Canada Road & Rail Transport - Location of Shipping Documents

Shipping documents are required to be stored in certain locations depending on whether dangerous goods are being transported by road vehicle or railway vehicle.

Road

The driver of a power unit that is attached to or is part of the cargo unit of a road vehicle transporting dangerous goods must ensure that a copy of the shipping document is stored in one of the following places:

• If the driver is in the power unit: In a pocket mounted on the driver's door or within the driver's reach
• If the driver is out of the power unit: In a pocket mounted on the driver's door, on the driver's seat, or in a location that is clearly visible to anyone entering through the driver's door

Rail

The person in charge of a train transporting dangerous goods must ensure that a copy of the shipping document and, when a consist is required, a copy of the consist, are stored in one of the following places:

• When crew members are present: In the possession of one of them
• When no crew members are present: In the first locomotive

During Transportation

During the transportation of dangerous goods, a carrier must ensure that the shipping document is placed in a waterproof receptacle and securely attached to or near the means of containment in the following situations:

• The dangerous goods are left in an unsupervised area after being unloaded from the transport vehicle, after the cargo unit of a road vehicle containing them has been disconnected from the power unit, or when the railway vehicle containing them is no longer part of a train
• Possession of the dangerous goods has not been transferred to another person

When dangerous goods in transport are left in a supervised area, the person in charge of the supervised area is considered to have taken possession of the dangerous goods. The carrier must leave a copy of the shipping document with that person, who must keep it and give it to the next person who takes possession of the dangerous goods.

When the person in charge of a supervised area is absent from the area, that person must ensure that the shipping document is placed in a waterproof receptacle and securely attached to or near the means of containment containing the dangerous goods, at a readily identifiable and accessible location; or left in the possession of an employee who is present in the supervised area and is designated for this purpose by the person in charge of the supervised area.

In spite of the foregoing requirements, when dangerous goods that are in transport by a road vehicle or railway vehicle are stored in a supervised or unsupervised area, the shipping document or an electronic copy may be left at the office of designated individuals if certain conditions are met. Refer to Part 3, Documentation, Section 3.10, for details on this exception.

To learn more about Transporting Dangerous Goods in Canada visit our Transporting Dangerous Good by Road & Rail Online Training web page.