Dangerous goods transport basics (ADR/SDR) and special loads
Switzerland applies ADR, and the exam checks that you can recognise when a load falls under it, how it is documented and marked, and which Swiss tunnel restrictions apply. Special loads - oversize or abnormal - follow a separate permit logic.
Classification and documentation
ADR defines nine classes (1 explosives, 2 gases, 3 flammable liquids, 4 flammable solids, 5 oxidisers and peroxides, 6 toxic and infectious, 7 radioactive, 8 corrosive, 9 miscellaneous). Each substance has a UN number, a proper shipping name, a packing group and a tunnel category. The transport document must accompany the load and the driver needs a valid ADR training certificate for the classes carried. Orange plates showing the UN number and hazard identification number are displayed front and rear.
The 1000-point rule
Under ADR 1.1.3.6 some loads are exempt from most requirements. Each transport category has a multiplier: category 1 ×50, category 2 ×3, category 3 ×1, category 4 no limit; category 0 has no exemption. Quantities multiplied by the factor must stay under 1000 points.
Swiss tunnel restrictions
Dangerous goods are barred from the Gotthard road tunnel and largely shifted to rail; the San Bernardino route has its own restrictions. Check the tunnel category code against the route before departure, and never improvise a detour through an inhabited valley.
General duties
Secure the load against movement, segregate incompatible substances, no smoking, supervise the vehicle where required, and park considerately. Carrying a fire extinguisher, a warning triangle and the prescribed equipment is not optional.
Worked example
You are offered 400 litres of petrol, UN 1203, class 3, packing group II. Petrol is transport category 2, factor ×3. Points = 400 × 3 = 1200, which exceeds 1000. Consequence: the full ADR regime applies - ADR-trained driver, orange plates, transport document, proper packaging and equipment. At 300 litres the calculation gives 900 points and the exemption would apply, but the general safety duties still do.
Traps
Believing the 1000-point exemption removes the need for a trained driver in every case; confusing the UN number with the hazard identification number; assuming a tunnel open to cars is open to your load; treating an oversize load as needing only a warning sign rather than a permit and possibly an escort.