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Who Is Responsible for Hazardous Placards on Trucks?

Hazardous placards are mandatory if you are shipping certain quantities of hazardous waste. The Department of Transportation is responsible for regulating all transporters and ensuring that your vehicle is placarded properly in accordance with all state and federal regulations.

  1. DOT Regulations

    • The DOT is very strict in their requirements that all transporters of hazardous wastes have the appropriate placards on their vehicles before leaving a generator's site. Failure to correctly placard your vehicle may result in stiff fines and other legal actions that could severely affect your company.

    Definition of Placards

    • Placards are diamond-shaped labels attached to your truck to notify other drivers and legal officials as to the hazards that may be present in your vehicle. According to the DOT, placards must be placed "on each side and each end" of your vehicle for any amount of hazardous material it contains. In other words, hazardous placards must be on the front, rear and both sides of your truck in order to comply with DOT regulations.

    Responsibility of Placarding

    • It is the driver's responsibility to ensure that the truck is placarded correctly before leaving a generator's site. If you are a driver, this means that you must be aware of DOT placarding requirements and have firsthand knowledge of the types of hazardous materials you are hauling before accepting a load. If you have any questions, the time to ask is before leaving the site and not when you are on the road.

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