In early March, we ran a post on exciting developments from logistics startups, from electric trucks to driver feedback software. But innovation is hardly limited to new companies. Some of the biggest innovations actually come from the biggest players in the business. Here’s a look at how some of the giants of the logistics industry…
How online hazmat training can lower your blood pressure
When you manage a shipping operation that handles Dangerous Goods, stress is part of the job description. And keeping hazmat employees compliantly trained can be a major source of that elevated blood pressure. If you’re responsible for hazmat training, you have to: Determine who qualifies as a hazmat employee as defined by 49 CFR (§171.8) Determine…
Top 10 things hazmat regulators can do during a regulatory freeze
When the new administration in Washington issued an executive order blocking any new federal regulations, all pending Dangerous Goods regulations were thrown into limbo. And there they remain. What do regulators do when regulations are frozen? Rest assured, our friends at PHMSA, FMCSA, OSHA, EPA and other agencies are still finding (mostly) productive uses for…
Survey results: Hazmat training needs to be a higher priority
Earlier this month, we asked Dangerous Goods professionals to take a hazmat training survey. They responded to seven statements about how well their organizations and the rest of the DG community handle the vital task of educating their teams about hazardous materials. The results were fascinating, and a little troubling. Labelmaster Global Learning Leader Rhonda…
DG Digest: OSHA delays beryllium final rule and Trump issues E.O. on Waters of the United States Rule
The beginning of March continues to be slow with regulatory news as the “regulatory freeze” is still in effect in the United States. Reliable sources continue to tell us the release of the USDOT/PHMSA HM-215N UN Harmonization should be any day now….stay tuned! Here’s a summary of other industry news from last week: OSHA On…
New trucking technology startups may change how hazmat gets shipped
A few weeks back, we wrote about the pros and cons of autonomous trucks hauling hazmat. But while autonomous vehicles get all the headlines these days, there are lots of new technologies and innovative approaches poised to transform trucking as we know it. Some of these innovations are already here; some may be many years…
Don’t sing the Dangerous Goods Symposium blues—sign up now!
Register today! Rates go up March 1. Labelmaster will host the 12th annual Dangerous Goods Symposium September 6-8, 2017 at Chicago’s historic Drake Hotel. The Drake has hosted presidents, foreign dignitaries and even royalty, but it may be most famous for its role as a set in The Blues Brothers, that 1980 classic featuring so…
Rated DG: What if famous horror movies were about Dangerous Goods?
When you’re obsessed with Dangerous Goods compliance, you start to see hazmat-related themes everywhere. Here at Labelmaster, we scrutinize TV shows for correct hazmat labeling. We watch major football games through a hazmat-tinted lens. We even halfway believe Game of Thrones is actually about hazmat. Clearly, we are not normal people. And most scary movies…
Trump Freezes PHMSA HM-215N: The Impact on Lithium Battery Shippers
We mentioned in our January 30th DG Digest blog that the anticipated PHMSA HM-215N Final Rule was withdrawn as a result of President Trump’s executive memoranda that put a freeze on all new regulations. Here’s some additional information on how this temporarily impacts lithium battery shippers. As you know, the HM-215N Final Rule would have…
Can autonomous trucks handle hazmat shipments safely?
You’ve probably seen a number of articles and videos over the last year or so, proclaiming that autonomous vehicles—also known as “driverless” cars and trucks—will be commonplace on our highways within a few years. That future is coming, and maybe sooner than a lot of folks thought. Last October, an autonomous truck created by Otto…