Fallout from the Lac Megantic, Quebec train derailment in July of 2013 continues for the rail industry in general with the issuance today of a press release by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) which announces FRA’s intent to issue a proposed rulemaking (or, NPRM) which will for the first time mandate the size of train…
USDOT/PHMSA Submits Paper for Upcoming UN Session on the Transport of Dangerous Goods
The United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) continues to respond to the disastrous train derailment in La Megantic, Quebec on July 6th, 2013. In that incident, an unmanned and unattended Montreal, Maine, & Atlantic (MM&A) freight train carrying crude oil derailed after a brake failure and subsequent uncontrolled…
New Rules for Air Shipment of Lithium Batteries In Effect After March 31, 2014
After March 31, 2014, a Shipper’s Declaration for Dangerous Goods is now required for Section IB shipments of lithium batteries, whereas before it was optional. For the most up-to-date testing criteria reference the Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods: Tests and Criteria, 5th Edition. We will publish more on this in the coming days,…
PHMSA Releases Special Permit Actions
The United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) published a set of actions on a wide variety of special permit activities in today’s Federal Register.
Federal Register Publishes Proposed Driver’s Log Rules Change by FMCSA
The United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today published the supplemental proposed rulemaking which will require the use of electronic logs for commercial drivers of trucks and busses engaged in interstate commerce in the Federal Register. According to the FMCSA’s news release of March 13th, the new rule, if…
Government 49 CFR Available NOW!
If you handle hazardous material or hazardous waste, or if you are a shipper, carrier or freight forwarder, Government 49 CFR DOT, 2-vol set, Parts 100-177 and Parts 178-199 are a must and it is ready to ship today! Order yours now: http://www.labelmaster.com/shop/books/ground-transport/government-49-cfr
Labelmaster to Showcase Spacemaster® Placarding System at Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) This Week!
Labelmaster will be at the Mid-America Trucking Show beginning Thursday, March 27th. This year’s event is being held at the Kentucky Exposition Center and is the largest heavy-duty trucking event in the world. The Mid-America Trucking Show is the annual forum for the heavy-duty trucking industry, providing face-to-face interaction between industry representatives and trucking professionals.…
A Somber Anniversary—25 Years after the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
It is a truism that regulations, whether related to transport, safety, building codes, etc, are to a degree “written in blood” in a turn of phrase often used by safety professionals; that is, often the genesis of a particular rule is based on the lessons learned from an incident which sadly often involved a tragedy…
PHMSA Releases Special Permit Incorporations
The United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has published a final rule in today’s Federal Register which takes the important step of incorporating the terms of a number of Special Permits and/or Competent Authority Approvals into the regulations as standard language.
FMCSA Releases News on Proposed Driver’s Log Rules Change
The United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today announced the release of a supplemental proposed rulemaking which will require the use of electronic logs for commercial drivers of trucks and busses engaged in interstate commerce.