Mixed Table 2 Load at the Savannah Dock
At a shipper's dock in Savannah, you are assigned a 53-foot van trailer with a mixed load: 12 drums of UN1830, sulfuric acid, 8, PG II, each with a gross weight of 110 lb; 4 drums of UN1263, paint, 3, PG II, each gross 420 lb; and 6 boxes of UN1479, oxidizing solid, 5.1, PG II, each gross 55 lb. The shipping paper lists each line as 'UN1830, sulfuric acid, 8, II,' 'UN1263, paint, 3, II,' and 'UN1479, oxidizing solid, 5.1, II.' The emergency response telephone field contains the shipper's sales office number, answered only 0800-1700 Monday-Friday. The loader asks you to sign and depart because the trailer is already loaded. You notice one oxidizer box has a label with a torn corner but the class number is still readable. You have a 30-minute window before the terminal closes.
1. What placards must be displayed on the trailer, and how does the torn oxidizer label affect your decision?
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All three materials are Table 2 entries. Placarding for Table 2 is triggered by the aggregate gross weight of all Table 2 hazmat in the vehicle, not by each class separately. Here the aggregate is 12 x 110 + 4 x 420 + 6 x 55 = 1,320 + 1,680 + 330 = 3,330 lb, well over 1,001 lb. Therefore the trailer needs a CORROSIVE placard for Class 8, a FLAMMABLE placard for Class 3, and an OXIDIZER placard for Class 5.1. The oxidizer box still matters because each package must carry the required 5.1 label even if placarding were not triggered. A torn label that is not clear and legible must be replaced before transport. The readable class number is not a substitute for a proper label. Reject or hold the package until the label is fixed.
2. Identify the shipping paper defects and state whether you may sign and leave.
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The paper is defective. A basic description must appear in the sequence proper shipping name, hazard class or division, UN number, and packing group. These lines put the UN number first, so they should read 'Sulfuric acid, 8, UN1830, II,' 'Paint, 3, UN1263, II,' and 'Oxidizing solid, 5.1, UN1479, II.' The emergency response telephone number must be monitored at all times during transportation. A sales office open only 0800-1700 is not acceptable. You may not sign and leave until the shipper corrects the shipping paper, provides a monitored emergency response number, and repairs or replaces the damaged label. Signing acknowledges acceptance of the shipment as offered, so accepting it with known defects makes the defects yours.