Source: http://c-f-c.com/supportdocs/dot_define.htm
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 00:59:12+00:00

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Definitions Common to the Transport and Handling of Compressed Gases and Cylinders for the Department of Transportation with regard to the shipping of Hazardous Materials and Compressed Gases. General requirements for the shipping of compressed gas products. Code of Federal Regulations 49.
(1) For compressed gases in cylinders, see §173.304(a)(2) Table Note 1.
(2) For compressed gases in tank cars, see §173.314(c) Table Note 1.
(3) For compressed gases in cargo tanks and portable tanks, see §173.315(a) Table Note 1.
(4) For cryogenic liquids in cylinders, except hydrogen, see §173.316(c)(1).
(5) For hydrogen, cryogenic liquid in cylinders, see §173.316(c)(3) Table Note 1.
(6) For cryogenic liquids in cargo tanks, see §173.318(f)(1).
(7) For cryogenic liquids in tank cars, see §173.319(d)(1).
Flammable gas See §173.115 of this subchapter.
Flammable liquid See §173.120 of this subchapter.
Flammable solid See §173.124 of this subchapter.
Flash point. See §173.120 of this subchapter.
Freight container means a reusable container having a volume of 64 cubic feet or more, designed and constructed to permit being lifted with its contents intact and intended primarily for containment of packages (in unit form) during transportation.
Fuel tank means a tank other than a cargo tank, used to transport flammable or combustible liquid, or compressed gas for the purpose of supplying fuel for propulsion of the transport vehicle to which it is attached, or for the operation of other equipment on the transport vehicle.
Fumigated lading. See §§ 172.302(g) and 173.9.
Gas means a material which has a vapor pressure greater than 300 kPa (43.5 psi) at 50°C (122°F) or is completely gaseous at 20°C (68°F) at a standard pressure of 101.3 kPa (14.7 psi).
General public means, for purposes of subpart I of part 172, and subpart I of part 173 of this subchapter, any person other than an occupationally exposed hazmat employee.
Gross weight or Gross mass means the weight of a packaging plus the weight of its contents.
Hazard class means the category of hazard assigned to a hazardous material under the definitional criteria of part 173 of this subchapter and the provisions of the §172.101 Table. A material may meet the defining criteria for more than one hazard class but is assigned to only one hazard class.
Hazard zone means one of four levels of hazard (Hazard Zones A through D) assigned to gases, as specified in §173.116(a) of this subchapter, and one of two levels of hazards (Hazard Zones A and B) assigned to liquids that are poisonous by inhalation, as specified in §173.133(a) of this subchapter. A hazard zone is based on the LC50 value for acute inhalation toxicity of gases and vapors, as specified in §173.133(a).
Hazardous material means a substance or material, which has been determined by the Secretary of Transportation to be capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety, and property when transported in commerce, and which has been so designated. The term includes hazardous substances, hazardous wastes, marine pollutants, and elevated temperature materials as defined in this section, materials designated as hazardous under the provisions of §172.101 of this subchapter, and materials that meet the defining criteria for hazard classes and divisions in part 173 of this subchapter.
(i) For radionuclides, conforms to paragraph 6 of the Appendix A to §172.101.
(ii) For other than radionuclides, is in a concentration by weight which equals or exceeds the concentration corresponding to the RQ of the material.
The term does not include petroleum, including crude oil or any fraction thereof which is not otherwise specifically listed or designated as a hazardous substance in Appendix A to §172.101 of this subchapter, and the term does not include natural gas, natural gas liquids, liquefied natural gas, or synthetic gas usable for fuel (or mixtures of natural gas and such synthetic gas).
Hazardous waste, for the purposes of this chapter, means any material that is subject to the Hazardous Waste Manifest Requirements of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency specified in 40 CFR part 262.
(5) Operates a vehicle used to transport hazardous materials.
Hazmat employer means a person who uses one or more of its employees in connection with: transporting hazardous materials in commerce; causing hazardous materials to be transported or shipped in commerce; or representing, marking, certifying, selling, offering, manufacturing, reconditioning, testing, repairing, or modifying containers, drums, or packagings as qualified for use in the transportation of hazardous materials. This term includes an owner-operator of a motor vehicle which transports hazardous materials in commerce. This term also includes any department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States, a State, a political subdivision of a State, or an Indian tribe engaged in an activity described in the first sentence of this definition.
Hermetically sealed means closed by fusion, gasketing, crimping, or equivalent means so that no gas or vapor can enter or escape.
IAEA means International Atomic Energy Agency.
IATA means International Air Transport Association.
