Top 10 Hazardous Material Violations for 2015
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) have the authority to administer heavy fines on motor carriers that do not follow hazardous material (HM) regulations. The general DOT requirement is that no person may offer or accept a hazardous material for transportation in commerce unless that person is registered and the material is properly classed, described, packaged, marked, labeled and in condition for shipment as required and authorized.
Here are the top 10 most-cited hazardous material violations for fiscal year 2015:
| Violation Code | Violation Description | # of Violations |
| 1. 177.834A | Package not secure in vehicle - The package must be secured so as to minimize the amount of damage while transporting. | 1,207 |
| 2. 107.620B | No copy of U.S. DOT Hazardous materials registration number - Your registration number must be on board each truck and trailer you operate. | 1,197 |
| 3. 172.516C6 | Placard damaged, deteriorated or obscured - Your placard must remain legible and clear of damage at all times. | 998 |
| 4. 177.817A | No shipping papers (carrier) - Shipping papers must be presented to the driver carrying a hazardous material before the material can be transported. | 770 |
| 5. 172.504A | Vehicle not placarded as required - Placards must be present on each side and end of the vehicle. | 770 |
| 6. 177.817E | Shipping paper accessibility - The shipping paper must be readily accessible to authorities in case of an accident or inspection. | 761 |
| 7. 172.602A | Emergency response information missing - Emergency response papers must include all the proper information for the hazardous material in case of an incident. | 606 |
| 8. 172.202 | Failure to enter basic description of hazardous materials in proper sequence - The shipping description of the package on the shipping papers must include all proper information. | 604 |
| 9. 172.502A1 | Failure to provide carrier-required placards - Hazardous material placarding must be done by the carrier. | 571 |
| 10. 177.823A | No placards or markings when required - A carrier may not move a transport vehicle containing a hazardous material unless the vehicle(s) is marked and pacarded. | 459 |
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