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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Some Regulations of Trucking Insurance

By Steve Turner

Trucking insurance offers financial and legal security to commercial truck drivers. Safety is always a concern, and drivers should make certain that they are following all federal and state hazmat regulations if they carry hazardous materials. If these regulations are not followed large fines and penalties will be given along with the possibility of being banned from working with commercial transports.

Other drivers on the road can tell which trucks are carrying hazardous materials by the signs they are required to have by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Drivers carrying hazardous materials should ensure that they also follow all state and local regulations.

After an accident involving a truck with hazardous materials the emergency services should be notified immediately and within 12 hours Department of Transportation (DOT) National Response Center (NRC) should be contacted. Contacting your insurance provider and informing them of the situation is also important, but the first call made should be to emergency services.

There are a number of instances that could require contacting these agencies. If a person is injured and requires hospitalization or is killed the appropriate authorities need to be notified. Another instance would be public evacuation lasting for one hour or more or a block in a major transportation route lasting more than one hour.

When making a call to report such an accident you should have the information needed easily at hand. You will be asked for the name, address and contact information of the reporter along with the date, time and location of the accident. Also know if there were any injuries sustained and the amount of hazardous materials involved.

The second report that will need to be filed is DOT Form 5800. There are other instances that require the submission of this form. A couple of them are listed below.

Upon finding that there has been a release or discharge of hazardous materials or waste, or if there is the discovery of undeclared hazardous materials you must file the above form. Also if is it found that there is structural damage to the lading retention system in a cargo tank carrying 1,000 gallons or greater even if there is no release of the hazardous material being transported.

Make certain that you have the proper amount and type of trucking insurance coverage needed for transporting hazardous materials. Become informed about any requirements of being involved in this type of cargo and what steps need to be followed in an accident.

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