Hazardous Materials (CDL-10 Section 9 / CDL-11 Hazardous Materials Manual)
What the test covers
This domain tests the Section 9 rules: placing a shipment in one of the nine hazard classes, reading the shipping paper, choosing placards, loading and segregating cargo, parking and routing, and responding to an incident. New York adds tunnel and bridge restrictions and the TSA security threat assessment required for the H endorsement.
Core rules
- Nine classes: 1 explosives, 2 gases, 3 flammable/combustible liquids, 4 flammable solids, 5 oxidizers/organic peroxides, 6 toxic/infectious, 7 radioactive, 8 corrosives, 9 miscellaneous.
- The shipping paper must show the proper shipping name, hazard class/division, UN/NA ID number, packing group, quantity, total quantity, shipper certification, and a 24-hour emergency response telephone. Emergency response information must be immediately available.
- Placards: Table 1 materials require placards in any quantity. For Table 2, placard each Table 2 material when the aggregate gross weight of all Table 2 materials is 1,001 lb or more. Division 1.1–1.3 need placards in any quantity; Division 1.4 at 1,001 lb.
- Placards go on both sides and both ends of the vehicle.
- Parking: at least 5 feet from the traveled roadway; Division 1.1–1.3 at least 300 feet from bridges, tunnels, and places of public assembly.
- Railroad crossing: stop 15–50 feet from the nearest rail, then look and listen.
- Tunnels: never enter with HM unless the route is permitted. New York City tunnels, including the Lincoln, Holland, Queens–Midtown, Hugh L. Carey, and Brooklyn–Battery, bar hazardous materials vehicles.
Worked example
A load carries 600 lb of paint (Class 3, PG III, Table 2) and 500 lb of corrosive liquid (Class 8, PG II, Table 2). The Table 2 total is 1,100 lb, over the 1,001 lb threshold, so the truck needs both FLAMMABLE and CORROSIVE placards even though each material alone is under 1,001 lb. At 900 lb total, no placards would be required.
Traps that cost marks
The 1,001 lb figure is an aggregate for all Table 2 materials, not a per-package limit. The DANGEROUS placard is only for international shipments. A placard does not replace the shipping paper, and the emergency phone must be monitored at all times.