Dangerous goods advice- UK regs and ADR

[saratoga]

dieseldave:
My best tip for an employed driver is to get them to realise how little of ADR is actually their responsibility.

First time I actually went out in a truck with ADR I followed your handouts and made sure that everything was on board that it should have been, and for extinguishers it meant being offered up the ones in the office as they matched and they couldn’t find the other spares.

I was glad of this as a mere two hours in to the run I was pulled in a ‘routine’ VOSA/Police’ checkpoint and given a complete going over by officers. The only thing I couldn’t find on the list was the torch because I has used my own earlier, but that was OK.

Then I was asked about the authorised bridge list and whether that one down the M50 was ‘authorised’ which panicked me a bit because I couldn’t remember it being on The List. However, afterwards a google for it found the list;

RHA 2010 ADR Tunnel Guide

RHA 2009 ADR Tunnel Codes Explained

The guy in the transport office was very helpful and even spoke to the officer for me but just told me to repeat that I was ‘on an authorised route with all hazards being taken into account’ which got me through…

I got stopped 3 more times that day and at every one I showed the paperwork and eventually they let me carry on again, but I didn’t complete everything and ran out of time later

As for the ‘personal update’ stuff, that booklet has quite a few handy bits in there. ADR is something that I rarely get to use, which is annoying. But it lasts a few years so I should use it for something. It has already paid for itself though, which is a benefit

[dieseldave]

Saratoga:

dieseldave:
My best tip for an employed driver is to get them to realise how little of ADR is actually their responsibility.

First time I actually went out in a truck with ADR I followed your handouts and made sure that everything was on board that it should have been, and for extinguishers it meant being offered up the ones in the office as they matched and they couldn’t find the other spares.

I was glad of this as a mere two hours in to the run I was pulled in a ‘routine’ VOSA/Police’ checkpoint and given a complete going over by officers. The only thing I couldn’t find on the list was the torch because I has used my own earlier, but that was OK.

Then I was asked about the authorised bridge list and whether that one down the M50 was ‘authorised’ which panicked me a bit because I couldn’t remember it being on The List. However, afterwards a google for it found the list;

RHA 2010 ADR Tunnel Guide

RHA 2009 ADR Tunnel Codes Explained

The guy in the transport office was very helpful and even spoke to the officer for me but just told me to repeat that I was ‘on an authorised route with all hazards being taken into account’ which got me through…

I got stopped 3 more times that day and at every one I showed the paperwork and eventually they let me carry on again, but I didn’t complete everything and ran out of time later

As for the ‘personal update’ stuff, that booklet has quite a few handy bits in there. ADR is something that I rarely get to use, which is annoying. But it lasts a few years so I should use it for something. It has already paid for itself though, which is a benefit

It’s tunnels (rather than bridges) that have restrictions as pointed out in the links you gave.

The tunnel restriction code for the goods you’re carrying will be found on your Transport Document (= delivery note) and without that info, you’re not to know which tunnels you can or can’t go through.

The tunnel info as provided by the RHA is a little out of date, but it’s the consignor’s responsibility to provide it only if passage is known to need to go through a tunnel that has a restriction. Of course, it would have been much better if ADR required the tunnel code for the goods to be mentioned on every Transport Document because it would save everybody wondering about it.

As a rough rule of thumb, a tunnel of more than 500m in length on a major route is required to be categorised A - E.
A category “A” tunnel needs no sign, so if a tunnel has no sign indicating a dangerous goods restriction, then as far as tunnel restrictions are concerned, you can take any amount of any dangerous substance through it.

A dangerous goods restriction sign looks like this:

Here’s a complete sign (M25 approaching Dartford Tunnel) including a suggested diversion
[Photo courtesy of TN member j.gooch]

Here’s the restriction sign for both Mersey Tunnels, also with a suggested diversion:

[saratoga]

Indeed, I had the documentation but it didnt have any reference to that small tunnel south of the M50 and I got a tad worried initially. Hence the call to the boss.

When I actually traversed the tunnel I found no warning signs and later in that document found that it was actually only on a few bridges in this country…

[dieseldave]

Saratoga:
Indeed, I had the documentation but it didnt have any reference to that small tunnel south of the M50 and I got a tad worried initially. Hence the call to the boss.

When I actually traversed the tunnel I found no warning signs and later in that document found that it was actually only on a few bridges in this country…

IF there is a restriction, it relates to tunnels, NOT bridges.

