Hazmat authority and registration
Hauling hazardous materials interstate requires more than ordinary operating authority. Carriers that transport placardable quantities of hazmat must register with the federal hazardous-materials program (the PHMSA registration) and, for certain materials, hold a hazmat safety permit administered through FMCSA.
Higher bars
Hazmat transport raises the stakes across the record. The federal BIPD insurance minimum climbs above the $750,000 general-freight floor, to $1,000,000 or $5,000,000 depending on the material. Drivers need a hazmat endorsement on their commercial license, which carries a security background check. Vehicles and paperwork face extra inspection scrutiny, and a subset of hazmat carriers is subject to the satisfactory-rating requirement of the safety permit.
What to check
When a load is hazmat, verifying ordinary authority and insurance is not enough. The facts to check are whether the carrier holds a current hazmat registration, and a safety permit if the material requires one, carries insurance at the higher required limit, and shows a record clean enough to keep the permit. A carrier equipped for dry van is not automatically equipped, or authorized, to move a hazardous load.
A concrete case
A shipper tendering a load of flammable liquid needs a carrier with current PHMSA hazmat registration, carrying liability at the higher federal limit, with drivers holding the hazmat endorsement and a valid safety permit if the material calls for one. A carrier that runs clean on general freight but lacks the hazmat registration is not authorized for that load, no matter how strong the rest of its record looks.
fleetfax reads public FMCSA data and is not affiliated with FMCSA or the U.S. Department of Transportation. This page explains terminology; it is not legal advice.
See the record on any carrier
Search by USDOT, MC or company name.
