The National Response Center must be notified of any incident that results in death; hospitalization; $50,000 or more in estimated property damage; an evacuation of the general public or closure of a major transportation route/facility for more then one hour; fire, breakage, spillage, or suspected contamination involving radiation, bacteria, or toxins. Additionally, if the carrier judges the situation to be so serious that it should be reported, it should be reported.

If transporting any amount of chlorine, a driver must always stop at a railroad crossing 15 to 50 feet from the nearest track, regardless of the presence of a train.

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.

If you are experiencing a truck fire, you should not attempt to open trailer doors without first feeling the doors to see if they are hot. If the doors are hot, there may be a cargo fire. Leave the doors closed if there is a cargo fire.

Shipping papers must be quickly accessible in the event of an emergency. While driving, operators must keep the papers in a pouch on the driver’s door or in clear view and within immediate reach while their seat belt is fastened. Shipping papers may be kept on the driver’s seat when the driver is out of the vehicle.

When carrying Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives, you should not park within 300 feet of a bridge, tunnel, or building, unless you are parking for a short period of time while performing an operational necessity, like refueling.

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.

Hazardous materials warning placards are diamond-shaped.

On a compressed gas tank, liquid discharge valves must always be kept closed, except during loading and unloading.

Fighting a hazardous materials fire requires special training and protective gear. Unless you have the proper equipment and training, do not try to fight a hazardous materials fire yourself.

Always load hazardous materials away from heat sources. Be aware of regulations on explosive or flammable materials that prohibit them from being loaded in cargo spaces with heaters.

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.

When experiencing a cargo fire, it may be a bad idea to open the doors to the trailer. Doing so allows oxygen to enter the area, potentially causing the fire to flare up and expand.

You should not smoke within 25 feet of a placarded cargo tank used to transport materials that are categorized as Class 3 (flammable liquids) or Division 2.1 (gases). Do not smoke or carry a lit cigar, pipe, or cigarette near a vehicle containing flammable or explosive materials.

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.

If transporting chlorine in cargo tanks, a driver must have an approved gas mask in their vehicle.

Information about hazardous chemicals is found in the Emergency Response Guide (ERG) provided by U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The ERG is indexed by the proper shipping names and identification numbers of substances.

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

A material's ID number must appear on its accompanying shipping paper as well as on its packaging. It also must appear on cargo tanks and other bulk packaging.

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.

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

If a cargo of hazardous materials begins to leak, do not move your vehicle any more than safety requires. If you continue to drive, an even larger area will become contaminated. Instead, you should park your vehicle, secure it, stay with the vehicle, and contact the proper emergency personnel. If you do not have access to a phone, you should send someone else to get help.

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

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.

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.

You must examine each tire on a motor vehicle at the beginning of each trip. The only effective way to check tire pressure is by using a tire pressure gauge.

The shipper of hazardous materials is responsible for packaging, marking, and labeling the materials. They must supply the warning placards.

To determine which placards need to be used, you must know the hazard class of the materials being shipped, the amount of hazardous materials being shipped, and the total weight of all hazardous materials in your vehicle.

While the manual includes all of the information required to pass the hazardous materials knowledge test, you should consider reading the manual as only the first step to learning about the topic. You can learn more by reading and understanding the federal and state rules about the transportation of hazardous materials, as well as by attending hazardous materials training courses.

If your vehicle breaks down while you are transporting explosives and you need to use warning signals, use reflective triangles or red electric lights. Never use burning signals, such as flares or fuses, when transporting explosives.