[saratoga]

yeah, shoulda said tunnels not bridges. wrong word. sorry

[ubiquitous]

Good Afternoon

Could you please settle a disagreemnet regarding the showing of orange boards front and rear when carrying Limited Quantities?
I thought that when carrying LQ’s you are under the threshold limit the LQ labels are just informing the Emergency Services that you are
transporting goods with (low) hazardous content.

Any info you supply would be most welcome.

[dieseldave]

Ubiquitous:
Good Afternoon

Could you please settle a disagreemnet regarding the showing of orange boards front and rear when carrying Limited Quantities?
I thought that when carrying LQ’s you are under the threshold limit the LQ labels are just informing the Emergency Services that you are
transporting goods with (low) hazardous content.

Any info you supply would be most welcome.

Hi Ubiquitous,

The Limited Quantities (LQs) exemption has no connection with the thresholds exemption, because they are two completely different exemptions.

LQs are indeed goods with a fairly low danger, but the crucial thing that makes them LQs is they are packaged in such a way that there’s not much of a substance per package. The best way to think of LQs are that they are the kinds of dangerous goods that can be bought over-the-counter in a retail shop. There is no ADR threshold quantity for LQs.

The same (and other) dangerous goods when packaged in greater quantity per package than allowed by the LQ rules are then counted towards the threshold. Only then do we start to think in terms of ‘how much of it is on board?’ and ‘do the Regs apply in full?’ etc.

Since 01/01/2011, there has been a requirement to mark vehicles carrying LQ in the following circumstances:

IF the vehicle or container has an authorised mass (GVW) exceeding 12t AND is carrying more than 8t of LQs, THEN the vehicle needs to display EITHER 2 X orange plates OR 2 X LQ placards like this:

For the transport of dangerous goods (when not packaged as LQs) of less than the relevant threshold quantity, no ADR licence nor orange boards are necessary.

For the transport of LQs, the vehicle should be marked as above, but no ADR licence is necessary.
If a vehicle has a permitted max GVW of 12t or less, no orange boards or placards are needed.
If any vehicle has less than 8t of LQs on board, no placards are needed, no matter what the vehicle size is.

Both exemptions can be used on the same vehicle at the same time if need be.

[ubiquitous]

Hi Dave

Many Thanks for your response; its hard to pose a question when talking about hazardous material that isn’t hazardous??
Once again you have cleared the murkey waters.

Thanks

Ubiquitous

[dieseldave]

Ubiquitous:
Hi Dave

Many Thanks for your response; its hard to pose a question when talking about hazardous material that isn’t hazardous??
Once again you have cleared the murkey waters.

Thanks

Ubiquitous

Hi Ubiquitous,

There’s another area of language that folks often get confused.

Hazardous Vs Dangerous.

Dangerous goods require to have UN Class ‘diamond’ type labels on the packages, whereas packages of goods that are merely hazardous only need orange squares.

Anybody can drive any amount of goods that are only “hazardous.”

LQs are actually ‘proper’ dangerous goods, but packaged in such a way (small amount per package) that an exemption says that they can be carried unlimited by the normal rules that apply to the quantity loaded per vehicle.

A (very) rough guideline for the maximum size of an individual package for LQs is:

• 5 Litres for liquids.
• 6Kg for solids.

If the dangerous goods are packaged in those sizes (or less) then they’re very probably counted as LQs.

It’s only when dangerous goods aren’t packaged as LQs (= normal size packages) that the normal per vehicle rules apply to see whether a load is fully in-scope of ADR, because the two separate exemptions are used in completely different circumstances.

[wheelyb]

The book, ‘Dangerous Goods’ by Roger Wrapson on eBay, any good for drivers?

[saratoga]

wheelyb:
The book, ‘Dangerous Goods’ by Roger Wrapson on eBay, any good for drivers?

Not for drivers, maybe for operators and the people doing the shipping but us lowly drivers don’t need to know all that stuff right…

[dieseldave]

wheelyb:
The book, ‘Dangerous Goods’ by Roger Wrapson on eBay, any good for drivers?

Hi wheelyb,

If you mean this one:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dangerous-Goods-by-Roger-Wrapson-/370802068047?pt=Non_Fiction&hash=item5655868a4f

I noticed that the book I saw is dated 2009 and is a guide to exemptions.

Since 2009, ADR was completely rewritten and republished again for 2011, and again for 2013.
I guarantee that the exemptions have changed in the time since that book was published.

[alexwignall]

Hello dieseldave,

I’ve got two ADR questions that are relevant to our firm (35 lorries, 120 trailers on Domestic General Haulage)

Q1, When does a firm need to employ a DGSA and why?

