One of the most controversial aspects of the haulage industry as a whole concerns the sub-sector dealing with dangerous or harmful loads. The large potential for accidents and mishaps involved with this particular sub-sector of the field forces companies who deal or trade in this sort of haulage work to take extra precautions to ensure the process goes smoothly and no serious problems occur.
In this regard, each country has a more or less stringent set of rules in place, which local haulage companies and independent contractors are required to adhere to when carrying out this type of work within the borders of said nation or region. Moreover, countries which form part of the European Union are also subject to an overarching code of conduct, put together by European institutions specifically for the purpose of regulating the haulage of dangerous loads across international borders. The article below will look at both this code and the one regulating the haulage of harmful goods within the borders of the United Kingdom, as well as broach a few more subjects relating to this sub-sector of the industry.
Obey The Codes
The two main codes we will be looking at in the context of this piece are the ADR and the Carriage Regulations. The former is the aforementioned Europe-wide code, which overrides all national regulations and applies to vehicles hauling potentially harmful loads across international borders within the European Union. The Carriage Regulations, on the other hand, apply to haulage jobs within the UK, and are replaced by the ADR when a British-based vehicle crosses over into another country.
Dual Responsibilities
These two codes share many of the same rules, as the Carriage Regulations basically serve the purpose of adapting the ADR’s regulations to the British code of law. In both cases, the rules that each code lays down apply to carriers as much as traders, with each being asked to ensure different aspects of the process. Traders, for instance, are required to make sure the loads are properly classified, according to the standard UN code laid out to that effect, and to help drivers make sure they are also packaged properly. Carriers, on the other hand, are expected to deal with the packaging and inspection, as well as the documentation, without which they will not be allowed to haul this type of cargo. Furthermore, hauliers involved in the transportation of dangerous goods are expected to abide by a series of additional security rules, which include the obligation to only deliver this type of load to an appropriate carrier.
These measures may, at first glance, seem overtly stringent, yet their purpose is clear: to prevent accidents and mishaps resulting from mishandling or inappropriate packaging of potentially harmful materials.