BACKGROUND

 

Intermodal freight transportation. The movement of freight in intermodal containers, as pioneered in the United States in the mid-to-late 1950’s, was initially successful because it avoided freight stowage and labor intensive handling operations at the modal interchanges. Intermodal freight transportation has steadily grown into a dominant means of cargo transportation internationally. It provides shippers with greater choice of routings by rail, highway, and maritime carrier combinations which results in the most efficient service at the least expense. Within today’s competitive environment, intermodal freight transportation offers a flexible and evolving response to changing marketing and distribution requirements. The range of forces encountered during intermodal transportation makes the proper loading and securing of containerized freight an important part of shipment preparation. Properly done, the cargo storage capacity of containers is maximized while minimizing the possibility of cargo loss or damage resulting from transportation.

 

Requirements for the securement of hazardous material or dangerous goods packages in intermodal containers.

Hazardous materials (a term intended to be used interchangeably within this guide with its international synonym, “dangerous goods”) are substances or materials which have been determined by governments to pose an unreasonable risk to the public’s health and safety, property, or the environment when transported in commerce. International and United States regulations provide harmonization of hazardous material standards to both facilitate commerce and maintain an adequate level of safety. These regulations provide a minimum performance standard for blocking and bracing of packaged hazardous materials, requiring shippers to secure containerized hazardous material packages in such a way as to prevent their movement within containers in the rail, highway, or maritime modes of transportation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PURPOSE AND SCOPE

 

The guide provides a summary of regulatory requirements for securing hazardous materials (excluding movements incorporating an aviation leg) and presents an overview of the shipping environment. Nothing in this guide is intended to endorse any specific securement system or product nor intended to restrict a shipper’s use of other proven methods that meet the requirements of the regulations.

 

LIMITATIONS

 

Surface and Maritime Shipper Restrictions. This guide is not for use by hazardous material shippers who utilize an aviation leg in addition to the intermodal surface and/or maritime transportation modes described herein.

 

Laws and Regulatory Restrictions. This guide should not be considered a complete substitute for any provisions of the Hazardous Materials Transportation Authorization Act of 1994, as amended, or any other applicable statute, or for any standards or regulations promulgated under any federal statute addressing hazardous materials transportation. No guarantee is made as to the completeness or sufficiency of the federal and international standards summarized in this guide. Applicable regulatory standards are periodically modified and may change before this guide is updated. Therefore, relevant provisions of the United States Code and federal regulations should be consulted whenever preparing hazardous materials for transportation to ensure compliance.

 

Informational Restrictions. No warranty, guarantee, or representation is made by any of the participants in this project as to the correctness or sufficiency of any information and representations contained in this guide. Further, the participants assume no responsibility in connection therewith; nor can it be assumed that all necessary warnings and precautionary measures are contained in this publication, or that other additional information or measures may not be required or desirable because of particular or exceptional conditions or circumstances, or because of applicable federal, state, or local law.

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

 

This document was developed primarily by cooperative work of governmental and industrial organizations and their participating companies. A joint task group, sponsored by the Chemical Packaging Committee of the Institute of Packaging Professionals, coordinated and performed a major part of the actual work. The task group thanks the many manufacturers of bracing systems whose equipment and methods are shown within the manual. Appreciation is extended to the following individuals who gave freely of their time and expense in this effort.