Q2, When I worked in Denmark we had a purpose made ADR kit issued from FALCK. It came in a sealed plastic case and was changed once a year. The only things not in it were the wheel chocks and the fire extinguishers. Is there anyone in the UK who does a similar kit?

Supplementary Q, What does ADR stand for? I’ve forgotten and I’m out in the truck and I can’t search the forum on my phone.

Thank you in advance,

W

[dieseldave]

AlexWignall:
Hello dieseldave,

I’ve got two ADR questions that are relevant to our firm (35 lorries, 120 trailers on Domestic General Haulage)

Q1, When does a firm need to employ a DGSA and why?

Hi Alex,

ADR says that a firm needs to employ a DGSA if they meet the definition of “a consignor,” or “a carrier” or “a consignee.”
UK domestic law (known as CDG) softens this a little and exempts the consignee, but the firm you described in your question would certainly need a DGSA if they regularly move amounts of dangerous goods that are fully in scope of ADR.
There is NO equivalent qualification, nor are there any grandfather rights.
A DGSA must have a proper DGSA certificate and re-qualify every five years if they wish to continue.

AlexWignall:
Q2, When I worked in Denmark we had a purpose made ADR kit issued from FALCK. It came in a sealed plastic case and was changed once a year. The only things not in it were the wheel chocks and the fire extinguishers. Is there anyone in the UK who does a similar kit?

The ADR requirements for PPE are now contained in a 4-page “Instructions In Writing” (IIW) and depend on which UN Class(es) are being carried on the vehicle, so in these days of cost consciousness, it might pay a firm to specify separate items from somebody like ARCO and then get a bulk-buy discount and make up the kits themselves. There are such things as proprietary “ADR kits,” but they’ll probably contain items that you might not need.
BTW, if you’re on UK domestic dangerous goods work, then you only need one wheel-chock.

AlexWignall:
Supplementary Q, What does ADR stand for? I’ve forgotten and I’m out in the truck and I can’t search the forum on my phone.

Thank you in advance,

W

The letters “ADR” come from the actual name of the Regulations, which is:

European Agreement Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road

My guess is that they’ve shortened it to three initials because the proper name of the Regs is a bit of a mouthful.

[alexwignall]

Thank you Dave, Helpful as always.

Regards, Alex

[nos1nner]

Hi Guys,

Here’s a great app for smartphones - Apple or Android, its called “adrpro 2013”,costs about £8 or 10 euros

V useful for up to the minute info on D/Gs un no’s tunnel codes etc,

Keep safe,
Nosinner

[rabv30]

Hi Dave
Could you please tell me if when loading road petrol tankers with 6 or 7 pots are they exempt from the 80/20 rule?
and is it because of the pot sizes.
thanks

[dieseldave]

rabv30:
Hi Dave
Could you please tell me if when loading road petrol tankers with 6 or 7 pots are they exempt from the 80/20 rule?
and is it because of the pot sizes.
thanks

Hi rabv30,

You’re right mate, cos it’s all going to depend on the sizes of the pots, but we should also consider whether larger pots have baffles.

The 80/20 rule applies when a pot is bigger than 7,500L and it has no baffles.

If a pot is smaller than 7,500L, then the 80/20 rule doesn’t apply to it.

If a pot is larger than 7,500L and it’s got baffles that divide it up into sections containing no more than 7,500L, then the 80/20 rule doesn’t apply to it.

[silver_surfer]

Dave,

This has probably been answered before but what do you have to modify on a bog standard unit and curtain trailer to make it ADR legal for packages? I know about the fire extinguishers & the orange plates front & rear & obviously the insurance.

[dieseldave]

Silver_Surfer:
Dave,

This has probably been answered before but what do you have to modify on a bog standard unit and curtain trailer to make it ADR legal for packages? I know about the fire extinguishers & the orange plates front & rear & obviously the insurance.

Hi Silver_Surfer,

It looks like you’ve got it covered already mate.

The other things required for the vehicle are:
Suitable wheel-chock (1)
Self standing warning signs (2)
Eye wash (no quantity specified, but 1L recommended.)
NOTE eye wash is not required if only UN Classes 1 or 2 are being carried.

The minimum PPE is specified on the Instructions In Writing and depends on the UN Classes to be carried.

Of course there’s the other stuff like documentation for the load, Instructions In Writing, drivers ADR certificate/card and having a qualified DGSA.