Ohio CDL Hazmat cheat sheet

A material is hazmat for CDL purposes if it is listed in the 49 CFR 172.101 Hazardous Materials Table or meets one of the nine hazard class definitions; hazardous substances, hazardous wastes, and marine pollutants are also regulated.

The nine classes are 1 explosives, 2 gases, 3 flammable and combustible liquids, 4 flammable solids, 5 oxidizers and organic peroxides, 6 toxic and infectious substances, 7 radioactive, 8 corrosive, and 9 miscellaneous.

The Hazardous Materials Table gives, for each entry, the proper shipping name, hazard class or division, UN/NA identification number, packing group, label codes, special provisions, packaging authorizations, quantity limits, and stowage requirements.

Packing group I is great danger, II is moderate danger, III is minor danger; packing groups apply mainly to Classes 3, 4, 5, 6.1, 8, and some Class 9 entries, and appear as Roman numerals.

Materials marked forbidden in the Hazards Materials Table may not be offered or transported; packaging choices and exemptions cannot make a forbidden material legal.

The shipper classifies the material, selects packaging, marks and labels packages, prepares the shipping paper, and supplies placards; the carrier accepts only correctly prepared shipments, displays placards, and trains its employees.

Hazmat employee training is required within 90 days of hire and every three years afterward, covering general awareness, function-specific duties, safety, and security awareness; training records are kept while employed plus two years.

PHMSA registration is required for carriers of high-hazard materials such as large quantities of poison-inhalation-hazard, radioactive, or explosive materials, and a copy of the registration certificate must be carried in the vehicle.

The shipping paper basic description follows a fixed order: proper shipping name, hazard class or division, UN/NA identification number, packing group, then total quantity and number of packages, e.g. "Acetone, 3, UN1090, PG II".

The emergency response telephone number on the shipping paper must be monitored at all times the material is in transport by a person who can provide response information, and it may not be a number that only takes messages.

Placards are required in any quantity for Table 1 materials; Table 2 materials require placards when the aggregate gross weight in one vehicle reaches 1,001 pounds, and bulk packages of Table 2 materials need placards at any quantity.

The DANGEROUS placard may substitute for two or more Table 2 placards only; it is prohibited for Table 1 materials, bulk packages, Divisions 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.3, 4.3, and 6.1 packing group I.

Placards measure 250 mm (about 9.84 in) square and are displayed on both sides and both ends of the vehicle or freight container, upright, legible, and not hidden by dirt, equipment, or signs.

Labels are at least 100 mm (4 in) square, applied to the package near the shipping name, and must not cover required markings; a single package can require more than one label.

Bulk packages, cargo tanks, and portable tanks must display the UN identification number on two sides plus the rear, along with the proper shipping name; non-bulk packages show the UN number and shipping name as marked by the shipper.

Hazardous waste moves on a manifest naming the generator, transporter, and receiving facility; the transporter keeps a copy, and the generator receives a signed copy back from the disposal facility.

When a shipment equals or exceeds a reportable quantity, the letters "RQ" precede the basic description on the shipping paper; elevated temperature materials require the statement "Residue" or the elevated temperature notation as applicable.

The segregation table in 49 CFR 177.848 marks pairs of hazard classes that may not be loaded together in the same vehicle; Division 4.3 material must be kept apart from liquids and oxidizers, and acids must never be loaded with cyanides or sulfides.

Before loading or unloading a flammable liquid, shut off the engine, set the parking brake, prohibit smoking and open flame, and bond and ground the tank and receiving container to control static electricity.

Cargo must be secured against shifting, rolling, and spilling under 49 CFR 393.100, using tiedowns, blocking, or bracing rated for the weight; a placarded load may not be left loose to slide in the trailer.

Poisonous and infectious substances must be loaded away from food, feed, and products intended for human or animal consumption, and packages must be positioned so a leak cannot run into the cab.

Cylinders ship with valve protection caps in place, upright and secured against movement, away from heat sources; oxygen and flammable gas cylinders are separated, and cylinders are never dropped or dragged.

No smoking, open flame, or other ignition source is allowed in or near a vehicle carrying Class 3, 4, or 5 materials during loading, unloading, or travel.

Packages must never be stacked so high that they block the driver's view, obstruct access to the shipping papers, or rest on a hazmat package in a way that could damage it.

Liquid bulk packagings must be filled to leave the required outage space (generally at least 2 percent for liquids) so the contents can expand without rupturing the packaging.

Wood blocking and bracing stops packages from sliding, while straps and tiedowns hold them down; check the securement after the first miles of travel and at each stop.

Vehicles carrying explosives, flammable liquids, or flammable gases must be attended at all times: the driver stays with the vehicle, awake, except when parked in a secure lot, on the shipper's or consignee's premises, or at a carrier terminal.

Never park a placarded vehicle within 5 feet of the traveled portion of the roadway, or within 300 feet of a bridge, tunnel, dwelling, or place where people work or assemble.

A vehicle carrying hazmat that requires placards must stop before every railroad grade crossing, look both ways, and cross only when the track is clear.

Report releases to 911 and to the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802, giving the proper shipping name, UN number, quantity, location, and any injuries.

At an incident, park upwind and uphill, shut off the engine, keep bystanders back, and avoid walking into vapor clouds, liquid pools, or smoke.

The shipping paper stays within the driver's reach while moving and goes with the driver if the vehicle is left; an inspector who boards the vehicle must be handed the papers on request.

Tunnels, bridges, and certain Ohio routes restrict or prohibit placarded loads; follow posted hazmat routing and the carrier's route plan rather than the shortest path.

If cargo is involved in fire, evacuate rather than fight it; only trained responders in protective clothing and SCBA should attack a hazmat fire, and water may be the wrong agent for some materials.

A placarded vehicle must carry at least one fire extinguisher rated 10 BC, and the driver must know the emergency response information required to accompany the shipping paper.