California Commercial Driver License Handbook

Bulk packaging—a packaging, including a transport vehicle or freight container in which hazardous materials are loaded with no intermediate form of containment, with a capacity greater than:

450 L (119 gallons) for a liquid,

450 L (119 gallons) and a net mass greater than 400 kg (882 lbs.) for a solid, or

water capacity greater than 454 kg (1000 lbs.) for a gas

California Hazardous Waste Manifest—shipping paper which must accompany all shipments of hazardous waste.

CalTrans—California Department of Transportation

Carboy—a bottle or rectangular container that holds from 5 to 15 gallons of liquid. Carboys are made of glass, plastic, or metal and are often cushioned in a wooden box.

Cargo tank—any bulk liquid or compressed gas packaging, whether or not permanently attached to any motor vehicle, which by reason of its size, construction, or attachment to a motor vehicle, is loaded or unloaded without being removed from the motor vehicle. Any packaging fabricated under specifications for cylinders is not a cargo tank.

Carrier—a person engaged in the transportation of passengers or property by land or water (as a common, contract, or private carrier) or by civil aircraft.

CCR—California Code of Regulations—Title 13 and Title 22

CFR—Code of Federal Regulations—Title 49

CHP—California Highway Patrol

Compressed Gas—any gaseous material, or liquefied gas, kept in a container under pressure. (See more specific Class 2 definitions in 49 CFR 173.115.)

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

Cryogenic liquid—a refrigerated liquefied gas having a boiling point colder than -130°F at 14.7 P.S.I.A.

Cylinder—a pressure vessel designed for pressures higher than 40 p.s.i.a. and having a circular cross section. It does not include a portable or cargo tank.

DMV—Department of Motor Vehicles

DOT—Department of Transportation (Federal)

DTSC—Department of Toxic Substance Control

EPA—U. S. Environmental Protection Agency

FAA—Federal Aviation Administration

FHWA—Federal Highway Administration

FMCSA—Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Freight container—a reusable container designed and constructed to permit being lifted with its contents intact and intended primarily for containment of packages (in unit form) during transportation.

Gross Weight—the weight of the packaging plus the weight of its contents.

Hazardous material—any material that poses an unreasonable risk to health, safety, and property during transportation. These materials are named by the DOT in the Hazardous Materials Table.

Infectious substances or etiologic agents—a living microorganism, or its toxin, which causes or may cause human or animal disease.

Limited quantity—when specified as such in a section applicable to a particular material, it means the maximum amount with specific placarding, labeling, and packaging exceptions.

Marking—applying the descriptive name(s), identification numbers, instructions, cautions, weight(s), or specification marks required to be placed on the outside of hazardous materials packages and/or their transport vehicle(s).

Mixture—a material containing more than one chemical compound or element.

Name of contents—the proper shipping name as specified in the Hazardous Materials Table.

n.o.s.—not otherwise specified

Outage—the amount by which a packaging falls short of being liquid full, usually expressed in percent by volume. The amount of outage required for liquids in cargo tanks depends on how much the material will expand with temperature change during transit. Different materials expand at different rates. Enough outage must be allowed so that the tank will still not be full at 130°F.

Overpack—an enclosure used by a single shipper to provide protection or convenience in handling of a package or to combine two or more packages. “Overpack” does not include a transport vehicle or a freight container.

Portable tank—any bulk packaging (except a cylinder having a 1000 lbs. or less water capacity) designed primarily to be loaded in, on, or temporarily attached to, a transport vehicle. A portable tank is equipped with skids, mounting, or accessories to facilitate handling of the tank by mechanical means.

Proper shipping name—the name of the hazardous material shown in Roman print (not italics) in the Hazardous Materials Table.

p.s.i.—Pounds per square inch.

p.s.i.a.—Pounds per square inch absolute.

PUC—Public Utilities Commission

Registered Hazardous Waste Transporter—person registered by DTSC who engages in the offsite transportation of hazardous waste by air, rail, highway, or water.

Reportable quantity (RQ)—the quantity (per single package) which equals or exceeds the quantity specified in column 3 of the List of Hazardous Substances and Reportable Quantities. Reportable quantities are treated as hazardous materials and have specific spill reporting requirements.

Shipper’s certification—a statement on a shipping paper, signed by the shipper, saying he or she prepared the shipment properly according to law.

“This is to certify that the above named materials are properly classified, described, packaged, marked and labeled and are in proper condition for transportation according to the applicable regulations of the Department of Transportation.”

"I hereby declare that the contents of this consignment are fully and accurately described above by the proper shipping name and are classified, packaged, marked and labeled/placarded, and are in all respects in proper condition for transport according to applicable international and national governmental regulations.”

Shipping paper—a shipping order, bill of lading, manifest or other shipping document serving a similar purpose and containing the information required by the regulations.

Tank vehicle—any commercial motor vehicle with any size fixed tank(s) (except tanks necessary for vehicle operation such as: air, gas, and oil) or portable tanks of 1,000 gallons or more capacity.

Also includes any fixed tank in excess of 119 gallons mounted on any vehicle or vehicle combination which requires a CDL or placards.

To transport hazardous materials or wastes, a Tank Vehicle Endorsement and a HAZMAT endorsement is required for a fixed tank(s) regardless of the weight of the vehicle or the size of the tank. If the tank is portable and is under 1,000 gallons, only the HAZMAT endorsement is required.

Technical name—a recognized chemical name or microbiological name currently used in scientific and technical handbooks, journals, and texts.

Title 13—California Code of Regulations—Motor Vehicles.

Title 22—California Code of Regulations—Environmental Health Standards for the Management of Hazardous Waste.

Transport vehicle—a cargo carrying vehicle such as an automobile, van, tractor, truck, semitrailer, tank car, or rail car used for the transportation of cargo by any mode. Each cargo carrying body (trailer, rail car, etc.) is a separate transport vehicle.

VC §—California Vehicle Code Section.

Water reactive material—any material (including sludges and pastes) which when mixed with water, is likely to ignite or give off flammable or toxic gases in dangerous quantities. Water reactive material is required to be labeled DANGEROUS WHEN WET.

A California Vehicle Code book may be purchased at any DMV office.

California Regulations relating to commercial vehicles are contained in Title 13 of the California Code of Regulations.

Title 13, CCR, may be purchased from:

Barclays Law Publishers
P.O. Box 3066
So. San Francisco, CA 94080
Telephone Number (415) 732-8800

Copies of the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, or Title 22, CCR, Division 4.5 may be purchased from:

Superintendent of Documents
U. S. Government Printing Office
Washington, D. C. 20402
Telephone Number (202) 512-1800

When using this handbook, please remember that it is only a summary of the laws and regulations. DMV, law enforcement, and courts follow the full and exact language of the law contained in the California Vehicle Code. If there is a conflict, this handbook cannot be relied upon as law. You may buy a copy of the Vehicle Code at any DMV office or visit our website at www.dmv.ca.gov.

Questions or comments regarding this handbook may be addressed to:

Department of Motor Vehicles
Customer Communications Unit
M/S C165
P.O. Box 932345
Sacramento, CA 94232-3450