DOT Basic Description

A shipping paper must accurately communicate the hazards of the materials being transported. The shipping description for a hazardous material must include these six items in the proper order:

• Identification number
• Proper shipping name (PSN)
• Hazard class or division, and subsidiary risks, if any
• Packing group
• Number and type of package
• Total quantity of material

The basic description is the primary building block for the shipping description displayed on each shipping paper document. You can remember the basic description sequence with the mnemonic I.S.H.P., which represents I.D. number, proper Shipping name, Hazard class or division number, and Packing group.

If a subsidiary risk is indicated for the material being described on the shipping paper, the subsidiary risk must be entered on the shipping paper in parentheses immediately following the hazard class number.

In addition to the basic description, the shipping paper must also include the following information:

• The number and type of package; this can be placed before or after the basic description.
• The total quantity of material; this can be placed before or after the basic description, or both.

To learn more about Multimodal Shipping visit our Multimodal DOT, IATA & IMDG HAZMAT Shipping Online Training web page.