Say you need a replacement 420 Wh battery for your electric snowblower. Instead of ordering a new one from the manufacturer, you find an online retailer offering a used battery at a discount. When the battery arrives, you—being somewhat knowledgeable about the rules governing transport of lithium batteries—are surprised to see it’s in a plain,…
Why it’s absolutely essential to choose the right hazmat placard
True fact: No one ever got promoted for choosing the right hazmat placard. Choosing the wrong placard, however, could have negative consequences for anyone’s job prospects. Think about it. Every Dangerous Goods shipment represents a significant investment in time and materials, and it could be part of a supply chain impacting several organizations. Yet one…
Postal rates may increase if U.S. departs Universal Postal Union
Although it does not have the current traction in the news that many other topics do, a technical arrangement that governs the US Postal Service’s relations to other international postal bodies may leave US-based shippers facing higher fees. A meeting in Geneva, Switzerland on September 25-26th is more or less the last chance for the…
DG Digest: Should training providers be able to administer CDL skills testing?
The summer doldrums continue in the regulatory sector, with minimal activity underway. The FMCSA is the big player this week, with a significant proposal to modify CDL driver testing standards. Here’s all the latest: FMCSA The agency proposes to allow States to permit a third party skills test examiner to administer the Commercial Driver’s License…
Hazmat hopes 2019: Top Dangerous Goods professionals share their wishes
Work in Dangerous Goods long enough, and you may find yourself wishing things were different. Couldn’t that new IATA regulation be worded more clearly? Wouldn’t it be great if you didn’t have to explain Limited Quantities to your customer—for the third time? And how exactly does a 2mm-thick label border make a hazmat shipment safer?…
11 must-have items for hazmat shipping when your eyelashes freeze
Happy New Year! For those of us in northern climes, we’re well past the isn’t-winter-wonderful? phase and well into the enough-already-with-the-freezing-rain phase. Yet Dangerous Goods shipments don’t care if your eyelashes freeze together or your fingertips go numb. Your customers and supply chain partners still expect your shipments to be safe, compliant and on time,…
How Your Systems Can Simplify Hazmat and Multi-Carrier Shipping Compliance to Fuel Growth
Businesses today are in a constant struggle to grow revenues, control costs, and (for shippers of dangerous goods) reduce business risks. Thanks to advancing technology, managing your hazmat shipping processes is easier than ever, but it takes proactive planning and thought to apply the right technology to the right points in your enterprise, especially in…
What happens when you make hazmat compliance a competitive advantage?
At September’s Dangerous Goods Symposium, Labelmaster VP of Marketing Rob Finn said, “Companies who are best in class at compliance have better on-time rates and fewer surprises for their customers. It’s a competitive advantage, and it grows their business.” Dangerous Goods compliance as a competitive advantage? That’s kind of a radical concept. Historically, many organizations…
What are Materials of Trade, and why should you care?
In last week’s post about non-hazmat employees who should receive hazmat training, Labelmaster Director of Global Learning Rhonda Jessop recommended 49 CFR training for employees who transport “Materials of Trade,” which she defined as: “… specific amounts of regulated substances that are transported for use on the job, such as painters carrying commercial-sized containers of…
CHEMTREC and Labelmaster team up for one reason: safety.
Last month, Labelmaster and CHEMTREC announced a new partnership that makes Labelmaster the exclusive label manufacturer and distributor for CHEMTREC. Now, all Dangerous Goods labels printed with CHEMTREC information will come from Labelmaster. But this partnership isn’t really about labels. It’s about safety. CHEMTREC chief executive John Modine explains, “Having Labelmaster as our exclusive label…