Hundreds of out of service conditions discovered during first-of-its-kind hazmat blitz

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) released the results from a week-long inspection effort targeting hazmat haulers that they conducted back in August.

The “Transportation of Dangerous Goods/Hazardous Materials (TDG/HM) Road Blitz” took place August 12 — 16, 2019, according to a recent news release from the CVSA.

During the week-long blitz, officers throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico conducted 9,259 inspections on commercial vehicles transporting hazardous materials or dangerous goods. The CVSA says that inspectors discovered 683 out of service HM/DG conditions during the blitz.

The CVSA detailed the violations discovered during the enforcement effort:

Inspectors found 66 violations for package integrity (leaking) and 204 violations for loading and securement, all resulting in out-of-service conditions. There were 181 other packaging violations, resulting in 50 out-of-service conditions. Of the 432 total placarding violations, 102 were out-of-service conditions. There were 1,156 shipping paper violations, 226 were out-of-service conditions. Out of 171 markings violations, 35 were out-of-service conditions.

While Transport Canada and the CVSA’s Canadian divisions have held a week-long hazmat inspection blitz in Canada only since 2012, this marks the first year of American and Mexican participation in the effort.

“Every day, hazardous materials are shipped throughout North America,” said CVSA President Sgt. John Samis with the Delaware State Police. “Such materials are often necessary for people’s way of life; however, these materials can also be dangerous and without proper care, rules and regulations, there is the potential to endanger human life and damage the environment. That is why it is so important that drivers, inspectors, motor carriers, manufacturers and governments continually work together to ensure the safe transportation of HM/DG and to eliminate any risk of incidents.”

To learn more about the CVSA’s hazmat blitz, please click here.