CVSA Hazmat Safety Inspection Results in Almost 1,200 Violations

A surprise five-day CVSA inspection revealed that 51% of commercial vehicles transporting hazardous materials and dangerous goods were in violation.

HM/DG Road Blitz

This year’s HM/DG Road Blitz took place from June 9-13 across forty-five jurisdictions in the United States and Canada. HM/DG violations were issued to 1,169 drivers, restricting them from further travel until those violations were addressed. Shipping papers, placarding, marking, labeling, packaging and loading compliance were part of the inspection process. In total, 4,629 commercial vehicles transporting these materials revealed improper placarding, which was the top cause for violations issued this year.

In the United States, Section 5103 of the Federal Hazardous Materials Transportation Law designates a hazardous material as any substance or material that poses a risk to health, safety, and property when transported.

Transporting Hazardous Material

According to the CVSA, “The transportation of HM/DG demands rigorous training and heightened compliance requirements. For motor carriers and drivers, safely transporting HM/DG is imperative to the safety of the driver, the public, and the environment. For inspectors, inspecting vehicles transporting HM/DG is a complex and detailed process that involves safely looking for leaking materials or unsecured HM/DG cargo, and verifying shipping papers, placarding, marking, labeling, packaging and loading compliance.” (Source)

Transport Topics reported, “The top five U.S. hazardous materials’ violations were non-bulk placarding (104), bulk package marking (99), bulk placarding (88), bulk packaging (74) and no emergency response information (70). Inspectors also uncovered revealed 16 undeclared (without markings) packages of hazardous materials.” (Source)

HM/DG Violations

Regulations Resources

Commercial motor vehicles move 55% of harmful materials and goods in the U.S. Motor carriers and drivers in the industry who transport HM/DG cargo must comply with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration‘s federal regulations.

For more information, see all Hazardous Materials/Dangerous Goods Regulations from the FMCSA.

Read more CVSA-related news.