Some tank cars unsafe for haz-mat transport
Dispatches
The Materials Transportation Bureau of the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) has warned that certain railroad tank cars are not properly equipped to handle the transport of hazardous materials that are required to be carried in a specification tank car.
According to the DOT ruling, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Railroad Administration have found that between 7,000 and 8,000 specification marked tank cars cannot be furnished with the required padding for attachments. This makes them unsafe for transporting hazardous materials.
In addition, these rail cars do not conform to federal hazardous materials regulations and cannot be reloaded with any hazardous material that must be shipped in a DOT specification car.
Non-regulated commodities can be transported in these unequipped tank cars as long as the vehicles do not contain labels stating compliance with DOT specifications.
For additional information, contact Philip Olekszyk, Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety, U.S. Federal Railroad Administration (RRS-12), 400 Seventh Street S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590; telephone (202) 426-0897.
