The shipper of hazardous materials is responsible for packaging, marking, and labeling the materials properly. It is a good idea for the driver to ensure the materials are properly labeled.

If a hazardous materials label will not fit on a package, it may be placed on a tag that is securely attached to the package.

Hazardous materials should always be loaded away from heat sources. Many materials become more hazardous if their temperatures increase.

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.

Shipping papers for hazardous materials should always be easily accessible. When a driver is not in their vehicle, hazardous materials' shipping papers should be left on the driver's seat.

Many hazardous materials become more dangerous when exposed to heat. Hazardous materials should be loaded and unloaded away from heat sources.

Signs are placed on the outside of vehicles and bulk packages to warn drivers and others about hazardous materials. These diamond-shaped signs are known as "placards."

A vehicle that lacks the proper placards for any hazardous materials on board may not be driven, except as necessary to protect life and property in an emergency.

To obtain an original or renewed hazardous materials endorsement, you must pass a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) background check.

To determine which hazardous materials placards to use, you must know the hazard class of the materials; the amount of hazardous materials being shipped; and the total weight of all classes of hazardous materials in the vehicle.

Class 1 hazardous materials are typically items that present certain explosion or fire hazards.

Flammable gases are assigned to hazardous materials Class 2.

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 hazardous materials are being transported in a reportable quantity in one package, the shipper must display the letters "RQ" on the shipping paper and package.

A hazardous material will fall into one of nine hazard classes. The material's hazard class reflects its associated risks.

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

Hazardous materials warning placards are diamond-shaped.

If the words "Inhalation Hazard" appear on the shipping paper or package, you must display the "Poison Inhalation Hazard" or "Poison Gas" placards, as appropriate.

A placarded vehicle must have at least four identical placards: one on the front, one on the rear, and one on each side of the vehicle.

Shippers of hazardous materials are required to provide proper shipping papers to communicate the risks of the materials.

Unless you must run the engine to operate a pump, you should always turn off the engine before loading or unloading flammable liquids.

Hazardous materials warning placards must be used on all four sides of a vehicle transporting hazardous materials.

It is a good idea to compare a shipping paper to the applicable package markings and labels. Ensure that the shipper has included the correct basic description on the shipping paper and that it matches markings and labels.

At a minimum, emergency response information must include the basic descriptions and technical names of the materials being transported; immediate hazards to health; risks of fire or explosion; immediate precautions to be taken in the event of an accident or incident; immediate methods for handling fires; initial methods for handling spills or leaks in the absence of fires; and preliminary first aid measures.

If you are transporting radioactive material and believe there is a leak or broken package in your cargo, you should tell your dispatcher or supervisor as quickly as possible. Do not touch or inhale the material. Do not use the vehicle until it has been cleaned or checked with a survey meter.

Do not smoke within 25 feet of a placarded cargo tank used to transport Class 3 or Division 2.1 hazardous materials.

Shippers of hazardous materials are required to provide emergency response information to drivers.

Keep liquid discharge valves on a compressed gas tank closed, except when loading and unloading.

For applicable materials, the "Poison Inhalation Hazard" placard and the appropriate hazard class placard must always be displayed, even for small amounts of the materials.

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.