Undeclared HazMat Is Targeted By DOT

More than 3 billion tons of regulated hazardous materials are transported in the United States each year. At present, DOT has two new efforts under way that officials expect will enhance the current approach for discovering undeclared haz-mats entering the US. First, DOT received enhanced authority to discover hidden shipments of haz-mats. The new authority allows DOT inspectors to open and inspect cargo when they have “an objectively reasonable and articulable belief that the package may contain a hazardous material.” Previously, they could not generally open and inspect packages without a warrant or the shipper‘s consent. Second, DOT now requires individuals who discover undeclared haz-mat in transportation to self-report the discovery. DOT revised its hazardous materials incident reporting form (Form 5800.1) and data collected through this form can help in defining the extent of the problem and in developing programs to mitigate the risk of undeclared haz-mat. Approximately 1,000 undeclared haz-mat incidents were reported in 2005, with 70 of those involving undeclared shipments entering the United States.