Drinking water from a fire hose!

Not for automobile never heard of that , you need it only for the bad things out there and you just getting in the game I would stay away from from that, for one you must take a safety course on it before you can touch it besides your insurance cost will make you change mine very quick , for some one that have never been out here I would say try leasing on to one of those hot shot company out there landstar is one one more is ace and there is a lot of them out there I run long haul , but you can look at the forum they have a page for that good luck driver, PS don't run for free/cheap

 

Have a good friend that drives long haul for United Roads.He's hauled cars his whole life,he's 66,never had a hazmat.

 

That is the first time I have ever heard of it myself

 

I don't know? What about the doubled tanks full of gas in each pick up?

 

You are joking right?

 

Ya,it's not like you have over 10,000 lbs of flammable gas in 6 or 7 cars.LOL

 

I don't believe a D/L hazmat endorsement is required for that, but I was on the phone recently with DOT during an audit and they requested a MCS-90 and $1mil liability policy simply for hauling "motor vehicles". Whoa, hold on, we don't haul cars, just an occasional farm tractor, and not for hire just ours. Oh, ok then, just amend your MCS-150 and drop the MV commodity.....

 

No Haz-Mat needed for cars and pickups... BUT...

Say that you have a pick up with a tank in/on the bed and that tank (even though it is now "empty" once held ANY substance that DOT classifies as Haz-Mat.. depending on the size of said tank and the substance involved you very well might need the endorsement. It is Important to note that depending on the particular substance as little as a few gallons is enough to qualify. Also, depending on the size and type of container a tanker endorsement may also be required. And lastly, depending on the substance how much of it you have can determine if your going to need an endorsement or not. Meaning less than a certian amount you do not need. More than that listed amount and you do.

It is all very confusing unless you do it all the time and are really on your game. Most guys that do it regularly also regularly check the book to insure they are in compliance. The guys that really have it bad are like the Fed -X custom critical drivers. They might have 10 different loads from 10 different shippers all in different kinds of containers, different amounts and all requiring different external signage, and different notations on the BOLs...

You also have to have MSDS sheets for everything and emergency contact info for each load and each different substance your hauling. And if it is classified as explosive.. forget it. That's a whole nother set of very particular rules.

If it is a case of needing a Haz-Mat endorsement for that load and you don't have it here is what happens:

*Your placed out of service
*You get a fine.
*Your company gets a fine for letting you do it. (CSA POINTS APPLY)
*The load does not move until a qualified driver arrives.
*Also, the BOL requirements for any load involving hazmat are VERY specific. Screw it up even a little and that's another fine... (And can also be cause enough by itself for an out of service break, driver and company fines)

The below is a real life report from a real life "situation"

Friend of mine with a stepdeck was moving an empty old fuel tanker truck, the kind you would see at a small airport. Started in Alabama, crossed into Florida and at the first scale he came to (Grand Ridge, which is west of Tallahassee) the following happened.

He had no endorsement, BOL had a few technical errors specific to the Haz-Mat requirements of the load.

*Immediately placed OOS
*$500 for incorrect bill of lading
*$200 for no endorsement
*$200 to the company for having a driver drive a hazmat truck with *no endorsment
*court fees (even though he did not actually go to court, it is just "built in")
Grand total just over $1,200

He had to sit at the scale 10 hours.
He was then allowed to drop the trailer to go get a driver with the endorsement and bring said driver who happened to be me.. (a trip of roughly 280 miles each way) back to the scale to fix the BOL, show proof of proper endorsementS (Both Haz-Mat and tanker were required even though the tank was "empty")

Once on site I realized he was actually pretty lucky.. The required external Haz-Mat signage was also incorrect and or missing for the load. I'm actually amazed that he (and his company) were not fined for that as well which of course also includes more CSA points.

I fixed the BOL (and external signage) and presented the BOL and my endorsements to the authority on duty, was then cleared to move the load and off we went.

$1,200+ to the state
580 miles deadhead ($ and time)
10 hours scale sitting time
What he paid me to park my truck and drive his while he sat in the passenger seat.

All told I'm pretty sure he lost a fair amount on that load.

Guys you have to be careful what you haul. You can't just throw anything you want on your trailer and ride. He was not trying to get by or be sneaky. He honestly thought since it was empty he was good to go. A hard way to learn but he certainly won't do that again..

By the way, that truck could have been moved without any endorsement needed if it had been taken to a certified facility and had the tank cleaned, flushed, sealed and properly certified. Who does that service, where they are and what it costs I have no idea but I do know it can be done.

Also, if it was a brand new sealed tank that never had anything (even water) in it and had proper paperwork stating and certifying such he could have moved it.

If it new but was not sealed but had only had NON Haz-Mat fluids in it (like water to do leak checking) then no Haz-Mat required but even "empty" still need tanker.

Obviously this was a fairly large tank but as I said above, depending on the substance a container has/had in it and the size of the container, and how many of the containers you have only a few gallons can put you in "required" territory for Haz-Mat, tanker or both.

I hope this (way to long) "(true) story" helps someone out there avoid the same pain my friend went through...

Drive safe and watch what your hauling..

 

I did a little bit out of ADESA primarily as a truck crew boss herding cdl drivers with either knowing auto or no manual and vice versa plus using some of my ancient experience to teach some how to get that bobtail into the barn.

Where we are, regularly cars come in and those get attended pretty intense until made safe for anyone can touch it. The worst ones are those in which bodies have decomposed, begun to or fresh dead with and wtihout parts, gore etc all over the vehicle. They come out asap. It's the right thing to do.

There are people who do the detail shop and they are the first to get ahold of a car. Not everyone can do this type of work due to spiritual pressure or other influence not easily captured in the physical world.