Blog

13 Jul

DOT Announces Final Rule to Strengthen Safe Transportation of Flammable Liquids by Rail

by [email protected]

The final rule for flammable liquid transportation by rail was released early in May 2015.


The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) developed the ruling in accordance with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to prevent the dire consequences of any accident associated with the transport of flammable liquids.

The ruling states:

A new enhanced tank car standard will be coupled with an aggressive, risk-based retrofitting for older rail cars carrying dangerous liquids.

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29 Jun

PHMSA Issues Their Recommendations for Loading a Cargo Tank

by [email protected]

PHMSA’s latest recommendations for loading cargo tanks offer new guidelines for professionals in the industry.

According to the latest updates, before engaging in the loading and unloading process, PHMSA advises professionals to ask themselves the following questions and not to proceed until all “no” answers have been addressed. They are as follows.

Transfer Equipment Connection Questions

To guarantee a proper connection between the CTMV, facility vessels, and transfer equipment ask:

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15 Jun

EPA Revamps RCRA Rules

by [email protected]
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other state agencies regulate the disposal of hazardous wastes. Their regulation adheres to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

As it is far better for waste materials to be reclaimed, recycled and reused than simply thrown into landfills, the EPA incorporated more provisions into the RCRA to prevent unnecessary burden and costs of recycling to be transferred to waste generating companies. These provisions allow for more cost-effective reclamation and recycling for waste instead of disposal.

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24 May

5 Ways Low Fuel Prices Affect Carriers

by [email protected]

Springtime has arrived for the freight industry, and as the temperature rises so do freight rates.

Although seasonal trends are back in line with previous years, freight rates from DAT RateView signify that van rates are down by approximately 5.1% from last year. This roughly equals out to about a 10-cent difference per mile for freights and vans.

However, stats also show that if you subtract the fuel surcharge, the average linehaul rate is actually about 9 cents higher this year than last.
Diesel rates also contribute to the price of long-haul freights.

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04 May

2015 Changes to the IATA’S Dangerous Goods Regulations

by [email protected]
The new edition of the IATA’s Dangerous Goods Regulations went into effect at the begining of the year and incase you need refreshed, here are a few changes that will affect the industry.
Alterations to the Dangerous Goods List:
New entries to the list include UN 3507 Uranium hexafluoride, radioactive material, excepted package, UN 3508 Capacitor, asymmetric and 17 entries for adsorbed gases.
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20 Apr

House Bill Will Clarify CSA Ratings for Carriers

by [email protected]
Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are set to introduce a bill that, if passed, would require freight forwarders, shippers, and brokers to fully vet any carrier before hiring them.

Additionally, the five Republicans hoping to pass the bill are also taking aim at the DOT’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability Program carrier rankings to show that these are not necessarily the end all be all for carriers.

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06 Apr

Amazon Earns FAA Experimental Permit to Test Drones

by [email protected]
Amazon.com and the US government have recently gone head to head over drone use.

The Federal Aviation Administration ruled in February of 2015 that unmanned commercial drone flights would not be permitted as new regulations require drone operators to be within sight of their air vehicle at all times.

Amazon has threatened to move their research operations and programs overseas if the FAA continues to fight them on approving their unmanned test flights.

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23 Mar

Why OSHA Supports Third Party Consulting Companies

by [email protected]
Since 1970 when OSHA was established, the American workforce has dramatically changed.

Their regulations and standards have helped the number of workplace fatalities reduce by more than 65 percent. Occupational injury have also dramatically decreased by 67 percent.

Compare these numbers with the rate of U.S. employment and you begin to see just how important OSHA is to the workplace.

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04 Mar

Transportation of Lithium Batteries Has Changed

by [email protected]

PHMSA has recently made changes to the transportation of Lithium Batteries. However, they also announced that they are extending the mode for transportation aside from the air mandatory compliance, and pushing back the date to August 7, 2015.

This push back is in direct correlation to the comments made from numerous stakeholders who claimed that there are far too many regulations to implement the new laws quickly and efficiently by the date stated.

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15 Feb

OSHA Alters Injury and Fatality Reporting Regulations

by [email protected]

As of the first of the year, OSHA’s latest requirements and regulations for reporting on the job injuries and fatalities have changed.

These regulations will directly impact businesses with over 10 employees.

Adhering to these new regulations is the responsibility of business owners, but here are a few things to keep in mind regarding the changes.

New OSHA Standards; What You Need to Know

Employers that are covered under OSHA are required to keep detailed records of any injuries or fatalities that take place on the job.

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