Road Transportation of Dangerous Goods

Transporting dangerous goods by road includes the risk of road traffic accidents. If the goods are dangerous, there is also the risk of other incidents, such as spillage, which in turn leads to hazards such as fire, explosion, chemical burn or environmental damage.

The EU Directive which controls the transportation of dangerous goods is called ADR

FreightTrain provides ADR Hazardous aware courses for the office and warehouse staff, through to full ADR qualifications for drivers and key operatives. FreightForce also has an in-house Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor (DGSA) to control our processes.

Moving dangerous goods by road is governed by international regulations and is strictly policed. Most European countries are signed up to ADR which is the common name given to the European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road, (from the French abbreviation Accord européen relatif au transport international des marchandises Dangereuses par Route), which governs transnational transport of hazardous materials.

Launched in Geneva on 30 September 1957 under the aegis of the United Nations’ Economic Commission for Europe, it first took effect on 29 January 1968.

The purpose of the ADR regulations are to ensure that dangerous goods (including clinical and other dangerous waste) can be moved safely and freely by road across international borders. To this end drivers of all vehicles (including those with a gross vehicle weight of 3.5 tonnes or less) carrying dangerous goods must have an ADR training certificate. However there are exemptions where the products are packed in limited or accepted quantities. In these cases the driver will only need to have undergone safety awareness training. The thresholds of the limited and accepted quantities do very depending on such factors as; how hazardous the product is, the volume of containment, how and what it is packed or carried in. Mixed loads also present additional hazardous and considerations. Therefore if you have reason to believe your load is of a hazardous nature and you are unsure as to whether you are permitted to carry it, you must seek advice from your DGSA or Transport Manager

ADR sets out the requirements for classifying, packaging, labelling and certifying dangerous goods. Click here to view the Haz Classification System.

FreightForce handles the following classes of Hazardous Freight:

• Classes 2, 3, 4, 5.1, 5.2 (selected), 6.1, 8, 9.

FreightForce does NOT carry:

• Classes 1, 7, 6.2 and selected 5.2, 4.1