49CFR regulatory changes that occurred in 2010

Regulations are constantly adjusting in the dangerous transportation industry. The following regulatory changes were issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration during 2010.  Many of the changes became effective October 1, 2010.

• HM-232F changes not only the requirements for what must be included in a written security plan but also the types and quantities of hazardous materials that trigger the need for a written plan.   Before this rule change, shippers of any hazardous material in a quantity that required placards were required to develop and adhere to a written security plan.   DOT has adopted a risk-based approach similar to the high consequence dangerous goods triggers found in IATA and IMDG. 
• HM-208H increases the hazardous materials registration fees for persons who offer or transport certain hazardous materials, including hazardous materials in quantities that require placards.   The annual fee was raised from $975 to $2575 plus a $25 administrative fee. 
• HM-233A incorporates many special permits into the body of the hazardous materials regulations.  Incorporated special permits have been in effect for a long period of time and have demonstrated an equivalent level of safety over that time period.   Persons currently using special permits will be notified that their special permit has been incorporated into the regulations during the renewal process.


• HM-244C includes a number of changes to the regulations including the new requirement to list a unique identifier in association with the emergency response telephone number on shipping papers when using a third party information (ERI) provider such as CHEMTREC.   The person who is registered with the ERI provider must ensure that the agency or organization has received current information on the material before it is offered for transportation. The person who is registered with the ERI provider must be identified by name, or contract number or other unique identifier assigned by the ERI provider, on the shipping paper immediately before, after, above, or below the emergency response telephone number in a prominent, readily identifiable, and clearly visible manner that allows the information to be easily and quickly found, unless the name or identifier is entered elsewhere in a prominent manner.
• HM231 revises several packaging related definitions and added a requirement for shippers to retain packaging closure instructions.  This rulemaking also clarified the requirement to document the methodology used when determining whether a change in packaging configuration requires retesting as a new design or may be considered a variation of a previously tested design.

It is vital for you to fully understand how these changes affect how you ship dangerous goods. The best and most efficient way to do this is through one of our two-day Multi Modal training seminars. For more information, check our website, download a .pdf brochure, or call 800-631-3098.

About Unz & Co.

Since 1879, Unz & Co. has been helping the international trade industry stay compliant.  Over 60,000 professionals have been trained by Unz & Co. in Export, Import and Dangerous Goods compliance topics. We supply the industry with compliance forms, software, and publications in addition to dangerous goods labels and placards. We are the proud recipients of the prestigious E-Star Award from the U. S. Department of Commerce for our continuing contribution to exports. For more info, check our website, www.unzco.com.

Unz & Co. (Division of WTS Corp.) / 333 Cedar Ave., Building B, Suite 2 / Middlesex, NJ 08846