When transporting hazardous materials, you may leave your vehicle unattended in a safe haven. A safe haven is a location that has been approved for parking unattended vehicles that are loaded with explosives.

The power unit of a placarded vehicle must be equipped with a fire extinguisher with an Underwriters Laboratories (UL) rating of 10 B:C or more.

Hazardous materials warning placards are usually diamond-shaped.

A hazardous material will be placed into one of nine classes to explain the type of risks associated with the material.

Some radioactive materials are required to be accompanied by a transport index. A transport index is a number that indicates how much control the material will require during transport. The total transport index of all cargo in a single vehicle may not exceed 50.

It is a driver's responsibility to refuse packages or shipments of hazardous materials if they contain leaks.

A driver transporting chlorine in cargo tanks must keep an approved gas mask and an emergency kit in their vehicle.

While shippers of hazardous materials are responsible for providing necessary placards, it is the driver's responsibility to actually place them on the vehicle.

A vehicle carrying hazardous materials must be appropriately placarded to be driven. An improperly placarded vehicle may only be driven if necessary to protect life or property in an emergency.

When transporting hazardous materials, shipping papers should be kept in a pouch in the driver's side door, or in another location where the driver is able to easily reach them while their seat belt is fastened. The papers must be easily visible to anyone who is entering the cab.

Always turn off your vehicle's engine before loading or unloading explosive materials. Never drop, throw, or roll packages containing explosives.

Column 2 of the Hazardous Materials Table lists the proper shipping names and descriptions of regulated materials.

Use a floor lining when transporting Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 materials. The floors should be tight and the liner must be made from either non-metallic material or non-ferrous metal. Non-ferrous metals are metals that do not contain iron or iron alloys.

When marking hazardous materials in an "HM" column on a shipping paper, the letters "RQ" may be used instead of an "X" if a reportable quantity of the material must be identified.

If you discover a leak in a cargo of hazardous materials, identify the materials in question by using the shipping papers, labels, or package location. Do not touch the leaking material.

Except when parking briefly to perform necessary functions for vehicle operation (such as refueling), never park a vehicle carrying Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives within 300 feet of a bridge, tunnel, or building. Never park such a vehicle within five feet of the traveled portion of the road.

There are nine different classes of hazardous materials. A class reflects the risks associated with a type of material.

Shippers of hazardous materials are required to warn drivers and others about the risks of the materials by putting hazard warning labels on packages, putting placards on the transporting vehicles, and providing proper shipping papers and emergency response information.

If you need to refuel a vehicle carrying hazardous materials, you must first turn off the engine. While refueling, someone must be at the nozzle and controlling the fuel flow at all times.

If you discover a cargo leak while transporting hazardous materials, use the shipping papers, label, or package location to identify which materials are involved. Do not try to touch or smell the leaking materials to determine what they are because doing so could result in injury or death.

If you are involved in an accident while carrying hazardous materials, it is your responsibility as the driver to keep people away from the scene; limit the spread of material if you can safely do so; inform emergency response personnel of the dangers posed by the materials; and provide emergency personnel with the shipping papers and emergency response information. Unless you have protective equipment and the necessary training, do not try to fight hazardous materials fires yourself.

Nitric acid should not be stacked above any other product. Containers of nitric acid may be stacked, but no higher than two containers high.

Before loading or unloading a tank with flammable liquids, you should turn off the engine, unless running the engine is necessary to operate a pump. Ground the tank before opening the filling hole and maintain the ground until after closing the filling hole.

When applying for an original or renewed HazMat endorsement, you must undergo a federal security threat assessment done by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

One clue that a shipment may contain hazardous materials is that the shipper is in a line of business that you would expect to involve hazardous materials. Examples of such businesses include paint dealers, chemical supply businesses, or pest control firms.

As a resource to police and firefighters, the National Response Center helps coordinate emergency response to chemical hazards.

Hazardous materials warning placards are diamond-shaped.

Unless your engine runs a pump for product transfer, turn it off when loading or unloading a compressed gas tank. If you do use your engine to run a pump, you should turn the engine off after the product transfer but before unhooking the hoses.

A vehicle with tanks that are used to transport hazardous materials must always be stopped before being driven over railroad tracks, even if the tanks are empty.

The person in charge of loading or unloading a hazardous materials cargo tank must ensure that a qualified person is always supervising the process. The supervisor must be alert; have a clear view of the tank; be within 25 feet of the tank; know the hazards of the involved materials; know the procedures to follow in the case of an emergency; and be authorized to and capable of moving the tank.