DOT Shipping by Road or Rail

The DOT, along with its joint agencies, oversees and regulates the shipping of dangerous goods domestically. There are many modes in which these items may be shipped, and each has its own set of regulations.

When shipping by road, reference the "Segregation Table for Hazardous Material"s found in 49 CFR §177.848. When shipping by rail, reference 49 CFR §174.81. In addition to the general segregation table which can be found in each mode regulation, as well as at 49 CFR §176.83, further regulations exist. These additional regulations provide for the following:

• When shipping hazardous materials such as cyanides, or mixtures containing cyanide, they may not be stored, loaded, or transported with any acid that might lead to the generation of hydrogen cyanide.
• Division 4.2 materials and Class 8 liquids may not be stored, loaded or transported together.
• Division 6.1 Packing Group I, Hazard Zone A material may not be stored, loaded and transported with Class 3 material, Class 8 liquids, and Division 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1 or 5.2 materials. Further exemptions are listed in 49 CFR §173.12(e).

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