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Georgia CDL Hazmat study materials
Georgia CDL Hazmat study resources

Georgia CDL Hazmat: Hazardous Materials Communication Rules (Shipping Papers, Marking, Labeling, Placarding)

Georgia CDL Hazmat · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

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Hazardous Materials Communication Rules (Shipping Papers, Marking, Labeling, Placarding)

What the exam tests

This domain tests the paper and package communication chain: shipping papers, marking, labels, and placards. Questions often turn on the basic description order, the emergency response telephone number, and the 1,001-pound placarding threshold.

Shipping papers

  • The basic description must appear in this order: proper shipping name, hazard class or division, UN/NA identification number, and packing group. Example: 'Paint, 3, UN1263, PG II.'
  • The paper must also show total quantity, number and type of packages, and an emergency response telephone number that is monitored at all times during transport.
  • The shipper certifies the shipment is properly classified, packaged, marked, labeled, and placarded.
  • Emergency response information must accompany the paper and be available to the driver.

Marking and labeling

  • Non-bulk packages need the proper shipping name and UN/NA number; orientation arrows for liquids; marine pollutant mark when applicable.
  • Labels communicate the primary and subsidiary hazards. Labels go on the package; placards go on the vehicle.

Placarding

  • Table 1 materials require placards for any quantity: Division 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.3, 6.1 PG I, and Class 7, with limited exceptions.
  • Table 2 materials require placards at 1,001 lb or more aggregate gross weight of the same hazard class in the vehicle.
  • The DANGEROUS placard may substitute for specific Table 2 placards; it may not substitute for Table 1 placards.
  • Placards must be readable from the direction they face, and on a transport vehicle they go on both sides and both ends.

Worked example

A vehicle carries 1,200 lb of UN1263 Paint, Class 3, PG II. The shipping paper reads 'Paint, 3, UN1263, PG II, 1,200 lb' with a 24-hour number. The packages bear the FLAMMABLE LIQUID label and the UN1263 marking. Because 1,200 lb exceeds the 1,001 lb Table 2 threshold, the vehicle needs FLAMMABLE placards. If the load were 900 lb, labels and markings would still be required, but placards would not.

Traps

Do not put the ID number before the proper shipping name in the basic description. Do not use the DANGEROUS placard for a Table 1 material. Do not confuse a label with a placard. Do not omit the emergency response telephone number or use a number that is not monitored.