The St. Patrick’s Day holiday found regulatory activity at moderate pace.  Perhaps the biggest news?  The US Post Office released its long awaited updated to the rules for shipping liquids in the mail.  See that, and all the latest news, right here:

PHMSA

The agency published three sets of special permit actions.  As is typically the case, the permits mainly pertain to portable tanks, sundry issues with batteries, and cylinders.  To have a look, check our links:

• https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-03-12/pdf/2019-04452.pdf
• https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-03-12/pdf/2019-04453.pdf

USPS

Although not specifically aimed at hazardous materials per se, the Postal Service has published its final rule pertaining to the mailing of liquids.  The rule imposes requirements which will be familiar to many hazmat shippers, including mandates to:

• Mark packages containing liquids “Liquid”
• Apply applicable orientation arrow markings
• Imposes a “triple packaging” requirement, meaning that there will be a requirement for a positively closed inner container, absorbent to deal with releases, and both intermediate and outer packagings.  Some of these requirements may vary by total volume being shipped   

To see the rule in its entirety and learn more about how it may impact your mailing operations, check our link

STB

The Surface Transportation Board announced a vacancy on its Shipper Transportation Advisory Board.  The board helps the STC address concerns in the industry related to shipper problems, including hazardous materials.  See the vacancy announcement here

Transport Canada

Our northern neighbor’s analog to PHMSA announced it is accepting public comments on its own version of the international harmonization (think a “Canadian HM-215O,” so to speak) until May 27^th.  The agency has published a consultation document to assist stakeholders in understanding how the agency is viewing the current situation. Here’s a link

FedEx

The carrier released an updated hazardous materials table for its ground hazardous materials shipping guide.  See the revised table here

Labelmaster is a full-service provider of products, shipping and training software, and professional consulting services to assist the DG and HS&E professional to comply with national and international regulations.  See our full line of solutions at www.labelmaster.com