Shipping Papers for Trucking Drivers

One of your responsibilities if you haul hazardous materials is this: to see that the shipping papers are properly prepared when you accept a shipment. That's your responsibility as a driver. CFR 172.200 explains what the shipping papers must contain, but here's the basic rundown:

• Proper DOT shipping name of the substance
  
  
• Hazard classification
  
  
  
  
• Hazardous material ID number
  
  
• The weight or volume of hazardous materials
  
  
• The shipper's certification (where applicable)
  

If you are carrying hazardous and non-hazardous materials in the same vehicle, the shipping papers must clearly show which materials are the hazardous ones. This can be done in one of three ways specified in the CFR.

In addition, you need to tab the hazardous materials shipping papers and carry them on top of other papers in your rig.

Sometimes, even though you have taken every possible precaution, an accident still happens. If that were to happen, you could be incapacitated. You could be knocked out. For that and other reasons, the shipping papers in your rig need to be readily available and easy for the authorities to recognize at all times, whether you are available or not. This precaution is for your own safety, for the safety of your load, and for the safety of people and property along your route. Here are the regulations:

At all times,

1. The papers must be within your reach while you're in your seatbelt, at the controls of the vehicle.
   
   
2. Anyone who enters the cab must be able to locate the papers because they are either clearly visible or in a holder mounted on the inside of the door on the driver's side of the vehicle.
   
   
3. You must leave the papers on the driver's seat or in the holder on the driver's door whenever you leave the vehicle.
   

Loading and Unloading Hazardous Materials

CFR 177.834 gives regulations for loading and unloading hazardous materials. Here are some of the highlights:

Any vehicle being loaded or unloaded with a hazardous substance must be attended by a qualified and alert person. That person must stay within 25 feet of the vehicle at all times.

Shut off the engine during the entire loading and unloading process. The only time the engine may be left on is when you need it to provide power to a product pump to unload.

Set the parking brake and secure the vehicle with blocks if necessary so the vehicle won't roll.

Don't load any materials together if the current loading and storage charts (Section 177.848 of the CFR) prohibit loading them together. See Chart No. 7-3 for a sample loading and storage chart. (Remember: Do not expect Chart 7-3 to be up to date. It is shown as a sample only. Write to the ATA, the DOT, or a publisher of trucking books and materials for a current chart.)

Properly ground or bond containers or cargo tanks when the situation calls for it.

Secure any tanks, barrels, drums, or other packages against movement during transport if they are not permanently attached to the rig.

DO: Eight situations are listed below. Read each one and decide what is wrong with it. There is something wrong with each situation. There may be more than one thing wrong with some. In a few words, write what is wrong with each situation in the space below it.

1. A rig placarded "Explosive B" is parked in a large 76 Union Truck Stop truck parking lot. The driver is in the coffee shop having breakfast.
   
   
2. A rig labeled with orange "Explosive A" and green "Non-flammable Gas" placards pulls off a major highway to a rural route to avoid Kansas City.
   
   
3. A rig labeled "Irritant (Red)" stops at an inspection point as it enters Utah. The inspection agent asks to see the shipping papers. The driver gets out, gets the papers out of the trailer, and hands them to the agent.
   
   
4. A rig labeled with a blue "Oxidizer" placard pulls into a truck stop for fuel. The driver puts out her cigarette and gets out to get a cup of coffee to go while the rig is being fueled up.
   
   
5. A tanker truck marked "Corrosive", pulls into the consignee's dock. He's been on duty for 15 hours straight (10 of them driving) so he has to get off duty. He climbs into the sleeper compartment for a snooze while the dock workers unload the tank.
   
   
6. An unplacarded rig pulls into an inspection station carrying 1500 lbs. of oxygen.
   
   
7. A rig pulls into a large commercial farm in Wisconsin to deliver a mixed load. It is marked with a black and white "Poison" placard because it carries 1100 lbs. of packages labeled "Poison" as well as 2200 lbs. of animal feed.
   
   
8. A truck placarded with a yellow "Explosive B" label is parked 10 feet off the highway on a pull-out along old Route 66 in Northern Arizona.
   

PURPOSE: The Motor Carrier Safety Regulations book gives you guidelines for how to handle an emergency breakdown on the road. For example, if you are forced to stop on the traveled portion of the highway, you are to turn on your four-way flashers and properly set out your warning devices. This exercise gives you practice in determining how to protect your vehicle in five sample breakdown situations.

DO: Read each sample breakdown situation. Fill in the blanks to correctly answer all questions asked about the breakdown. Then, draw a rough sketch showing the rig, the road, and where you would place each warning device. Your sketches can be very simple, like Sample 7-6 in the Trucking Handbook. Remember, whenever you have a breakdown, it is your responsibility to protect approaching traffic as well as your own vehicle.