When are shipping documents required?

Shipping (transport) documents describe the dangerous goods on the vehicle. Shipping documents are required for the transport of any quantity of dangerous goods if the goods are transported by a transport business and when the Regulations apply.

Shipping documents are not required for the transport of small quantities for private use. "Small quantities" means less than 62.5 litres or 62.5kg of dangerous goods of loads containing Class 2.1, 2.3 and Packing Group I goods, or less than 250 litres or 250kg of other dangerous goods.

What information should be in the shipping document?

The shipping document should detail the consignor's name and telephone number and the description of the dangerous goods including:

Where do I keep shipping documents in the vehicle?

For placard loads, the driver must ensure that the shipping documents are carried in the Emergency Information Holder. The holder should be attached to the driver side door of the cabin and, if this is not practical, the shipping document holder must be in a conspicuous location adjacent to the driver side door in the cabin of the vehicle.

What is emergency information?

Emergency information provides initial information to people at the scene of an incident on "what to do in an emergency situation involving a vehicle transporting a load of dangerous goods".

What is acceptable emergency information?

Acceptable emergency information is either:

Where do I get emergency information relevant to the dangerous goods on the vehicle?

Standards Australia supplies Emergency Procedure Guides (EPGs) and the Dangerous Goods Initial Emergency Response Guide.

When is emergency information required?

Emergency information is required when transporting a placard load of dangerous goods but may be carried for smaller quantities.

Where do I keep emergency information in the vehicle?

For placard loads, the driver must ensure that the emergency information is carried in the Emergency Information Holder. The holder should be attached to the driver side door of the cabin and, if this is not practical, the emergency information holder must be in a conspicuous location adjacent to the driver side door in the cabin of the vehicle.

When do I need an emergency plan?

When transporting a placard load of dangerous goods, the prime contractor (or rail operator for rail transport) and the consignor must maintain a written emergency plan for dealing with any dangerous situation following an accident or incident.

When do I need to maintain a telephone advisory service?

When transporting a bulk load of dangerous goods by road, the prime contractor or the consignor must maintain a telephone advisory service throughout the journey.

What does a telephone advisory service do?

A telephone advisory service provides advice to the emergency services and dangerous goods authorities. on:

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) will initiate its planned 10-year program this year to modernize the infrastructure of the U.S. portion of the St. Lawrence Seaway, following President Obama's signing yesterday of the omnibus appropriations bill to fund the federal government for the remainder of fiscal year 2009. The bill includes a total of $31.8 million for the Seaway, which serves the Great Lakes region of North America.

The enacted funding includes more than $17 million allocated to 17 projects under the Seaway's Asset Renewal Program (ARP). A significant amount of the ARP funding in FY 2009 will benefit the regional economy surrounding the two U.S. locks in Massena, N.Y.

"After 50 years of continuous use, the U.S. Seaway infrastructure needs significant capital investment," said U.S. SLSDC Administrator Collister Johnson, Jr. "By enacting this law, President Obama and the U.S. Congress have recognized the vital importance of the St. Lawrence Seaway to the North American economy."

Over the next decade, the ARP will focus on improving aging Seaway infrastructure, conducting maintenance dredging, investing in new technologies, purchasing new equipment, and refurbishing old facilities. This will be the first time in the Seaway's history that a coordinated effort to repair and modernize the U.S. Seaway infrastructure has taken place.

ARP also will complement the asset renewal work already underway on the Canadian portion of the St. Lawrence Seaway System. None of the ARP projects will result in increases to the authorized depth or width of the navigation channel or to the size of the existing U.S. locks.

For more information visit here

http://www.dot.gov/affairs/slsdc0109.htm

Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI) Fell 2.3 Percent in January from December

Wednesday, March 11, 2009 - The Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI) fell 2.3 percent in January from its December level, falling for the third consecutive month to its lowest level in more than five years, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today.

The January decline was the fifth monthly decrease in six months. The index has declined 7.7 percent in the last six months, the largest six-month decline since an 8.4 percent decline in 1995. The 5.9 percent decline in the three-month November through January period was the largest three-month decline since April 2000.

The 2.3 percent decline in January was the second January decline in five years and the largest January decline since 1996. The index dropped 0.3 percent in 2007 (Table 3).

At 102.7 in January, the freight TSI is at its lowest level since May 2003 when it was 102.5 and is down 9.2 percent from its historic peak of 113.1 reached in November 2005. For additional historical data, go to http://www.bts.gov/xml/tsi/src/index.xml.

The freight TSI measures the month-to-month changes in the output of services provided by the for-hire freight transportation industries. The index consists of data from for-hire trucking, rail, inland waterways, pipelines and air freight.

The 7.8 percent decline from January to January left the freight index at its lowest January level since 2002.

The 2.3 percent decline in January resulted in a 3.5 percent drop in the freight index in the five years from January 2004, the second five-year decline in the 19-year history of TSI data. The first ever five-year decline was a 2.7 percent decrease from December 2003 to December 2008. The index is still up 2.9 percent in 10 years.

