Commercial-vehicle inspectors placed 683 vehicles transporting hazardous materials or dangerous goods out of service during an unannounced five-day enforcement operation in June, according to results released this week by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.
Inspection Numbers and Out-of-Service Rates Across the U.S. and Canada
Inspectors in the U.S. and Canada conducted 5,046 inspections during the June 5th through 8th initiative. The combined vehicle out-of-service rate was 13.5%. In the U.S., inspectors completed 4,122 hazardous-materials inspections and placed 500 vehicles out of service, a 12.1% rate. Canadian inspectors placed 183 of 924 vehicles out of service, a 19.8% rate.
Shipping Papers, Cargo Securement and Leaking Package Violations
Inspectors found 265 shipping-paper violations, including 57 serious enough to place a vehicle out of service. Shipping papers must accurately describe the material, quantity and packaging and provide required emergency-response and shipper-certification information. The papers also must be accessible and stored properly in the cab.
Cargo securement produced 128 out-of-service violations. Securement rules are intended not only to keep freight on the vehicle but also to prevent hazardous-material packages from shifting, being damaged or leaking.
Inspectors documented 29 out-of-service violations involving leaking packages. CVSA said leaking hazardous materials can threaten people, property and the environment and must be packaged to withstand normal transportation conditions.
Placard, Marking and Label Violations Expose Hazard Communication Gaps
Hazard communication remained another problem. Inspectors found 197 placard violations, including 55 that resulted in out-of-service orders. They also recorded 64 marking violations, 20 of which were out-of-service conditions, and 32 label violations.
Registration and driver qualifications accounted for additional findings. Inspectors cited 47 hazardous-materials registration violations, eight hazardous-materials safety-permit violations and 16 hazardous-materials endorsement violations.
Five undeclared hazardous-material packages were discovered in the United States. An undeclared shipment is subject to hazard-communication requirements but is offered for transportation without visible information alerting the accepting carrier that the package contains regulated material.
What Inspectors Examined and How Many Vehicles Passed Clean
The operation covered cargo tanks, other bulk packaging, nonbulk shipments and combinations of bulk and nonbulk freight. Inspectors examined 5,707 packages across the nine federal hazard classes. Flammable liquids were the largest category, with 2,584 packages inspected, followed by 993 corrosive-material packages.
Inspectors applied 1,187 CVSA decals to 794 power units and 393 trailers that passed eligible inspections without critical vehicle or specification cargo-tank violations.
What the Blitz Means for Fleet Compliance Programs
For fleet managers, the results point to compliance areas that extend beyond the condition of the tractor and trailer. Dispatch, shipping personnel, drivers and customers can all affect whether papers, descriptions, placards, packaging and emergency information are correct before a load leaves.
A pre-trip review for hazardous-material shipments should confirm that the driver has the required endorsement, the carrier holds any required registration or safety permit and the documents match the material and packages actually loaded. Drivers also should know where emergency information must be kept and how papers are handled when they leave the cab.
The enforcement initiative was supported by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and Transport Canada.
