The transportation in commerce of a hazardous material (HazMat) by rail may involve a variety of bulk and non-bulk packagings. One common bulk packaging for the transport of HazMat by rail is the tank car. Whatever the packaging, the transport of HazMat by rail is subject to a variety of modal-specific or packaging-specific requirements within the Hazardous Material Regulations (HMR) of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration within the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT/PHMSA), including:

• 49 CFR 174 – Carriage by rail
• §173.10 – Tank car shipments
• §173.31 – Use of tank cars

The purpose of this article is to identify and explain one small part of 49 CFR 173.31: The requirements for tank car loading and unloading at §173.31(g). (more…)