Hazardous Materials Regulations: Transporting Radioactive Hazardous Materials


Insurance:

Safety is always a priority for drivers. This is especially true for those transporting hazardous materials. Strict adherence to federal and state hazmat regulations is imperative. Failure to comply with these regulations can result in stiff fines and penalties, including being barred from working with commercial transports. As the providers of long-haul trucking insurance (www.directtruckinsurance.com), we find it beneficial to make these regulations known to you.

As with all hazardous material shipments, transports carrying Class 7 radioactive materials must be clearly marked. Radioactive loads are an especially safety sensitive cargo. Merely being near such cargoes can be dangerous. Accidents involving trucks carrying radioactive materials can have consequences that threaten the lives of thousands of people.

Routes

It is the responsibility of drivers and motor carriers to choose among state designated routes for those that will minimalize radiological risk. In making this decision, it is important to consider a variety of factors including population density, accident and traffic history, and road and highway usage at the times of day that the truck will be traveling.

Deviation from state designated routes is only permitted in a handful of circumstance. If it is necessary for the truck to leave the route to pick up or offload Class 7 materials, deviation is permitted. A driver is also permitted to leave designated routes for emergency situations and for rest, fuel, and repair stops. Any deviation from the designated route must be the shortest possible deviation and must not exceed 25 miles.

Route Plans

Carriers or designated agents are required to provide a written route plan to the driver and to the shipper. Any deviations from the route plan must be documented by the driver and returned to the shipper. Route Plans must include:

-origin and destination points
-route
-planned stops
-estimated departure and arrival times
-emergency telephone numbers for each state traveled

Driver Qualifications

A driver will not be permitted to carry Class 7 materials unless they have had proper training within two years prior to the transport. This training includes an understand of the requirements for regulation 49 CFR parts 172, 173, and 177, as well as the properties of radioactive materials and emergency and accident procedures when radioactive materials are involved.

The driver must also have the following information on their person during the transport

-name and operator's license number
-dates that training was completed
-the name and address of the person conducting the training
-statement from trainer that the driver has been trained in the hazards and characteristics of highway route controlled quantity of Class 7 materials
-route plan

Within 90 days of the beginning of the transport, the driver must file a report with the following information with Office of Enforcement and Compliance (MC- ECH), Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001:

-amended route plan
-statement identifying the names of the carrier, consignee, and shipper
-copy of the shipping paper with a description of the Class 7 materials transported

Joe Trzepla works a lot in the truck insurance industry. He's a consultant for the Direct Truck Insurance Company, which is a direct insurer and specializes in truck insurance. He also consults at another truck insurance company named The Truck Insurance Group.


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