The Department of Transportation has proposed new standards for safe and secure places to park for truckers hauling a variety of explosives.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration published a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register on Tuesday, July 27, that recommends construction and maintenance standards for safe havens.

Earlier in the rulemaking process, the agency floated out a variety of standards that could be applied to safe havens. The July 27 notice proposes that safe havens conform to the National Fire Protection Association standard 498.

The standards would apply to safe havens used for unattended storage of Division 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 explosives.

Standard 498 outlines a variety of requirements and restrictions on safe havens, including their location in relationship to bridges, tunnels and places where people work; the orientation and spacing of parking spots; and the training programs of personnel staffing the safe havens.

The agency also wants to allow truckers hauling Division 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 explosives to be able to leave their loads unattended when parked at a National Fire Protection Association standard 498 safe haven.

The leadership at the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is currently reviewing the proposed regulation and anticipates filing comments on behalf of the membership.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is accepting comments until Sept. 27. Click here to read the proposed regulation or to comment on it.

– By Jami Jones, senior editor
jami_jones@landlinemag.com