Hazardous Materials: Reducing Burdens by Allowing Continued Use of Department of Transportation Special Permit Packagings
Key claim: PHMSA’s final rule lets packagings authorized under a manufacturing special permit remain in use for the useful life of the package, reducing regulatory burden.
Abstract
(Rule · Transportation Department, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration) This final rule removes undue regulatory burdens by allowing for the continued use of packagings authorized under a manufacturing special permit for the useful life of the package. Manufacturing special permits typically authorize the manufacture, mark, sale, and use of the packaging authorized by the special permit.
Why this matters
Hazardous materials packaging is normally governed by strict HMR construction and marking rules, with special permits offering time-limited alternatives that must be periodically renewed. By allowing packagings built under a manufacturing special permit to remain in service for their useful life, PHMSA reduces compliance and paperwork burden for shippers and manufacturers while preserving the underlying safety authorization, incrementally streamlining the special-permit regime.