The TSI is a seasonally adjusted index that measures changes from the monthly average of the base year of 2000. It includes historic data from 1990 to the present. Release of the February index is scheduled for April 8.

BTS has issued a technical report explaining the TSI. BTS Technical Report: Transportation Services Index and the Economy is available for download at https://www.bts.gov/pdc/index.xml in the BTS bookstore.

Transportation Services Index for Passengers

The TSI for passengers fell 0.3 percent in January from its December level. The Passenger TSI January 2009 level of 112.6 was 3.8 percent lower than the January 2008 level, the first January-to-January decrease since 2002. The 3.8 percent decline from January to January left the passenger index at its lowest January level since 2006. Despite the recent declines for the year, the passenger index is up 13.5 percent in five years and 20.6 percent in 10 years.

The passenger TSI measures the month-to-month changes in the output of services provided by the for-hire passenger transportation industries. The seasonally adjusted index consists of data from air, local transit and intercity rail.

For more information visit here
http://www.bts.gov/press_releases/2009/bts011_09/html/bts011_09.html

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is alerting consumers of a recall involving RECARO "Signo" child safety seats.

RECARO is recalling these convertible child safety seats because the central front adjuster strap on some seats may slip within the metal adjuster (A-Lock) that controls the tightness of the harness straps, thereby preventing those straps from being tightened enough to properly secure a child in the seat. The affected models include RECARO Signo seats manufactured from February through September 2008.

RECARO will replace any defective seat free of charge. For more information, owners may contact the company's customer service department at 1-888-473-2290 or visit its website at www.recaro.com.

In addition, parents and caregivers are urged to sign up with NHTSA to automatically receive updates about child seat recalls via email. The agency's research shows that fewer than half of all affected consumers respond to child seat recalls.

Consumers may sign-up for recall notifications from the federal government by visiting www.safercar.gov and clicking on the "E-mail" or "RSS" option to register. Consumers with questions about this or any other safety recall campaign may call NHTSA's toll-free Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153).

Washington, D.C. - President Barack Obama, joined by Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, today marked the release of $26.6 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to states and local transportation authorities to repair and build highways, roads and bridges. The release of the funds came eight days earlier than required by law and took place before more than 500 headquarter employees at the U.S. Department of Transportation.

"This investment in highways will create or save 150,000 jobs by the end of next year, most of them in the private sector," President Obama said. "The jobs that we're creating are good jobs that pay more than average; jobs grinding asphalt and paving roads, filling potholes, making street signs, repairing stop lights, replacing guard rails," he added.

"I've always believed that the toughest moments present the biggest opportunities, and clearly, the President of the United States feels that way, as well," Vice President Biden said. "With this recovery package, we'll be creating jobs, saving jobs, and putting money in people's pockets."

"President Obama is keeping his promise to the American people and he is doing it ahead-of schedule," said Secretary LaHood. "This is a long-overdue investment in our transportation infrastructure and in jobs for Americans."

Secretary LaHood noted that some of the money would be used the same day at a site in Montgomery County, Md., where crews had just started road repairs on a one-mile stretch of Route 650.

State highway departments have already identified more than 100 other transportation projects across the country, totaling more than $750 million, where construction can start within the month. That number is expected to grow substantially as more states submit certifications and begin to receive project approvals.

Each proposed project must be approved by the department's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Each state's governor must certify that their proposed projects meet certain conditions and that the state will use ARRA funds in addition to, and not to replace, state funding of transportation projects. The U.S. Department of Transportation will monitor state compliance and track job creation. The projects will be web-posted for the public to see with information on projects accessible at www.recovery.gov.

At the ceremony the President unveiled new logos for government-wide projects completed under the ARRA and the Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) logo for transportation projects completed under the ARRA.

Those attending the signing ceremony at the Department of Transportation were members of the team Secretary LaHood created to oversee disbursement of the money and ensure that all transparency and accountability requirements are being met. Known as the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) team, it is composed of officials from across the Department's operating administrations and offices and is co-chaired by Lana Hurdle, deputy assistant secretary for budget and programs, and Joel Szabat, deputy assistant secretary for transportation policy.

President Obama's visit marks the first by a sitting U.S. President with his Vice President to Department of Transportation headquarters. President Obama is the third sitting President to visit the department, following Presidents George W. Bush in 2008, and Ronald Reagan in 1981.

There are different kinds of insurance for your vehicle:

Your vehicle must be safe and registered at all times while using the road. If you make any structural changes to your vehicle, they'll need to be approved by Queensland Transport officers or an agent. Your insurance policy may not cover you if you modify your vehicle without approval and it is involved in a crash.

If you cause a crash with the level of alcohol in your blood or breath over your alcohol limit, the insurer will pay all CTP insurance claims, however the insurer has the right to recover the cost from you.

For more information, contact your insurance company.