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WHO NEEDS TRAINING?
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) requires both initial and recurrent training for anyone who offers, loads or unloads, handles, packs, and/or prepares or documents for shipments of hazardous materials.
This includes: forwarders, importers, brokers, freight consolidators, shippers, handling agents, steamship lines, truckers, government contractors, DoD shipping and warehouse personnel, and air carrier handling agents. Often overlooked are local pick-up or delivery drivers, and warehouse personnel that necessitate training too—not just those preparing the shipments.
Because of recent incidents involving hazardous materials in transportation, the DOT, along with the Federal Aviation Administration and others, have increased enforcement of training-related regulations, imposing severe fines for noncompliance. Each state requires drivers of commercial transportation vehicles of a defining weight to obtain a CDL (commercial driver’s license). In addition to a CDL, the driver must have a hazmat endorsement if he carries hazardous materials and dangerous goods in transportation for certain prescribed weights and classifications.
In addition to the state requirements, FAA and TSA are looking at those individuals who handle freight being offered into air transportation. They are requiring those individuals be trained in hazardous materials packaging, marking, labeling, documentation, and procedures for all hazardous materials and dangerous goods—even if not regulated under CDL and hazmat endorsement requirements. This ruling ensures that the shipments are delivered, securely and safely, to the air carriers.
