Hazardous Materials Transportation Act

When you are getting an instant LTL freight shipping quote online, you may notice that you have to check off a box that says ‘hazardous’. The reason for this is because a hazardous trucking shipment costs more due to the rules and regulations set forth in the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act. Since 1975, the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act has been the central law in the transportation of hazardous freight across the United States. After all, with dangerous materials usually considered to be hazardous, precautions must be taken in order to ensure public safety. It is the responsibility of the shipper to tell their carrier about their freight being hazardous, and it is the responsibility of the carrier to follow all federal rules. Otherwise, there could be federal fines.

The rules from the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act include different parts. One part details the procedures for handling hazardous freight that is determined by the US Secretary of Transportation. This includes rules for workers who handle the material, the training they receive and background checks. All hazardous shipments must be properly labeled with the hazard class and contact information. This also includes the placards labeled for each type of hazardous materials such as explosives, flammable gas, poison, radioactive materials and other types of hazardous cargo. All hazardous material must be properly packaged to ensure a safe transportation process.

As a shipper, if you are shipping hazardous cargo, you might wonder how the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act impacts your shipment. You should consult your experienced freight forwarder before you ship.