Hazardous Materials and Cargo: Paperwork, Placards, Securement
Hazardous Materials and Cargo tests shipping papers, placarding, parking rules, and the tiedown arithmetic that keeps a load on the deck.
Hazmat basics
- Keep shipping papers within reach and the Emergency Response Guidebook available. Placards must match the load.
- Park away from people and traffic: at least five feet from the traveled portion of the roadway, with larger distances for explosives, and never inside a tunnel or under a bridge.
- No smoking near the vehicle, and shut the engine off during loading and unloading unless the pump requires it.
- Follow posted hazmat routes and tunnel restrictions.
Cargo securement
- The combined working load limit of your tiedowns must be at least 50 percent of the cargo weight.
- Minimum two tiedowns, and four for articles longer than 10 feet or heavier than 1,100 pounds.
- Cargo must not block lights, plates, or your view.
- Recheck securement within the first 50 miles and every 150 miles or 3 hours afterward.
Worked example
A 20-foot steel pipe weighs 2,000 pounds. Because it exceeds 10 feet, it needs at least four tiedowns, and their combined working load limit must be at least 1,000 pounds, half the cargo weight. Four straps rated 500 pounds each give 2,000 pounds of working load limit, so the arrangement passes both tests.
Traps that cost marks
- Placarding from memory instead of the placard table.
- Counting tiedowns without adding up their working load limits.
- Parking a hazmat load beside a diner or in a tunnel.