HazMat in a reefer?

Back in the '80's a newspaper broke the story that tanker drivers were hauling Hazmat on one load, then apple juice as a backhaul. Surprisingly that wasn't regulated at the time.

Regulation came right quick when folks learned there were pesticides and other dangerous chemicals in the juice they gave their kids. I believe that's when tankers had to be designated as "Food Grade Only" to haul food items.

Other forum members might remember this better than I and correct me if I'm wrong on some points. I remember Senator Slade Gordon sponsored the legislation that changed it.

 

Are you sure thats not sulphonic acid?

 

I've hauled a few loads for Coca Cola and it contained class 8 and class 3, temperature controlled in a reefer.

The weird thing is, I also delivered to breweries and never needed a placard. But why is beer considered as dangerous and sold behind "closed doors"?

Might be too healthy since it's germinating process is natural.

 

Most of the FDA regulations were toothless. I see sanitary tankers daily without 'food grade' markings...and they are just that 'markings'

We used to do corn syrup on 'food division' marked tankers from Chemical leaman in Spec insulated stainless steel trailers using chem-solve hoses and black iron roper pumps that were sand blasted and painted white...

Delivered to Pharma and food plants without problems.

One place I worked would wash orange juice trailers and they would bring us out to the wash rack to show us all the set-up gook hanging down from the ceiling of the juice wagons...YUCK

Going back to the OP, a lot of food additives and flavorings are made with an ethanol base and were placarded flammable until the Limited Quantity regs came in so you don;t see the smaller packages needing placards in the US.

 

Here is the Pepsi additive, I happened to be around one today. There’s also a component in chocolate milk, one guy told me like a cup of it could kill you, but in the mixing process they put in 50 lb bags. I can’t think of the name of it, and I guess he could’ve been messin with me too. He’s the type that after you hit the dock, he’d open his dock door, roll up your trailer door, then roll down his dock door again to set up the classic “oh wow did you drive here with your trailer door open?” Hilarious.

 

PHOSPHORIC ACID is a corrosive material in bulk. Cott Beverages in Elizabeth, NJ is a small bottler and the phos acid trailer unloaded right on the street so you saw the corrosive labeling as you drove by...

You will find Phosphoric Acid on ALL soda labels

 

That's basically the only benefit to pulling a reefer... you can haul dry goods in a reefer, you can haul ice cream in a van..