Learn Methods For Shipping Hazardous Materials By Freight Forwarding Companies

Our aim is to make shipping of hazardous materials easy and fast. Check out our comprehensive listing of classes of hazardous materials as provided by DOT or Department of Transportation. By identifying hazardous materials before shipment by freight forwarding companies, you can prevent costly surprises from your carrier in future. We will soon be updating our site with list of hazardous products, which are not common and generally not known by people.

What Comprises Hazardous Materials?

If you are unsure about what materials constitute as hazardous, just contact us for assistance. Materials are deemed as hazardous by DOT or Department of Transportation as per legal regulations from Federal Hazardous Material. If the material transportation in particular forms or amounts pose as risks to safety of property or health of individuals, then freight forwarding companies are under restrictions to transport such materials.

Such examples of hazardous materials as per DOT standards comprise explosives, poisons, radioactive materials, combustible or flammable solids or liquids, corrosive or oxidizing materials as well as compressed gas. In most instances, such hazardous materials are accepted so long as these are packages, classified as well as labeled appropriately by freight forwarding companies. Nevertheless, we at Globalforwarding, prohibit the transportation of some of these hazardous materials by freight forwarding companies. Feel free to contact our customer service representatives or salesperson to get detailed information. The costs associated with shipment of hazardous materials by freight forwarding companies can be higher than normal shipments.

List Of Hazardous Materials Classes

Hazardous materials refer to those materials, which pose danger as well as risk to health, safety, property or environment when they are being transported or operated. All of the hazardous materials have been segregated into classes based on individual chemical characteristics that cause specific amounts of danger. All freight forwarding companies are expected to adhere to such classes when classifying their materials as otherwise the entire freight can be declined.

Explosives – Class I

• Division 1.1: These include materials as well as articles, which have hazards of mass explosion.
• Division 1.2: Articles and substances, which have projection hazard instead of hazards of mass explosion.
• Division 1.3: Articles and substances, which possess fire hazards as well as hazards of minor blasts, small projection hazard or even both. However, these substances or articles do not comprise hazards of mass explosion. When it comes to freight forwarding companies, all such carriers have to classify products as per class lists stated by DOT.
• Division 1.4: Articles and substances, which have no major hazard associated with them. All freight forwarding companies have to be extremely careful about transporting such substances.
• Division 1.5: Insensitive substances, which possess hazards of mass explosion.
• Division 1.6: Highly insensitive articles, that do not possess hazards of mass explosion.

Gases: Class II

• Division 2.1: Gases which are flammable
• Division 2.2: Non-toxic and non-flammable gases
• Division 2.3: Toxic gases

Flammable Liquids: Class III

Flammable solids as well as substances subject to impromptu combustion and substances, which when contacted with water during transport by freight forwarding companies will give out flammable gases: Class IV

• Division 4.1: Substances of self-reactive nature, flammable solids, desensitized solid explosives.
• Division 4.2: Substances that are subject to impromptu combustion. The freight forwarding companies need to ensure precise packaging, classification as well as labeling of these sort of substances.
• Division 4.3: Substances that with water contact give out flammable gases.

Oxidizing substances as well as organic peroxides: Class V

• Division 5.1: Oxidizing substances.
• Division 5.2: Organic peroxides.

Infectious and toxic substances: Class VI

• Division 6.1: Toxic substances. The freight forwarding companies will have to make sure such substances are properly packaged.
• Division 6.2: Substances that are prone to instant combustion
• Division 6.3: Substance on water contact that give out flammable gases

Radioactive materials: Class VII

Corrosive substances: Class VIII

Miscellaneous articles and substances of dangerous nature: Class IX