The Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration within the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT/PHMSA) apply to the transportation of hazardous materials (HazMat) to, from, or through the U.S. The HMR are codified in Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).

Pursuant to 49 CFR 172.204, the shipper of a hazardous material – referred to as “each person who offers a hazardous material for transportation” – must provide a certification on the shipping paper that the HazMat shipment is in compliance with all of the Hazardous Materials Regulations.  However, there are exceptions to this rule when a HazMat may be offered for transportation and not require a shipper’s certification. Those exceptions are documented in 49 CFR 172.204(b) and explained in this article. (more…)

The transportation in commerce of a hazardous material will require a description of the HazMat on a shipping paper unless an exception is identified in 49 CFR 172.200(b).  Pursuant to 49 CFR 172.204, the HazMat shipping paper must include a certification by the shipper that the hazardous material offered for transportation is in compliance with all applicable regulations.  The purpose of this article is to describe the requirements for the shipper’s certification on a shipping paper for the transportation in commerce of a hazardous material. (more…)