An informal survey of conducted by APL Logistics of its contracted truckload and LTL carriers found that new hazmat regulations worry fleets far more than the new hours-of-service (HOS) rules that go into effect next year.
One reason, according to vp of freight management Kirk Williams, is that the definition of hazmat goods is very broad, encompassing common household items such as hairspray that contain potentially flammable materials.
The main issue with the new hazmat rules put in place by the Transportation Security Administration revolves around required FBI background checks and fingerprinting of all commercial drivers' license (CDL) holders with hazmat endorsements.
“Those requirements create real issues, especially for LTL carriers as they carry a lot of hazmat goods and most of their drivers have hazmat endorsements,” said Williams. “That could hold up their operations as their drivers wait to get certified by the FBI.”
By contrast, APL Logistics, which manages about 250,000 truckload and 345,000 LTL shipments per year, said most of its carriers believe adapting to the new HOS won't be nearly as difficult.
