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Speaking at the 16th Chemical Regulatory Annual Conference (CRAC) held on 5 September 2024 in Nanjing, Dr. Wenji Fan, a member of the Panel of Experts on Road Transportation of Dangerous Goods commissioned by the Ministry of Transport, introduced the updates on dangerous goods transportation management regulations.
Dr. Fan highlighted that the MoT has been actively promoting the transformation and implementation of international rules domestically. Regarding the dangerous goods road transportation management in China, the industrial standard JT/T 617 Regulations concerning Road Transportation of Dangerous Goods plays a critical role. It takes a reference from the European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR), and systematically stipulates the operational requirements for dangerous goods classification, transportation and packaging, consignment, loading and unloading, and road transportation. Its current edition is the JT/T 617-2018, which aligns with ADR (2015 Edition). To improve the advancement and applicability of this industrial standard, the MoT proposed amendments to this industrial standard to align with the ADR (2023 Edition) and invited the public for comments in September 2023. On May 7, 2024, the MoT officially issued the partial amendments to JT/T 617-2018, which took effect immediately (read more).
In addition, by a circular issued on December 4, 2023, the MoT revised another piece of important regulation, namely the Provisions on the Administration of the Road Transport of Dangerous Goods. The revised Provisions stipulates that the classes, divisions and hazard levels of dangerous goods in road transportation shall adhere to the JT/T 617. All these regulatory updates underline that JT/T 617 become increasingly important for governing dangerous goods road transportation in China. “The MoT has submitted the national standard project (20241015-Q-348) in May 2024 to elevate the industrial standard JT/T 617 to mandatory national standard,” Dr. Fan pointed out, “the project period will last for 18 months and the draft for approval will be submitted next year.”
Screenshot of the National Standard Project 20241015-Q-348
The new mandatory national standard for dangerous goods road transportation derived from JT/T 617 will take the latest international regulations into consideration, especially for the transportation management of lithium batteries. Dr. Fan mentioned at the conference that regulatory agencies have made efforts to promote the development of standards for the safe transportation of lithium batteries, including requirements for multimodal transport, railway transportation, and safety technical requirements for ships carrying lithium batteries.
Guide on Railway Transportation of Consumer-grade Lithium Batteries
JT/T XXXXX-XXXX Safety technical requirements for the transport of lithium batteries by ships
Moreover, Dr. Fan reminded that the GB 13392-2023 Vehicle marking of dangerous goods for road transportation would take effect on April 1, 2025, replacing the previous version GB 13392-2005. Stakeholders should pay attention to the compliance with new rules. The diamond-shaped marks are consistent with those in the previous version (with modifications to Class 9). When engaged in international transportation, the Chinese characters in diamond-shaped marks can be removed.
Dr. Fan stated that the MoT's next steps include strengthening the construction of enterprise safety management systems and improving oversight during and after operations. Specifically, these steps include:
Developing and issuing the "Safety Management Standards for Dangerous Goods Road Transport Enterprises."
Establishing a classification and grading management system for dangerous goods road transport.
Collaborating with public security departments to create a coordinated regulatory system for the safety of dangerous goods road transport.
