Road Transport of Dangerous Goods: Responsibilities of Carriers

The carrier is the enterprise performing the actual carriage of dangerous goods by vehicle. The new Measures for Safety Administration of Road Transport of Dangerous Goods and the revised Provisions on the Administration of the Road Transport of Dangerous Goods have detailed the responsibilities of carriers in the road transport of dangerous goods. ChemLinked has teased out significant highlights in the Measures and the Provisions, as shown below.

1. Training (For all personnel involved in the carriage of dangerous goods)

Pre-post safety education/training: The employees shall only be allowed to go to work after they pass the associated examinations. The records shall be kept for no less than 12 months after the employees resign from the job.
Regular safety education: The records of regular safety education shall be kept for no less than 12 months.
Main training contents of personnel involved in the carriage of dangerous goods (see table below)

Personnel	Main training content
Personnel who make consignment lists and transport documents	a) Dangerous goods classification and hazard characteristics b) Format and documentation requirements for transport documents c) Relevant approval documents
Dangerous goods transport vehicle drivers	a) Dangerous goods transport regulations b) Dangerous goods classification and hazard characteristics c) Marks, labels, and placards d) Usage methods of transport vehicles and related facilities e) Transport documents f) Basic knowledge of loading and unloading operations (including stacking, fixing, filling, unloading, etc.) g) Mixed loading requirements and restrictions for vehicles or containers h) Safe transport operation procedures (including carrying capacity limit, multimodal transport requirements, road access, etc.) i) Personal protection, precautionary accident measures, emergency response information use, emergency response procedures, and first aid measures
Dangerous goods transport vehicle escorts	a) Regulations on the transport of dangerous goods b) Dangerous goods classification and hazard characteristics c) Marks, labels, and placards d) Usage methods of transport vehicles and related facilities e) Transport documents f) Basic knowledge of loading and unloading operations (including stacking, fixing, filling, unloading, etc.) g) Mixed loading requirements for vehicles or containers h) Personal protection, precautionary accident measures, emergency response information use, emergency response procedures, and first aid measures
Emergency handling personnel for dangerous goods transport	a) Regulations on the transport of dangerous goods b) Dangerous goods classification and hazard characteristics c) Marks, labels, and placards d) Personal protection, emergency response information use, emergency response procedures, and first aid measures e) Safe operating procedure

2. Necessary Documents

The carrier shall prepare a dangerous goods waybill (format as below) in either paper or electronic form and require the vehicle driver to carry it. The dangerous goods waybill shall be appropriately kept for no less than 12 months.
In the case of hazardous waste, the carrier shall also fill in and carry along the Manifest Forms for Transferring Hazardous Wastes in either paper or electronic form.
Security Cards for Road Transport of Dangerous Goods shall be carried onboard the vehicles.
The drivers and escorts shall carry along the valid qualification certificates.

Dangerous goods road transport waybill
Transport waybill number:
Consignor	Name		Consignee	Name
	Contact number			Contact number
Loader	Name		Departure date
	Contact number		Place of departure
Destination					□ City Delivery
Carrier	Company name		Contact number
	Permit number
	Vehicle information	License plate number (color)		Trailer information	License plate number
		Road transport certificate number			Road transport certificate number
	Tank information	Tank number		Tank volume
	Driver	Name		Escort	Name
		Qualification certificate			Qualification certificate
		Contact number			Contact number
Cargo information	Including serial number, UN number, product name of dangerous goods, class, and division, packing group, packing specifications, unit, quantity, etc., each item is separated by a comma
Remark
Scheduler:			Date:

3. Marking Requirements

The drivers and escorts shall check and ensure before transport that related marks are installed or hung on vehicles carrying dangerous goods in line with the Marks for Vehicles in Road Transport of Dangerous Goods (GB 13392).
Where vehicles are used to transport explosives and highly toxic chemicals, drivers and escorts shall check and ensure that vehicles are marked with safety signs in line with the Safety Specifications for Road Transport Vehicle of Explosive Substance and Chemical Toxic Substance (GB 20300)

4. Management Provisions

Carriers of dangerous goods shall monitor and manage vehicles and drivers through a positioning system during the operation of the vehicles.
The monitoring data shall be kept for no less than 3 months. The illegal driving records and improvement information shall be kept for no less than 3 years.
The carrier shall strengthen the safety management, establish contingency plans for emergencies, be equipped with emergency rescue personnel and necessary emergency rescue equipment and devices, organize regular emergency rescue drills and strictly implement relevant safety policies.
Qualified institutions shall be entrusted to conduct a safety assessment at least once every three years and issue the safety assessment report
Special tank vehicles or special vehicles for transporting toxic, infectious or corrosive dangerous goods shall not be used to transport general goods
Other special vehicles can be used to transport general goods other than food, household products, medicines, and medical devices. However, the carrier shall check the special vehicles to eliminate hazards and ensure that there will be no pollution or damage to general goods.
Dangerous goods shall not be mixed up with general goods during transport.

5. Essentials during Road Transport

Staffed with necessary escorts
Carry protective equipment and emergency response equipment with the vehicle
Vehicles carrying dangerous goods shall not exceed a speed of 80 kilometers per hour on highways or 60 kilometers per hour on the other roads. Where speed limit signs or traffic index lines on any roads indicate a speed limit lower than the speed prescribed above, vehicles in question shall not exceed the speed limit specified in such signs or lines.
Drive following the route and timetable approved
Where vehicles carrying dangerous goods need to be parked at highway service areas, drivers and escorts should take corresponding safety measures per relevant regulations.

ChemLinked will release a series of articles detailing the responsibilities of various parties in the transport of dangerous goods. Please stay tuned.