Tanker · Inspecting Tank Vehicles
A test or inspection required for a DOT specification cargo tank has come due and has not been carried out. What does federal regulation permit?
Explanation
A cargo tank built to a DOT specification whose required test or inspection has become due may not be filled and offered for transportation or transported until that test or inspection has been successfully completed, and the regulation carves out only one case: the prohibition does not apply to a tank that was already filled before the due date. That exception is narrow, covering a load put in while the tank was still current, not a fresh load afterwards. The same section also sets what happens on a failure: the tank must be repaired and retested, or taken out of hazardous materials service with its specification plate removed, obliterated, or covered securely. The wrong options invent a grace period to the end of the year or an intrastate carve-out that the text does not give, and the last one confuses who owes the duty with what may lawfully be transported, which is the question the driver is actually answering at the loading rack.
Source: 49 CFR 180.407(a)(1)
Related Inspecting Tank Vehicles questions
- Federal regulation defines a "tank vehicle" by rated capacity, not by how dangerous the cargo is. Which vehicle meets that definition?
- Leaks and shell damage are the first things to look for on a tank vehicle. On a DOT specification cargo tank in hazardous materials service, what does federal regulation require once such a condition is found?
- A tank vehicle's valves, manhole covers, and vents are inspection items that the federal knowledge requirement for this endorsement gives no procedure for. What does CDL manual guidance call for?
- Some tank vehicles carry equipment that matters only when something goes wrong. Which items does CDL manual guidance tell a driver to locate and confirm are working before a trip?