Skip to content

Hazmat · Emergencies

A cargo tank develops a leak of such a character that going on would be unsafe. What does federal regulation call for, and how far may the vehicle still be moved?

1.Get the leaking vehicle off the traveled portion and employ every available means to dispose of the material safely while limiting its spread, no smoking or ignition source near it; the tank may then move only the minimum distance to where the contents can be safely disposed ofCorrect answer
2.Leave the vehicle exactly where it stopped and wait there for the responders to arrive, since moving a leaking cargo tank any distance whatever is forbidden outright the moment that the leak has been identified as one of the kind that makes any further transportation of it unsafe
3.Continue on to the billed destination at a reduced speed, since the consignee's own facility is the place best equipped to receive the material, and simply note the leak on the shipping paper for the consignee to read upon arrival
4.Transfer the remaining contents into any sound container on hand and then drive the emptied tank to the nearest repair facility, whatever distance that turns out to be, since a tank with nothing left in it is no longer a leaking one

Explanation

When a cargo tank leaks badly enough to make further transportation unsafe, the leaking vehicle should be removed from the traveled portion of the highway and every available means employed for the safe disposal of the leaking material, preventing its spread over a wide area so far as practicable, by means such as trenching to a depression, diverting the liquid away from streams or sewers, or catching it in containers where that is practicable; smoking and any other source of ignition near the leaking tank is not permitted. Movement is restricted but not forbidden: a leaking cargo tank may be transported only the minimum distance necessary to reach a place where the contents can be disposed of safely, and every available means must be used to prevent leakage or spillage onto the highway along the way. The two halves work together, so getting clear of traffic does not license a run to a more convenient facility. The wrong options each push past one limit, forbidding movement the rule allows, continuing to the billed destination, or treating an improvised transfer as ending the problem.

Source: 49 CFR 177.823(b) and (c)

Drill Emergencies questions

Related Emergencies questions