Shippers of hazardous materials and dangerous goods know that compliance with interlinked paragraphs of the CFR is necessary to fulfill transportaion compliance. As one who frequently refers to the CFR, I know that finding a particular reference to a regulatory question can be difficult. To make that task a little easier, I created our CFR Cheat Sheet.
The CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) is the Hazardous Materials shipping bible. In Title 49, there are definitions, classifications, regulations and a host of specific requirements set forth by the US DOT regarding the safe transport of hazardous materials by air, rail, water or road. Subtitle B of Chapter 1 refers to the Research and Special Programs Administration, with Subchapters A – C targeting Hazardous Materials Transportation Pipeline Safety, Oil Transportation, and Hazardous Materials Regulations. These are divided into Parts 171-180 with Subparts, Sections, Paragraphs and Subparagraphs. Part 178 addresses Hazardous Materials Packaging Specifications.
For several years, I have been keeping a “Cheat-Sheet” of specific topics with links to the paragraphs that define or answer common questions regarding UN (United Nations) packagings per Section 178. A part of the Skolnik web site, the CFR Cheat-Sheet links to roughly 50 references to the exact paragraph that explains the regulatory requirement. Though this only focuses on a single Section of the CFR, and requirements mostly applicable to steel and plastic drums, I hope that this CFR Cheat-Sheet will provide you with a quick reference when someone asks you questions such as “citing the reference for why a PG I package can be used for a PG II contents”, or “What is a 7A packaging,” or “Can I ship solids in a liquid rated drum?” After you check out the Cheat Sheet, if you want us to add a reference, please email it to me at howard@skolnik.com.