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9.8 – Hazardous Materials Glossary

This glossary presents definitions of certain terms used in this section. A complete glossary of terms can be found in the federal Hazardous Materials Rules (49 CFR 171.8). You should have an up-to-date copy of these rules for your reference.

Sec. 171.8 Definitions and abbreviations.

Bulk Packaging — Packaging, other than a vessel or a barge, including a transport vehicle or freight container, in which hazardous materials are loaded with no intermediate form of containment and which has:

• 1. A maximum capacity greater than 450 L (119 gallons) as a receptacle for a liquid;
• 2. A maximum net mass greater than 400 kg (882 pounds) or a maximum capacity greater than 450 L (119 gallons) as a receptacle for a solid; or
• 3. A water capacity greater than 454 kg (1000 pounds) as a receptacle for a gas as defined in Sec. 173.115.

Cargo Tank — A bulk packaging that:

• 1. Is a tank intended primarily for the carriage of liquids or gases and includes appurtenances, reinforcements, fittings, and closures (for “tank”, see 49 CFR 178.3451(c), 178.3371 or 178.3381, as applicable);
• 2. Is permanently attached to or forms a part of a motor vehicle, or is not permanently attached to a motor vehicle, but which, by reason of its size, construction, or attachment to a motor vehicle is loaded or unloaded without being removed from the motor vehicle; and
• 3. Is not fabricated under a specification for cylinders, portable tanks, tank cars, or multi-unit tank car tanks.

Carrier — A person or company engaged in the transportation of passengers or property by:

• 1. Land or water as a common, contract or private carrier, or
• 2. Civil aircraft.

Consignee — The business or person to whom a shipment is delivered.

Division — A subdivision of a hazard class.

EPA — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

FMCSR — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations.

Freight Container — A reusable container having a volume of 64-cubic feet or more, designed and constructed to permit being lifted with its contents intact and intended primarily for containment of packages (in unit form) during transportation.

Fuel Tank — A tank, other than a cargo tank, used to transport flammable or combustible liquid or compressed gas for the purpose of supplying fuel for propulsion of the transport vehicle to which it is attached, or for the operation of other equipment on the transport vehicle.

Gross Weight - The weight of the packaging plus the weight of its contents.

Hazard Class — The category of hazard assigned to a hazardous material under the definitional criteria of Part 173 and the provisions of the Sec. 172.101 Table. A material may meet the defining criteria for more than one hazard class but is assigned to only one hazard class.

Hazardous Materials — A substance or material that has been determined by the Secretary of Transportation to be capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety, and property when transported in commerce and which has been so designated. The term includes hazardous substances, hazardous wastes, marine pollutants, elevated temperature materials, and materials designated as hazardous in the hazardous materials table of Sec.172.101 and materials that meet the defining criteria for hazard classes and Divisions in Sec.173, Subchapter C of this chapter.