Though not related to any safety issues, the DOT has recently been receiving calls about the accuracy of markings on DOT packagings. For the most part, packaging manufacturers are putting all the required information on packaging in both durable and embossed formats, but some minor errors have surfaced. For instance, if the UN emblem is used, the letters "un" must appear vertically in lower case, and some are using upper case letters. If the emblem is not used, then the upper case letters positioned horizontally are required. Also, for packagings that have more then one certification, some manufacturers were noting the year of manufacture only once, when this information would have to be a part of each certified marking. Also, CFR 178.503 specifically states the specific sequence for marking information and some packagings were marked out of sequence. Again, while the DOT does not consider these non-compliance issues to be a safety issue, it is best that all manufacturers and fillers verify that the markings on their packagings are compliant.
DOT/UN