ICAO means International Civil Aviation Organization.
IMO means International Maritime Organization.
Infectious substance (etiologic agent). See §173.134 of this subchapter.
Inner packaging means a packaging for which an outer packaging is required for transport. It does not include the inner receptacle of a composite packaging.
Inner receptacle means a receptacle which requires an outer packaging in order to perform its containment function. The inner receptacle may be an inner packaging of a combination packaging or the inner receptacle of a composite packaging.
Intermediate bulk container (IBC) means a rigid or flexible portable packaging, other than a cylinder or portable tank, which is designed for mechanical handling. Standards for intermediate bulk containers manufactured in the United States are set forth in subparts N and O of part 178 of this subchapter.
Intermediate packaging means a packaging which encloses an inner packaging or article and is itself enclosed in an outer packaging.
Intermodal container means a freight container designed and constructed to permit it to be used interchangeably in two or more modes of transport.
Intermodal portable tank or IM portable tank means a specific class of portable tanks designed primarily for international intermodal use.
(3) Between places in one or more foreign countries through the United States.
Irritating material. See §173.132(a)(2) of this subchapter.
Jerrican means a metal or plastic packaging of rectangular or polygonal cross-section.
Limited quantity, when specified as such in a section applicable to a particular material, means the maximum amount of a hazardous material for which there is a specific labeling or packaging exception.
Liquid means a material, other than an elevated temperature material, with a melting point or initial melting point of 20°C (68°F) or lower at a standard pressure of 101.3 kPa (14.7 psi). A viscous material for which a specific melting point cannot be determined must be subjected to the procedures specified in ASTM D 4359 "Standard Test Method for Determining Whether a Material is Liquid or Solid".
Liquid phase means a material that meets the definition of liquid when evaluated at the higher of the temperature at which it is offered for transportation or at which it is transported, not at the 37.8°C (100°F) temperature specified in ASTM D 4359-84.
Magazine vessel means a vessel used for the receiving, storing, or dispensing of explosives.
Magnetic material. See §173.21(d) of this subchapter.
(2) One percent by weight of the solution or mixture for materials that are identified as severe marine pollutants in the appendix.
Marking means a descriptive name, identification number, instructions, cautions, weight, specification, or UN marks, or combinations thereof, required by this subchapter on outer packagings of hazardous materials.
(3) By a private motor carrier (including vehicles operated by a rail carrier) in direct support of a principal business that is other than transportation by motor vehicle.
(3) Any material identified as an inhalation hazard by a special provision in Column 7 of the §172.101 Table.
Maximum Allowable Working Pressure or MAWP For DOT specification cargo tanks used to transport liquid hazardous materials, see §178.345-1(k).
Maximum capacity means the maximum inner volume of receptacles or packagings.
Maximum net mass means the allowable maximum net mass of contents in a single packaging, or as used in subpart M of part 178 of this subchapter, the maximum combined mass of inner packaging, and the contents thereof.
Miscellaneous hazardous material. See §173.140 of this subchapter.
Mixture means a material composed of more than one chemical compound or element.
Mode means any of the following transportation methods; rail, highway, air, or water.
Motor vehicle includes a vehicle, machine, tractor, trailer, or semitrailer, or any combination thereof, propelled or drawn by mechanical power and used upon the highways in the transportation of passengers or property. It does not include a vehicle, locomotive, or car operated exclusively on a rail or rails, or a trolley bus operated by electric power derived from a fixed overhead wire, furnishing local passenger transportation similar to street-railway service.
Name of contents means the proper shipping name as specified in §172.101 of this subchapter.
Navigable waters means, for the purposes of this subchapter, waters of the United States, including the territorial seas.
(3) A water capacity of 454 kg (1000 pounds) or less as a receptacle for a gas as defined in §173.115 of this subchapter.
Nonflammable gas. See §173.115 of this subchapter.
N.O.S. means not otherwise specified.
n.o.s. description means a shipping description from the §172.101 table which includes the abbreviation n.o.s., and as contained in the lists in §172.203(k)(3) of this subchapter, regarding additional description requirements.
NPT means an American Standard taper pipe thread conforming to requirements of Federal Standard H28, part II, section VII. See §171.7(d)(12).
NRC (non-reusable container) means a packaging (container) whose reuse is restricted in accordance with the provisions of §173.28 of this subchapter.
Occupationally exposed hazmat employee means a hazmat employee whose duties involve exposure to ionizing radiation.
Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection means a person from the civilian or military branch of the Coast Guard designated as such by the Commandant and who under the supervision and direction of the Coast Guard District Commander is in charge of a designated inspection zone for the performance of duties with respect to the enforcement and administration of title 52, Revised Statutes, acts amendatory thereof or supplemental thereto, rules and regulations thereunder, and the inspection required thereby.
Offshore supply vessel means a cargo vessel of less than 500 gross tons that regularly transports goods, supplies or equipment in support of exploration or production of offshore mineral or energy resources.
Operator means a person who controls the use of an aircraft, vessel, or vehicle.
Organic peroxide. See §173.128 of this subchapter.
ORM means other regulated material. See §173.144 of this subchapter.
Outage or ullage means the amount by which a packaging falls short of being liquid full, usually expressed in percent by volume.
Outer packaging means the outermost enclosure of a composite or combination packaging together with any absorbent materials, cushioning and any other components necessary to contain and protect inner receptacles or inner packagings.
(2) Placed in a protective outer packaging such as a box or crate.
Oxidizer. See §173.127 of this subchapter.
Oxidizing gas means a gas which may, generally by providing oxygen, cause or contribute to the combustion of other material more than air does.
Oxygen generator (chemical) means a device containing chemicals that upon activation release oxygen as a product of chemical reaction.
Package or Outside Package means a packaging plus its contents. For radioactive materials, see §173.403 of this subchapter.
Packaging means a receptacle and any other components or materials necessary for the receptacle to perform its containment function in conformance with the minimum packing requirements of this subchapter. For radioactive materials packaging, see §173.403 of this subchapter.
Packing group means a grouping according to the degree of danger presented by hazardous materials. Packing Group I indicates great danger; Packing Group II, medium danger; Packing Group III, minor danger. See §172.101(f) of this subchapter.
(4) A guest who has not contributed any consideration directly or indirectly for his carriage.
Passenger-carrying aircraft means an aircraft that carries any person other than a crewmember, company employee, an authorized representative of the United States, or a person accompanying the shipment.
(4) A vessel engaged in a ferry operation and which carries passengers.
(2) For the purposes of 49 U.S.C. 5123 and 5124, any agency or instrumentality of the Federal Government.
Placarded car means a rail car which is placarded in accordance with the requirements of part 172 of this subchapter except those cars displaying only the FUMIGATION placards as required by §172.510.
Poisonous gas. See §173.115 of this subchapter.
Poisonous materials. See §173.132 of this subchapter.
Portable tank means a bulk packaging (except a cylinder having a water capacity of 1000 pounds or less) designed primarily to be loaded onto, or on, or temporarily attached to a transport vehicle or ship and equipped with skids, mountings, or accessories to facilitate handling of the tank by mechanical means. It does not include a cargo tank, tank car, multi-unit tank car tank, or trailer carrying 3AX, 3AAX, or 3T cylinders.
Preferred route or Preferred highway is a highway for shipment of highway route controlled quantities of radioactive materials so designated by a State routing agency, and any Interstate System highway for which an alternative highway has not been designated by such State agency as provided by §177.825(b) of this subchapter.
Primary hazard means the hazard class of a material as assigned in the §172.101 table.
Private track or Private siding means track located outside of a carrier's right-of-way, yard, or terminals where the carrier does not own the rails, ties, roadbed, or right-of-way and includes track or portion of track which is devoted to the purpose of its user either by lease or written agreement, in which case the lease or written agreement is considered equivalent to ownership.
Proper shipping name means the name of the hazardous material shown in Roman print (not italics) in §172.101 of this subchapter.
P.s.i. or psi means pounds per square inch.
P.s.i.a. or psia means pounds per square inch absolute.
P.s.i.g. or psig means pounds per square inch gauge.
Public vessel means a vessel owned by and being used in the public service of the United States. It does not include a vessel owned by the United States and engaged in a trade or commercial service or a vessel under contract or charter to the United States.
Pyrophoric liquid. See §173.124(b) of this subchapter.
Radioactive materials. See §173.403 of this subchapter for definitions relating to radioactive materials.
Rail car means a car designed to carry freight or non-passenger personnel by rail, and includes a box car, flat car, gondola car, hopper car, tank car, and occupied caboose.
Railroad means a person engaged in transportation by rail.
(1) Has an engineering degree and one year of work experience.
(2) Has an associate degree in engineering and two years of work experience.
(3) Has a high school diploma or General Equivalency Diploma and three years of work experience.
(4) Has at least three years experience in performing the duties of a Registered Inspector by September 1, 1991, and was registered with the Department by December 31, 1995.
Regulated medical waste. See §173.134 of this subchapter.
