The regulations require that hazardous materials employees be trained and tested at least once every three years

If a shipping paper describes both hazardous and non-hazardous products, the hazardous materials must be: Entered first. Highlighted in a contrasting color or identified by an "X" placed before the shipping description in a column captioned "HM". The letters "RQ" may be used instead of "X" if a reportable quantity needs to be identified.

Follow this checklist: Check to see that your driving partner is OK, keep the shipping papers with you, keep people far away and upwind, warn others of the danger, and call for help.

Placards must be readable from all four directions. They must be at least 10 3/4 inches square, turned upright on a point, in a diamond shape.

Do not smoke within 25 feet of a placarded cargo tank used for Class 3 (flammable liquids),Division 2.1 (gases), or Class 1 (Explosives) Class 3 (Flammable Liquids) Class 4 (Flammable Solids) Class 4.2 (Spontaneously Combustible). Oxidizers fall under flammable solids.

The three keys are: Materials Hazard Class, Amount Being Shipped, and amount of all Hazardous materials of all classes on your vehicle.

The letters RQ may appear before or after the basic description. You or your employer must report any spill of these materials, which occurs in a reportable quantity.

Means this hazardous material described in Column 2 is a generic shipping name. A generic shipping name must be accompanied by a technical name on the shipping paper.

You must stop 15 to 50 feet before the nearest rail. Proceed only when you are sure no train is coming, and you can clear the tracks without stopping. Don't shift gears while crossing the tracks.

A carrier must give each driver transporting Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives a copy of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR), Part 397.

Poison or poison inhalation hazard labeled material should not be loaded with animal or human food unless the poison package is over packed in an approved way.

A safe haven is an approved place for parking unattended vehicles loaded with explosives. Designation of authorized safe havens is usually made by local authorities.

The driver makes sure the shipper has identified, marked, and labeled the hazardous materials properly. Refuses leaking packages and shipments. Placards vehicle when loading, if required. Safely transports the shipment without delay. Follows all special rules about transporting hazardous materials. Keeps hazardous materials shipping papers and emergency.

The rules require all drivers of placarded vehicles to learn how to safely load and transport hazardous products. They must have a commercial driver license with the hazardous materials endorsement.

Do not load nitric acid above any other product.

The shipper must package, mark, and label the materials; prepare shipping papers; provide emergency response information; and supply placards. Making the load easy to identify.

To decide which placards to use, you need to know: The hazard class of the materials, the amount of hazardous materials shipped the total weight of all classes of hazardous materials in your vehicle.

Names shown in italics are not proper shipping names and not acceptable, those in roman type above it are.

The three hazard classes that must be kept in a trailer without automatic heating and cooling are: explosives (1), flammable gases (2.1), and flammable liquids (3), because these are particularly volatile.

Cargo tanks are bulk packaging permanently attached to a vehicle. Cargo tanks remain on the vehicle when you load and unload them. Portable tanks are bulk packaging, which are not permanently attached to a vehicle.

The Hazardous Materials Table lists every type of material that the US Department of Transportation has designated as a hazardous material for the purpose of transportation. There are eight columns in the Hazardous Materials Table, describing the mode of transportation (air, ground, water, etc.), the name of the material, its hazard class, its identification number, and so on.

To communicate the risk of hazardous materials, regulations require shippers to put placards on trucks, put hazard warning labels on packages, provide proper shipping papers, and supply emergency response information.

’s: Identification number, proper shipping name, hazard class, packing group, correct packaging, correct label and markings, and correct placards.

Close all manholes and valves before moving a tank of hazardous materials, no matter how small the amount in the tank or how short the distance.

If your vehicle doesn't have racks to hold cylinders, the cargo space floor must be flat. The cylinders must be: Held upright, in racks attached to the vehicle or in boxes that will keep them from turning over and may be loaded in a horizontal position if it is designed so the relief valve is in the vapor space.

A driver transporting chlorine in cargo tanks must have an approved gas mask in the vehicle. The driver must also have an emergency kit for controlling leaks in dome cover plate fittings on the cargo tank.

Identification number, shipping name, and hazard class must not be abbreviated unless specifically authorized in the hazardous materials regulations

Unless your engine runs a pump for product transfer, turn it off when loading or unloading. If you use the engine, turn it off after product transfer, before you unhook the hose.

Use a floor lining with Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3. The floors must be tight, and the liner must be either nonmetallic material or non-ferrous metal.

Always make sure that the shipper shows the correct basic description on the shipping paper and verifies that the proper labels are shown on the packages.