Dangerous goods haulers: expect the FMCSA at your door

As a result of the increased concern about the movement of dangerous goods both in Canada and the US due to the ongoing terrorist threat, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has been mandated to visit as many carriers of dangerous goods as possible, including Canadian carriers engaged in cross-border activities.

The aim of the visits, reports the Ontario Trucking Association, is to offer suggestions to carriers on security issues, in particular, those security measures which are not required by US DOT regulations.

The visits would not be compliance or enforcement visits. The recommendations will cover such areas as personnel security, dangerous goods control while the goods are in the carrier’s possession, enroute security, and related technical innovations.

As a preliminary to the visits, a senior representative of FMCSA has agreed to make a short presentation at the upcoming convention on Wednesday, November 14th at 2:30 p.m. and on Thursday, November 15th at 3:30 p.m.