How To Operate Dangerous Cargo Commercial Vehicle

Transporting dangerous goods using a commercial vehicle requires special care and attention. In fact, if you’re operating a dangerous cargo commercial vehicle, you need to follow specific standards and regulations to ensure public safety. On top of that, you’re required to have a training certificate to prove that you’re competent to handle, store, and transport dangerous goods.

If you want to operate a dangerous cargo commercial vehicle in the United States, here are a few things you should know:

You Must Be Trained with a Certificate

You must undergo in-house training and acquire a certificate before you can operate a dangerous cargo commercial vehicle. The only exception to this rule is if you’re under the direct supervision of a person who is certified to handle dangerous goods.

Since it’s the responsibility of the employer to provide training, your training will depend on which class of dangerous goods you will be transporting. For instance, if you’re transporting explosive substances, you will be trained to transport Class 1 dangerous goods. Similarly, if you’re handling flammable liquids, your training will cover Class 3 products. In some cases, you could be taught to handle different classes of hazardous materials.

The dangerous goods training certificate is usually valid for 3 years. If it expires, you need to earn another certificate.

You Must Have Proper Documentation

It’s mandatory for dangerous goods commercial vehicle drivers to possess a copy of the shipping documents. The shipping documents shouldn’t be kept outside the driver’s cab. The ideal position when you’re driving should be on the door pocket but if you’re outside the truck, you could leave it on the driver’s seat or anywhere that’s easily accessible in the cab.

If the trailer loaded with dangerous goods is not attached to the tractor unit, you should secure the documents in a waterproof container and attach them to the trailer. However, make sure the documents can easily be identified.

Check the Safety Marks

It’s usually the responsibility of the consignor to label the dangerous goods containment. However, if you transport dangerous cargo, you’re also required to confirm if the vehicle is properly marked with placards or labels before you start a trip. More succinctly, the label must be displayed on the dangerous goods containment while the placards must be displayed on all sides of the trailer.

Always Do a Thorough Inspection Safety Check

A pre-inspection check is mandatory whether you’re driving a regular or a dangerous cargo commercial vehicle. However, when you’re transporting dangerous goods in a commercial vehicle, the stakes are higher since if anything goes wrong, the products may pose a hazard to the public or the environment. Because of that, you should make sure that you conduct a thorough safety inspection check of your commercial vehicle before every trip. Don’t forget to also test the air brakes.

After your shift, you should do another inspection on your commercial vehicle to uncover problems that may have started during the trip. As a precaution, you should fix any small issues as soon as you notice them before they become a bigger problem.

However, if you notice any signs of spills or leaks, you should report the incident immediately to the local authorities.

Know All the Safety Precautions

There are specific rules that apply to commercial vehicles that are transporting dangerous goods or passengers. For instance, you must always stop if you come across any uncontrolled railway crossing even if there is no train in sight. In fact, you’re required to stop at least 5 meters away from a railway crossing but not further than 15 meters. Besides that, commercial vehicles that transport dangerous goods are prohibited from parking less than 50 meters away from a railway crossing in most provinces.

As a safety precaution to prevent a fire incident, you should avoid smoking around the vehicle. This is because most dangerous goods are highly combustible and if a leak occurs, you could easily start a fire or an explosion if you smoke near the vehicle.

Of course, you should always know the drill to put out a fire using a fire extinguisher. However, if it’s too dangerous to put out a fire, the best course of action would be to run for safety and alert emergency responders.

Drive Defensively

If you’re operating a commercial vehicle with dangerous cargo, you should make it a habit to drive defensively and avoid potential hazards. To be more specific, you should drive within the speed limit and maintain a safe following distance of at least five seconds so you have enough time to brake safely in case of an emergency.

What’s more, you should adjust your speed depending on the conditions. For instance, if you’re driving in bad weather conditions, you should slow down and double the following distance. Of course, don’t forget to glance the mirrors and look over your shoulders frequently so you don’t miss any blind spots.