More than half a century ago, an agreement on the transport of dangerous goods was concluded in Geneva between European countries. Its goal was to formulate a set of rules for the transport of dangerous goods by road on European roads. In Russia, this agreement was called ADR. Explanation of ADR - road transportation of dangerous goods. On the basis of ADR, national all-Russian rules for the transportation of dangerous goods - POGAT - were formulated. The abbreviation POGAT stands for transportation of dangerous goods by road.
Explanation of ADR
ADR (carriage of dangerous goods by road) is an international agreement adopted in Europe, namely Geneva, more than 50 years ago. Its goal is to establish rules that outline the requirements for the transportation of dangerous goods across European countries using special road transport.
In Russia, transportation of this type of cargo is carried out in accordance with POGAT (Rules for the Transportation of Dangerous Goods by Road).
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Registration of certificate and ADR permit for transportation
To transport dangerous goods in the Russian Federation and European countries that have entered into an ADR agreement, the driver is required to obtain an ADR certificate. This certificate meets international standards and is suitable for use when traveling abroad.
According to the international classification, dangerous goods are divided into nine main classes. The driver must have an ADR certificate, which indicates only those categories of hazardous substances for which he has completed special training.
Constant improvements to ADR rules lead to changes in the type of certificate. In 2021, an ADR 2021 certificate is issued. The certificate contains two columns that highlight the categories of those cargoes for the carriage of which the driver has been trained. The remaining categories are crossed out from the certificate.
To obtain permission to transport goods of categories deleted from the certificate, the driver must again undergo training and pass exams.
ADR certificates are also issued not for drivers, but for forwarders accompanying goods or responsible for their movement.
Drivers and specialists responsible for transportation undergo courses according to a program approved by the Russian Ministry of Transport. The duration of the courses is currently five days.
The Ministry has approved a basic training course on the rules for transporting hazardous substances. It covers consideration of most transportation issues: from the behavior of drivers in emergency situations to the legal aspects of liability in case of violation of safety regulations.
The certificate is issued after attending all coursework and passing exams. Moreover, passing exams without completing the course in full is not allowed.
There are special courses for obtaining a certificate for the transportation of substances in tanks. They study the specific rules for filling and emptying such cargo that are necessary for transportation.
In addition to these most common courses, programs have been developed for courses such as transportation of explosives and transportation of radioactive materials.
The certificate is issued for five years. Previously, to obtain it, it was enough to attend one or two short lectures and pass the exam on the same day. Since 2013, without a full five-day training, people are not allowed to take the exam.
The certificate is issued in two languages at once: Russian and another foreign language (English, French or German).
For sea freight transportation, a bill of lading is required. The rules for filling out a bill of lading are described in detail in a separate article on our resource. Read about the specifics of using the ATA carnet for temporary import here. This tool significantly simplifies the procedure for temporary import and export of goods.
What is “dangerous cargo”
Dangerous cargo means the transportation of substances that can cause harm in the event of depressurization of packages, in an accident or accidental spillage: to the driver, other people, or nature.
Dangerous cargo is, as a rule, almost all types of waste.
The document regulates the following when transporting dangerous goods::
- Containers in which it is recommended to transport a particular class of cargo (described in detail in the document);
- Container marking;
- Exact requirements for the transport that will transport this or that cargo.
A timely reference to the regulations, as well as a careful study of them, will help to competently prepare both the package of documents and the transport for the transportation of this type of cargo. Awareness is the key to successful, calm work related to the transportation of this type of cargo.
Registration procedure
In addition to the basic courses, in order to obtain ADR for a fuel tanker, you must take specialized courses, including:
- Rules of conduct and actions of a fuel truck driver while driving and in emergency situations.
- Permits and certificates required when transporting fuels and lubricants.
- Rules for marking a vehicle when transporting fuels and lubricants.
- Requirements for the operation of a special vehicle (fuel tanker) while driving and parking.
- The procedure for filling a tank with flammable substances and emptying it.
Training of drivers and consultants for the transport of dangerous goods (ADR)
Structure of ADR
The agreement consists of two appendices – “A” and “B”, which consist of 9 detailed parts.
The first appendix (part A) contains a general set of rules and suggestions that affect the characteristics of the hazardous substances themselves :
- The first covers general provisions.
- The second describes the classification of substances.
- The third provides a list of all dangerous goods, as well as some special restriction provisions.
- The fourth section presents the requirements for containers that can be used for a particular cargo.
- The fifth part describes the stages of the transportation registration procedure.
- The sixth is a list of requirements for the quality and testing of containers and tanks for the transport of dangerous goods.
- The seventh part describes in detail the requirements for the conditions of transportation, loading and shipment of dangerous goods, as well as the conditions for reception and processing.
