CVSA Hazmat Inspection Blitz Nets 2,578 Violations

CATEGORIES: Industry News, Transportation of Dangerous Goods

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) conducted an Unannounced Five-Day Inspection and Enforcement Initiative and inspected 7,572 commercial motor vehicles transporting hazardous materials/dangerous goods (HM/DG) in Canada and the U.S. A total of 8,395 packages were inspected, and inspectors discovered 2,578 HM/DG violations, of which 701 were HM/DG out-of-service (OOS) violations.

This year marked a substantial increase in the number of violations over last year’s Road Blitz, in which 1,117 violations were found.

What Was the Key Objective of the unannounced HM/DG Road Blitz?

The purpose of the annual unannounced HM/DG Road Blitz is to:

  • Spotlight the importance of the programs, processes, and regulations associated with the safe transportation of HM/DG.
  • Recognize safety-compliant HM/DG drivers, motor carriers, manufacturers, shippers, etc.
  • Highlight the specially trained inspectors who prioritize transportation safety by inspecting vehicles transporting HM/DG and enforcing strict compliance regulations.
  • Identify all shipping paper, placarding, marking, labeling, packaging, and loading compliance violations.
  • Remove vehicles with HM/DG out-of-service violations from roadways.
  • There are nine recognized classes of HM/DG. These classes designate HM/DG into categories, based on the materials’ specific chemical and physical properties, and describe the different types of risks associated with those materials.

Canadian Results

In Canada, 1,449 vehicles and 1,673 DG packages were inspected during the five days of the HM/DG Road Blitz (799 small means of containment, 690 highway tank packaging and 184 other large means of containment). Inspectors discovered 482 DG violations, of which 163 were out-of-service DG violations.

U.S. Results

In the U.S., 6,123 vehicles and 6,722 HM packages were inspected during the five days of the HM/DG Road Blitz (2,658 non-bulk packages, 3,256 cargo tank packaging and 808 other bulk packaging). Inspectors identified 2,096 HM violations, of which 538 were out-of-service HM violations.

Inspectors also discovered eight undeclared packages. According to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, each year, approximately 1,500 transportation incidents occur when undeclared hazardous materials are shipped. Hazardous materials must always be properly classified, packaged, labeled, handled and stowed for transportation. This protects workers, emergency responders and the general public from the risks associated with HM transportation.

Source: https://www.cvsa.org/news/2023-hm-dg-blitz-results/

News Categories