Waterways - Shipping Papers

Unless excepted under certain provisions, you must not accept or transport any hazardous material unless it is accompanied by a shipping paper.

For water transports, each shipping paper copy must include the date of acceptance by the carrier. The date on the shipping paper may be the date a shipper presents a booking for carriage with the carrier instead of the date the shipment is picked up, accepted, or loaded on the vessel by the carrier.

You must retain a copy of the shipping paper, or an electronic image of it, for one year after the hazardous material is accepted by the initial carrier. However, for hazardous waste, the shipping paper must be retained for three years after the material is accepted by the initial carrier.

Shipping papers must be readily available, upon request, to an authorized official of a federal, state, or local government agency.

To learn more about Waterways HAZMAT visit our DOT Waterways HAZMAT Online Training web page.