The remaining parts are reserved for Appendix “B”, which discusses the basic requirements for transport operations and equipment:
- Requirements for drivers and crew who will accompany the cargo, as well as a description of the characteristics of vehicles that are allowed to transport one or another type of dangerous goods, a description of documents (samples of what should be in them).
- Requirements for transport design.
Violation of ADR rules threatens the customer and the contractor with significant fines.
Types of hazards
According to ADR, all hazards can be divided into several categories:
- Oxidation (causes fire).
- Explosion hazard.
- Fire hazard.
- Causticity, or corrosivity.
- Toxicity, or toxicity.
- Radioactivity.
How can a driver obtain an ADR permit?
In order to transport exhaust gases in the territory of your country and other states where the ADR agreement is in force, you must obtain the appropriate permit.
And the first condition is the presence of three years of driving experience without serious criticism, as well as an open required transport category.
Among other things, the driver will have to undergo special training courses, during which he will become familiar with the labeling system, classification of harmful and dangerous substances, and will also learn the rules for providing first aid in the event of an emergency, the principles of fire extinguishing, disinfection and degassing, and the optimal algorithm of behavior in emergency conditions.
At the place where the ADR certificate is issued, the applicant must submit a certain package of documents, including a certificate of completion of a theoretical course and successful passing of exams based on its results, an open category license and a medical examination of his fitness.
Classes of dangerous goods according to ADR
In total, the regulation contains 9 classes of dangerous goods, some of which are divided into subclasses:
- Substances and products that can explode.
- Gaseous substances.
- Liquids that are subject to excessive flammability.
- Materials with increased radioactivity.
- Substances are corrosive.
- Other hazardous materials and substances.
In addition, substances are divided into:
- solid and flammable, self-reactive and desensitized solids;
- capable of spontaneous combustion;
- emitting gases that ignite instantly or quickly upon contact with water.
- with oxidizing properties;
- organic peroxides;
- with high toxicity;
- infectious.
An accurate understanding of what class a particular cargo belongs to will help you quickly and efficiently select containers for its transportation, carry out the necessary tests and draw up documents, as well as instruct the future crew.
To facilitate the transportation of dangerous goods, care should be taken to label the containers.
ADR rules
They are also a hint in the registration of cargo, transport and route.
The rules are drawn up on the basis of an international agreement, adopted by the Ministry of the Russian Federation in 1995 with amendments from 1999. The following points are described in detail in the rules :
- General provisions.
- Transportation plan.
- Interaction of motor transport companies with their clients (provisions on the responsibilities of the sender and recipient, responsibilities of the carrier).
- Technical support for cargo transportation (requirements for transport, packaging, loading and unloading processes).
- Requirements for persons involved in transportation (driver and other personnel).
- Special requirements for the category of certain dangerous goods.
- Detailed classification of dangerous goods.
- Description and list of especially dangerous goods.
- Examples of information graphic documents (tables and cards).
- Other applications for signs, packaging, documentation.
The planning stages of transportation organization should be described separately.
These include:
- obtaining a license and permit for the transportation of dangerous goods outside the territory of the Russian Federation,
- permission to transport very dangerous goods,
- concluding a transportation contract,
- crew training,
- route designation,
- acceptance of goods,
- drawing up an information system about dangerous transportation,
- loading and unloading,
- rules for the movement of funds,
- features of transportation of goods of different categories and classes in one vehicle,
- handling of used containers,
- actions in case of accidents.
Tables and cards warn of the potential danger of transported cargo.
Features of the certificate
To obtain a permit for the transportation of unsafe oil cargo, the driver of a motor vehicle and its manager must undergo a special training course. The Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation has developed a course base that includes requirements, instructions and rules for transporting goods that are potentially hazardous to human health and the environment. The training plan includes the following points:
International classification and labeling of dangerous goods
- Rules for marking a vehicle transporting dangerous goods.
- Road conditions (ice, rain, fog). What goods are allowed and prohibited to be transported in such a situation.
- Features of multimodal transportation of dangerous goods.
- Why is there a ban on transporting different hazardous materials in one vehicle?
- Safety measures in emergency situations: provision of first aid to victims, actions of accompanying forwarders, ensuring the safe movement of other vehicles and pedestrians.
- Special skills in vehicle safety measures.
- General civil liability of the vehicle driver and the forwarder.
- What safety precautions must be followed when loading and unloading hazardous material.
- Rules for operating a vehicle while driving and in other situations arising on the road.
- Rules for vehicle movement in special tunnels.
- Enforcement measures to protect the environment during the transportation of hazardous substances.
- Rules for the transportation of oversized cargo and its handling.
- General safety measures for the transportation of oil cargo.
- Classification of flammable substances.
