Driving and Parking Rules for Hazardous Materials
What the exam tests
This domain covers driving and parking rules specific to hazmat: railroad crossings, parking distance and attendance, tunnel and route restrictions, and control of the vehicle.
Core rules
- Stop at railroad crossings unless the crossing is marked "EXEMPT." Look both ways, listen, and do not shift gears while crossing the tracks.
- Do not park within 5 feet of the traveled portion of a public highway. Do not park on a public street or highway unless the vehicle is attended by a qualified person who is within 100 feet and can move it, or the vehicle is in a designated parking area.
- Park away from open flames, crowds, bridges, tunnels, and places where escaping liquid could run into drains or water. Use secure, well-lit truck parking when carrying high-value or high-hazard loads.
- Obey hazmat route designations and tunnel restrictions. If a route is restricted, take the designated alternate even if it is longer.
- Keep the vehicle under control: reduce speed for curves, wet roads, and heavy loads; do not coast; use engine braking cautiously on slippery surfaces.
Worked example
You are carrying a placarded load and want to stop for dinner. You pull onto the shoulder within 4 feet of the white line and go inside. This violates the parking rule: the vehicle is within 5 feet of the traveled portion, and you are not attending it. The legal choices are to park in a designated lot or stay with the vehicle within 100 feet so you can move it.
Traps
Treating the 5-foot rule as a suggestion; thinking "attended" means a passenger is asleep in the cab; ignoring an "EXEMPT" sign at a crossing; and missing that tunnel restrictions apply to placarded loads even when the route is otherwise legal.