Emergency Response, Incidents, and Reporting
Emergency response questions test what you do in the first minutes and what you must report afterward. The exam expects the sequence: stop, secure, warn, call, isolate, and preserve evidence.
Immediate actions
- Stop in a safe place, set the brake, and shut off the engine.
- Warn others: use triangles, use flares only if there is no flammable release, and keep people upwind.
- Call 911 and the emergency response telephone number on the shipping paper. Use the ERG guide number to identify isolation distances and protective actions.
- Do not touch leaking material or clean up unless trained and equipped. Keep ignition sources away.
Reporting
- Immediate notice to the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802 is required for incidents such as a fatality, serious injury requiring hospitalization, evacuation, or property damage exceeding the current threshold in 49 CFR 171.15.
- A written report on DOT Form 5800.1 is due within 30 days for a reportable incident.
- Notify the carrier and shipper, preserve shipping papers, and do not sign statements about liability.
Worked example
A drum of corrosive tips over in the trailer and leaks. No one is hurt, there is no evacuation, and cleanup costs $3,000. You stop, warn, call 911 and the emergency number, and keep people away. Because the incident does not meet the immediate-notice criteria, an NRC call may not be required, but you still report it to your carrier and document it.
Traps that cost marks
The NRC number is not 911. The 30-day written report is separate from the immediate call. Do not re-enter a closed space or move a leaking package to save time. The ERG is guidance; the shipping paper identifies the material.