Communication Rules: Shipping Papers, Marking, Labeling, and Placarding
Shipping paper
49 CFR 172.200-172.205 requires a shipping paper with a basic description in this order: proper shipping name, hazard class or division, identification number, and packing group. For example, "Gasoline, 3, UN1203, PG II." The identification number includes the UN or NA prefix. Additional notations such as RQ, Marine Pollutant, HAZARDOUS WASTE, and limited quantity go in their prescribed places. The paper must include an emergency response telephone number that is monitored at all times during transport, and the shipper certifies the shipment. Emergency response information must accompany the shipping paper.
Marking and labels
Non-bulk packages generally must be marked with the PSN and identification number. Bulk packages and portable tanks must display identification numbers, often on orange panels. Labels are the four-inch diamond hazard labels used on non-bulk packages; they must show the hazard class number, and subsidiary labels are required when the table's label codes call for them. Labels must be legible and not obscured by straps, dirt, or other cargo.
Placards
Placards are the larger diamonds placed on transport vehicles or bulk packages. Table 1 materials, such as Division 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 explosives, Division 2.3 poison gas, Division 4.3 dangerous when wet, Division 6.1 PG I inhalation hazards, and Class 7 radioactive material, require placards for any quantity. Table 2 materials require placards when the aggregate gross weight of all Table 2 hazardous materials on the vehicle is 1,001 pounds or more. Placards go on both sides and both ends. A DANGER placard may replace multiple Table 2 placards when the 1,001-pound threshold is met and no Table 1 material is aboard; it is not a substitute for Table 1 placards.
Worked example
A truck carries 600 lb of Class 3 PG II paint and 500 lb of Class 8 PG II corrosive liquid, both Table 2 materials. The aggregate is 1,100 lb, so the 1,001-pound exception does not apply. The vehicle needs Class 3 and Class 8 placards on both sides and both ends, or a single DANGER placard if the carrier chooses that option and no Table 1 material is present. The reasoning: the threshold is based on the combined Table 2 weight, not on each class separately, and 1,100 lb exceeds 1,001 lb.
Traps
Applying the 1,001-pound test separately to each class; using a label where a placard is required; forgetting placards on both ends; dropping the UN or NA prefix; placing the packing group before the identification number; and listing an emergency telephone number that is not monitored.