FRA Hazardous Materials Transportation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under 49 CFR, which document must accompany a shipment of hazardous materials throughout its rail journey?
- Waybill only
- Shipping paper or waybill with required hazmat entries (Correct answer)
- Manifest signed by the shipper's safety officer
- Emergency response guide number sheet
Correct answer: Shipping paper or waybill with required hazmat entries
A shipping paper or waybill containing all required hazardous materials entries must accompany the shipment at all times during transport.
Question 2: Which hazard class covers flammable liquids under the DOT hazmat regulations?
- Class 2
- Class 3 (Correct answer)
- Class 4
- Class 5
Correct answer: Class 3
Class 3 covers flammable liquids, defined as liquids with a flash point at or below 60°C (140°F).
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of the Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) carried on trains transporting hazardous materials?
- To document shipper certifications
- To provide first responders with initial action guidance during an incident (Correct answer)
- To satisfy FRA inspection requirements for crew training
- To list all approved tank car designs for each commodity
Correct answer: To provide first responders with initial action guidance during an incident
The ERG provides first responders with initial safety guidance—evacuation distances, fire/spill response, and health hazards—during a hazmat incident.
Question 4: A tank car stenciled 'DOT-111' is carrying crude oil. Under post-2015 FRA/PHMSA rules, what retrofitting requirement applies to these cars?
- They must be retired immediately upon any crude oil assignment
- They must meet enhanced standards (thermal protection, full-height head shields, bottom outlet valve improvements) on a phased schedule (Correct answer)
- They must be converted to jacketed cars within 30 days of the rule's effective date
- No retrofit is required if the car passes annual inspection
Correct answer: They must meet enhanced standards (thermal protection, full-height head shields, bottom outlet valve improvements) on a phased schedule
The 2015 Enhanced Tank Car Standards rule requires DOT-111 cars in crude oil service to be retrofitted or replaced on a phased schedule with enhanced safety features.
Question 5: Which placard is required on a rail car containing 1,000 lbs or more of a Class 6.1 (Poisonous) material?
- DANGEROUS placard only
- POISON placard (Correct answer)
- TOXIC placard
- INHALATION HAZARD placard for all Class 6.1
Correct answer: POISON placard
A POISON placard is required for Class 6.1 materials at or above the 1,000 lb threshold, unless the material also meets Packing Group I inhalation hazard criteria.
Question 6: Under FRA regulations, how far must a locomotive remain from a placarded hazmat car while the car is being loaded or unloaded at a facility?
- 25 feet
- 50 feet (Correct answer)
- 100 feet
- No minimum distance is specified; it is a shipper responsibility
Correct answer: 50 feet
FRA and DOT rules require locomotives to remain at least 50 feet from a placarded hazmat car during loading or unloading operations.
Question 7: What information must appear FIRST on the hazardous materials description line of a shipping paper?
- The UN identification number (Correct answer)
- The proper shipping name
- The hazard class or division number
- The packing group
Correct answer: The UN identification number
49 CFR 172.202 requires the UN/NA identification number to appear first, followed by the proper shipping name, hazard class, and packing group.
FRA Hazardous Materials Transportation 2
Under 49 CFR, which document must accompany a shipment of hazardous materials throughout its rail journey?