Hazmat Trucking Companies

federal BI&PD floor (typical)$5,000,000Not cargo insurance. Confirm the 49 CFR 387.9 row for this shipment.

when $5,000,000 applies

$5,000,000 applies to for-hire transportation of hazardous substances as defined in 49 CFR 387.9 (in bulk / specified quantity). Some HM moves are $1,000,000 (not in bulk). Oil listed in 49 CFR 172.101 is $1,000,000. Read the table; do not assume every hazmat load is $5M.

census mapping

Carriers also mark hazardous materials on the MCS-150. Do not treat a Chemicals cargo code as proof of a current HM Safety Permit.

FMCSA cargo-carried codes used as hints

code 21 — Chemicals

PHMSA registration

Persons who offer or transport certain hazmat must register under 49 CFR 107 Subpart G.

49 CFR 107 Subpart G

Hazardous materials safety permit

Specified materials (including certain explosives, toxic by inhalation, and large quantities of Class 7) require an HMSP under 49 CFR 385 Subpart E.

49 CFR 385 Subpart E

“chemicals” is not a permit

Census cargo class 21 is chemicals. Carriers also mark hazardous materials on the MCS-150. Neither mark is a Hazardous Materials Safety Permit, and neither mark selects the correct row in 49 CFR 387.9.

Start with the UN/NA number, packing group, quantity, and whether the move is bulk. Then read 387.9. Then check PHMSA registration. Then check whether 49 CFR 385 Subpart E requires an HM Safety Permit for this material.

This hub will not publish a national hazmat carrier count. Chemicals checkboxes include non-permitted freight. HMSP is a separate FMCSA program. Inventing a count from cargo class 21 would be wrong.

read 49 CFR 387.9 against this shipment

Ordinary property is $750,000. Oil listed in 49 CFR 172.101 is $1,000,000. Hazardous substances as defined in 387.9, in bulk or in the specified quantity, are $5,000,000. Some non-bulk HM is $1,000,000. The table is the rule. A load-board “hazmat” tag is not.

Confirm the BMC filing amount on L&I matches the row that applies to this UN number and quantity. A $750,000 BMC-91 on a bulk TIH load is not enough. Do not book it as “close.”

Public liability is still not cargo. A product spill can be both a liability event and a cargo event. Shippers often require higher contractual limits than the federal floor. Write the contract number, not only the CFR row.

PHMSA registration and HMSP

Persons who offer or transport certain hazardous materials must register with PHMSA under 49 CFR 107 Subpart G. Ask for the current registration. A screenshot from a prior year is not current.

Specified materials — including certain explosives, toxic by inhalation, and large quantities of Class 7 — require a Hazardous Materials Safety Permit under 49 CFR 385 Subpart E. The permit has its own status. Census “hazmat” does not substitute.

Driver CDL with a hazardous-materials endorsement, current medical, and correct placards are operational. FMCSA QCMobile will not show the driver’s endorsement. Ask the carrier’s office, then confirm at the gate if the shipper requires it.

shipping papers, SDS, and routing

Keep the SDS, the shipping description, and the L&I printout with the load file. If the carrier cannot accept the proper shipping name, they are not covering this freight.

Some materials have routing and tunnel restrictions. That is not an FMCSA census field. It is a dispatch problem. If the carrier has never run this UN number, do not learn on your shipper’s dock.

If the same company also holds broker authority, read which grant is Active. Broker authority does not make them the motor carrier on a placarded load.

equipment and desk questions

What is the UN/NA number, packing group, and quantity — bulk or not?
Which 49 CFR 387.9 row applies, and what BI&PD amount is on L&I today?
Is PHMSA registration current, and is an HMSP required for this material?
Is the driver hazmat-endorsed, and will the unit be placarded for this shipment?
Tank spec or package type, last inspection, and prior cargo if this is a cargo tank?
Who signs shipping papers, and is the proper shipping name on the rate con?

board says hazmat, L&I shows $750,000, product is bulk corrosive

The federal floor for that bulk HM row is not $750,000. Do not cover. Either the carrier raises the filing to the correct minimum and it shows on L&I, or you find a carrier already filed at the right amount. Certificates in email do not amend 387.9.

chemicals cargo code, no HMSP, Class 1.1 request

Explosives in the HMSP list need the permit. A chemicals checkbox is not that permit. Ask for HMSP status. If they do not have it, they do not cover this material.

desk checklist

Read 49 CFR 387.9 against the actual UN number and quantity — $750K is the wrong floor for many HM loads.
Confirm PHMSA registration and, when required, a current HMSP.
Confirm the driver is hazmat-endorsed and the equipment is placarded for this shipment.
Keep the SDS, shipping papers, and L&I printout with the load file.

hazmat trucking companies.