Over five days this summer, 3,929 inspections of commercial motor vehicles transporting hazardous materials/dangerous goods (HM/DG) were conducted as part of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) unannounced HM/DG inspection and enforcement initiative.
During the HM/DG Road Blitz, June 10-14, inspectors discovered violations on 576 of the vehicles inspected. Vehicles with out-of-service HM/DG violations were removed from roadways until those violations were corrected.
Inspectors also affixed 1,009 CVSA decals, which means there were no critical vehicle or specification cargo tank violations on those vehicles.
Forty-five jurisdictions participated in this year’s HM/DG Road Blitz. A total of 4,095 packages were inspected; specifically, 1,488 non-bulk packages/small means of containment, 2,218 bulk cargo tank packages/large means of containment and 389 other bulk packages/other large means of containment.
There were a total of 116 out-of-service loading and securement violations in North America. Nineteen packages were cited for HM/DG package integrity (leaking) violations.
In the U.S., inspectors discovered 93 undeclared packages during the five days of the blitz. The leading violation — 108 — was for shipping papers. There were also 72 loading and securement violations in the U.S.
According to the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, each year, about 1,500 transportation incidents occur when undeclared hazardous materials are shipped.
According to the PHMSA, a hazardous material is a substance or material that is capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety and property when transported in commerce.
In Canada, inspectors identified 79 TDG training certificate violations. The purpose of the training certificate is to demonstrate that the individual handling and/or transporting dangerous goods is properly trained and competent to safely fulfill their duties.
In Canada, dangerous goods are defined as any substance or material capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety and property when transported in commerce.
The HM/DG Road Blitz is an annual inspection and enforcement initiative made possible through participation from CVSA’s member jurisdictions throughout North America. CVSA said its Road Blitz aims to:
- Remove vehicles with HM/DG out-of-service violations from roadways.
- Spotlight the importance of the programs, processes and regulations associated with the safe transportation of HM/DG.
- Recognize safety-compliant HM/DG drivers, motor carriers, manufacturers, shippers, etc.
- Highlight the specially trained inspectors who prioritize transportation safety by inspecting vehicles transporting HM/DG and enforcing strict compliance regulations.
- Identify HM/DG shipping paper, placarding, marking, labeling, packaging and loading compliance violations.
Violations found in the U.S.CVSA
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