Logistics
Dangerous goods transport
Where documentation does not accompany the shipment: it is part of being allowed to ship at all.
With dangerous goods, documentation changes in nature: it is not an administrative requirement accompanying the shipment, it is part of the condition for being allowed to move it. Without it there is no delay, there is a consignment that cannot leave.
The four levels
| Level | What expires | Warning margin |
|---|---|---|
| The company | Authorisations and its safety adviser | 90 days |
| The vehicle | Specific certificates and inspections | 60 days |
| The driver | Specific training, and it expires | 90 days: a course has to be arranged |
| The consignment | Transport documents and product data sheets | Per shipment |
Important
Driver training fails most often, for the usual reason: it attaches to the person, not the vehicle or the company. A driver with expired training cannot carry that load however perfect the lorry and however current the company.
What allows no improvisation
Watch out
Here a documentary failure does not end in a fine: it can end in an accident affecting people who did not choose to be nearby. It is the sector with the least room for "we will sort it later".
Frameworks cited
The European agreement on international carriage of dangerous goods by road, the safety adviser role and its duties, specific driver training, and substance classification and labelling. What applies to your particular goods and to what extent is confirmed by your safety adviser — who should also validate your procedure.
Worth knowing
A 90-day warning is not excessive in this sector: renewing training means a place on a course, and in peak season there are none at fifteen days' notice.
›Can I check at the loading bay?
Yes, and that is exactly where it belongs: before loading.
›What if I subcontract the transport?
The haulier's documentation is your problem while they carry your goods.
›Does it serve for an inspection?
It is the cross-check requested: company, vehicle, driver and consignment.
A real case
The situation
A shipper finds at the bay that the driver's training expired a month ago.
What you do
- 90-day warnings per driver, not per company
- Checking at the bay before loading
What you get
Next time the problem surfaces three months earlier, with time to arrange the course.
The situation
The documentation that travels is prepared at the last minute.
What you do
- Checks what is missing before loading
What you get
The lorry does not leave with a gap.
The situation
The driver carries the paper and it gets wet or lost.
What you do
- Also carries it accessible from a phone
What you get
A lost paper stops halting the job.
The situation
The driver's training expires en route.
What you do
- Records expiries per person
What you get
The warning arrives before assigning the job.
The situation
A load is taken without checking its data sheet.
What you do
- Checks the sheet before accepting the load
What you get
The decision is taken with the document in view.
The situation
A check asks about a job from months ago.
What you do
- Keeps a file per job
What you get
You answer from the record.
This article answers
- dangerous goods transport documentation
- which papers for hazardous goods
- safety adviser documentation
- driver hazmat training expiry