Reportable quantity (RQ) for the purposes of this subchapter means the quantity specified in column 3 of the appendix to §172.101 for any material identified in Column 1 of the appendix.
Research means investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery of new theories or laws and the discovery and interpretation of facts or revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts.
Residue means the hazardous material remaining in a packaging, including a tank car, after its contents have been unloaded to the maximum extent practicable and before the packaging is either refilled or cleaned of hazardous material and purged to remove any hazardous vapors.
RSPA means the Research and Special Programs Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC 20590.
SADT means self-accelerated decomposition temperature. See §173.21(f) of this subchapter.
Salvage packaging means a special packaging conforming to § 173.3 of this subchapter into which damaged, defective or leaking hazardous materials packages, or hazardous materials that have spilled or leaked, are placed for purposes of transport for recovery or disposal.
SCF (standard cubic foot) means one cubic foot of gas measured at 60° F. and 14.7 psia.
Sheathing means a covering consisting of a smooth layer of wood placed over metal and secured to prevent any movement.
Shipping paper means a shipping order, bill of lading, manifest or other shipping document serving a similar purpose and containing the information required by §§172.202, 172.203 and 172.204.
Siftproof packaging means a packaging impermeable to dry contents, including fine solid material produced during transportation.
Single packaging means a non-bulk packaging other than a combination packaging.
Solid means a material which is not a gas or a liquid.
Solution means any homogeneous liquid mixture of two or more chemical compounds or elements that will not undergo any segregation under conditions normal to transportation.
Specification packaging means a packaging conforming to one of the specifications or standards for packagings in part 178 or part 179 of thissubchapter.
Spontaneously combustible material. See §173.124(b) of this subchapter.
State means a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, or any other territory or possession of the United States designated by the Secretary.
State-designated route means a preferred route selected in accordance with U.S. DOT "Guidelines for Selecting Preferred Highway Routes for Highway Route Controlled Quantities of Radioactive Materials" or an equivalent routing analysis which adequately considers overall risk to the public.
Stowage means the act of placing hazardous materials on board a vessel.
Strong outside container means the outermost enclosure which provides protection against the unintentional release of its contents under conditions normally incident to transportation.
Subsidiary hazard means a hazard of a material other than the primary hazard. (See primary hazard).
Technical name means a recognized chemical name or microbiological name currently used in scientific and technical handbooks, journals, and texts. Generic descriptions are authorized for use as technical names provided they readily identify the general chemical group, or microbiological group. Examples of acceptable generic chemical descriptions are organic phosphate compounds, petroleum aliphatic hydrocarbons and tertiary amines. For proficiency testing only, generic microbiological descriptions such as bacteria, mycobacteria, fungus, and viral samples may be used. Except for names which appear in subpart B of part 172 of this subchapter, trade names may not be used as technical names.
Top shell means the tank car tank surface, excluding the head ends and bottom shell of the tank car tank.
Trailership means a vessel, other than a carfloat, specifically equipped to carry motor transport vehicles and fitted with installed securing devices to tie down each vehicle. The term trailership includes Roll-on/Roll-off (RO/RO) vessels.
Train means one or more engines coupled with one or more rail cars, except during switching operations or where the operation is that of classifying and assembling rail cars within a railroad yard for the purpose of making or breaking up trains.
Trainship means a vessel other than a rail car ferry or carfloat, specifically equipped to transport railroad vehicles, and fitted with installed securing devices to tie down each vehicle.
Transport vehicle means 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.
UFC means Uniform Freight Classification.
UN standard packaging means a packaging conforming to standards in the UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods.
Unit load device means any type of freight container, aircraft container, aircraft pallet with a net, or aircraft pallet with a net over an igloo.
United States means a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, or any other territory or possession of the United States designated by the Secretary.
Vessel includes every description of watercraft, used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on the water.
Viscous liquid means a liquid material which has a measured viscosity in excess of 2500 centistokes at 25° C. (77° F.) when determined in accordance with the procedures specified in ASTM Method D 445-72 "Kinematic Viscosity of Transparent and Opaque Liquids (and the Calculation of Dynamic Viscosity)" or ASTM Method D 1200-70 "Viscosity of Paints, Varnishes, and Lacquers by Ford Viscosity Cup."
Volatility refers to the relative rate of evaporation of materials to assume the vapor state.
Water reactive material. See §173.124(c) of this subchapter.
Water resistant means having a degree of resistance to permeability by and damage caused by water in liquid form.
Wooden barrel means a packaging made of natural wood, of round cross-section, having convex walls, consisting of staves and heads and fitted with hoops.

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