to bat for you, probably won't go too far out of their way to admit guilt in such a situation. I think you probably have the right idea, make a copy of license and hazmat endorsement, and do due diligence with the carrier to assure they have enough insurance to cover it.

I was originally hoping to get some more info at the wilmington Expediters show, but all the carriers were really only staffed with recruiters.

It sounds like there are a lot of very vocal people on the issue which have managed to make it appear that finding a carrier that can properly handle hazmat is tough, but it looks like that's not necessarily the case, just like any other situation, due diligence is of the essence. I really appreciate the input- EO is clearly one of the better forums I've been on! You are great!

And I'll certainly pass on Landstar too.

Thanks!

 

[zorry]

Fedex has a very large group that does hazmat.
They won't do it if it isn't right.

 

[billg27]

Just an FYI for CV drivers. According to our safety department, if a cv driver hauls a hazmat load, they are required to log just like any larger truck. That includes the 7 days prior to taking the hazmat load. I was asking if I should get the endorsement, they said no. They went on to explain the log requirements for even cv when having and using the endorsement. How many of us cv drivers could go back 7 days and still be legal?

 

[zorry]

Most of the Hazmat I've hauled in the past I would not haul in a Van.

 

[Turtle]

Just an FYI for CV drivers. According to our safety department, if a cv driver hauls a hazmat load, they are required to log just like any larger truck. That includes the 7 days prior to taking the hazmat load. I was asking if I should get the endorsement, they said no. They went on to explain the log requirements for even cv when having and using the endorsement. How many of us cv drivers could go back 7 days and still be legal?

When you are hauling HAZMAT, you are a Commercial Motor vehicle, so yes, you have to log and scale and all the other things. Logging previous 7 days in a cargo van when you are NOT a CMV, is really pretty easy. If you are not operating a CMV in interstate commerce, you are not subject to hours-of-service regulations. If you are not subject to hours-of-service regulations, you are not required to log.

If, while hauling HAZMAT and logging, you use the 60-hour/7-day schedule (which is what most cargo van drivers should use, unless they haul HAZMAT more than once a week), you must follow the Federal hours-of-service regulations for the next 7 days after you finish operating in interstate commerce. (If you use the 70-hour/8-day schedule, you must follow the Federal hours-of-service regulations for the next 8 days after you finish operating in interstate commerce.) Which means, once you haul HAZMAT, you still need to follow the HoS regulations for 7 days after that and continue to log. Once that week is over, you are no longer required to log at all, until you are once again a CMV. Then it starts all over.

So, if you get a HAZMAT load, and you haven't been required to log at all for at least the previous 7 days, you can show that in your log book as off-duty for all 7 days, because you were. Like I said, it's easy.

 

[zorry]

Turtle, You are 100% wrong. (maybe).Unless they've eliminated it,a number of years back they put in a rule that ANYTHING you do for compensation must be logged.
This may have been a company rule,a union rule , but I thought it was a Federal Regulation .
Terry,or any safety people have a comment ?
If you drive M-F and work at Ace Hardware on Sat,the Sat work must be logged.
At least that's what I've been told.
If that's true,the prior seven days must be logged.
Would it make sense for a carrier that just let a guy do a 1000 mile overnighter to go load Hazmat ?

 

[EasyDoesIt]

I drove T/T for a major carrier that required hazmat for all drivers. They did not haul explosives or radiation material. In 3 1/2 years I only hauled 8 or 9 loads. Shipper is required to supply the correct information and placards. Driver needs to check everything before signing. Driver is responsible once he signs BOL.

 

[EasyDoesIt]

Is it required to have a fixed bulkhead separating driver from cargo when hauling hazmat?

 

[Turtle]

Is it required to have a fixed bulkhead separating driver from cargo when hauling hazmat?

No, not by the DOT. The entire cargo van is considered the truck cab, so anything that cannot be hauled in the cab of a truck cannot be hauled in a cargo van.

 

[Turtle]

Turtle, You are 100% wrong. (maybe).Unless they've eliminated it,a number of years back they put in a rule that ANYTHING you do for compensation must be logged.

100% wrong? Puhleze.

This may have been a company rule,a union rule , but I thought it was a Federal Regulation.
Terry,or any safety people have a comment ?

I don't know about Terry or anyone from Safety, but I assure you it is a federal regulation.

If you drive M-F and work at Ace Hardware on Sat,the Sat work must be logged. At least that's what I've been told. If that's true,the prior seven days must be logged.

Well, that's true, but there is a limit to when you are required to log. For example, let's say you drive a CMV and then go on vacation for 6 months. At what point can you stop logging? A week? A month? 6 months? A year? When you no longer have a CDL? Are you saying that if I haul a single HAZMAT load, that I then have to log for the rest of my life?

Would it make sense for a carrier that just let a guy do a 1000 mile overnighter to go load Hazmat ?

No, it wouldn't, but please don't tell me you are interpreting FMCSA regulations based on whether they make sense or not. There are people who think that if a 5-gallon bucket of paint has a HAZMAT label on it that you have to log and scale and the endorsement to haul it, because it makes sense.

Might want to take a look at this, keeping in mind that it pertains to those driving commercial motor vehicles. http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/truck/driver/hos/fmcsa-guide-to-hos.PDF

 

[zorry]

If I were required to log my work day at Ace Hardware, how could I justify NOT logging the seven days in a van prior to a hazmat load ?

 

[OntarioVanMan]

If I were required to log my work day at Ace Hardware, how could I justify NOT logging the seven days in a van prior to a hazmat load ?

Because you were not driving a CMV up to the time of your hazmat load....as Turtle said...you show "Off duty" the prior days.....

 

[nottoold1961]

Just an FYI for CV drivers. According to our safety department, if a cv driver hauls a hazmat load, they are required to log just like any larger truck. That includes the 7 days prior to taking the hazmat load. I was asking if I should get the endorsement, they said no. They went on to explain the log requirements for even cv when having and using the endorsement. How many of us cv drivers could go back 7 days and still be legal?

If you haul HM. You have to have HM endorsement on your License. Even in a CV. It is a very pricey fine for you and the company. It also depends on the weight and type of HM. and even a CV that is labeled with HM has to follow HM routing.

 

[zorry]

When does CV mean commercial VAN and when does it mean commercial VEHICLE ???