One of the most frequently cited safety violations of the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR), Title 49 CFR Parts 100-185, is the failure of the shipper to properly describe the hazardous material on their shipping paper.

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Hazardous materials must be listed first on a shipping paper that also lists non-hazardous materials, or be written/ highlighted in a clearly contrasting color. Alternatively, when a shipping paper has a column captioned “HM” for “hazardous materials,” the letter “X” may be placed in that column indicating the hazardous material’s description will follow.

 

Below is a DOT prepared guide on the proper way of documenting a hazardous shipment.