DOT Hazmat - Rail Carrier Segregation and Position Requirements

Rail carriers who transport hazardous materials in commerce in the U.S. must comply with the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR). This interactive online course discusses the DOT’s “Carriage by Rail” requirements in Subparts C and D in Part 174 of the HMR. This includes requirements related to segregation, handling, switching, train position, and incident reporting for hazardous material shipments by rail. It details how to the use the Segregation, Compatibility, and Position In Train tables in the HMR.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Describe how the Segregation Table in Section 174.81(d) of the HMR is used for hazardous material rail shipments 
• Use the Compatibility Table in Section 174.81(f) to determine the segregation requirements for rail shipments of Class 1 Explosives
• Describe DOT switching requirements for placarded rail cars
• Describe how to use the “Position in Train of Placarded Cars Transporting Hazardous Materials” table in Section 174.85(d)
• Determine when a transportation incident involving a hazardous material must be reported to the National Response Center (NRC)