Here’s an email I received through the CONTACT ME page of my website on May 22nd (a Friday afternoon!):
How long must we retain shipping papers for non regulated material such as dry bulk cement?
A good question. Requiring a simple answer; though it took me a few days to reply (4.26.15):
Since dry bulk cement is not a hazardous material, it is not subject to the regulations of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) when transported in commerce. PHMSA regulations require a Shipper of HazMat to retain a copy of the shipping paper for two years and the Carrier to retain a copy for one year. Further, the regulations of the USEPA (not applicable in this situation) require all parties involved in the transportation of a hazardous waste using a Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest to retain a copy of the manifest for three years.
I am not aware of any regulatory requirement to retain a copy of a shipping paper for a non-hazardous (i.e. non-regulated) material for any period of time.
I hope this answers your question.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any other questions.
Contact me with any questions you may have about the transportation of hazardous materials by air, highway, vessel, or rail International and Domestic Daniels Training Services 815.821.1550 |
Not too hard an answer, but the question itself is an important one: Do I have a hazardous material? Answering that question requires some knowledge of the Hazardous Material Regulations (HMR) of the USDOT/PHMSA. If you answer in the affirmative and you have a HazMat, then you will require some form of HazMat Employee training. Contact me for this training or for any questions you may have about the transportation of hazardous materials.