Louisiana Administrative Code › Title 51 - PUBLIC HEALTH-SANITARY CODE › Part VII - Dairy Products Regulations › Chapter 7 - Sampling, Hauling and Transporting of Milk › Section VII-701 - Milk Tank Trucks

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 6, June 20, 2024
A. The
				construction of all milk tank trucks shall comply with applicable 3-A Standards
				and the requirements of the PMO.
B.
				Permitting. Each tank truck that loads or unloads milk or other dairy products
				in the State of Louisiana shall bear a current, valid milk tank truck permit
				issued by the state health officer, provided that milk tank trucks bearing a
				permit issued by a milk or dairy regulatory agency from another state whose
				milk tank truck regulations and inspectional procedures have been determined,
				by the state health officer, to be equivalent to those contained in this Part
				may be loaded or unloaded for an indefinite period until such milk tank trucks
				have been inspected and permitted by the state health officer. Milk tank trucks
				bearing a permit issued by a milk or dairy regulatory agency from another state
				whose permitting regulations or inspectional procedures for milk tank trucks
				have been determined, by the state health officer, not to be equivalent to
				those contained in this Part, may be loaded or unloaded for a period not to
				exceed five times in a one month period, provided further that each dairy plant
				maintain a log showing the dates and times each milk tank truck is loaded or
				unloaded and such log is made available to the state health officer for review.
				When such milk tank trucks have been loaded or unloaded more than five times in
				a one month period at a dairy plant in Louisiana, the plant shall contact the
				state health officer expeditiously and make necessary arrangements to have such
				milk tank trucks inspected and permitted. After the plant has done this, they
				may continue to load or unload such milk tank trucks until they have been
				inspected by the state health officer. Upon inspecting the milk tank truck,
				should the state health officer determine that it is not in substantial
				compliance with this Part and deny the issuance of a permit for the milk tank
				truck, it shall not load or unload dairy products in the state until all
				violations have been corrected and verified in a manner approved by the state
				health officer.
1. Under no circumstances or
				situations shall milk or other dairy products be loaded onto or unloaded from a
				tank truck that does not bear a current, valid permit issued by an official
				milk or dairy regulatory agency without prior authorization from the state
				health officer.
2. Owners of milk
				tank trucks that bear a current, valid permit issued by other state official
				milk or dairy regulatory agencies shall not be required to pay any inspection
				or permit fees of any kind or type.
3. The state health officer shall perform an
				inspection of the milk tank truck and its appurtenances prior to the issuance
				of the permit. This inspection shall be comprehensive and shall include a
				visual inspection of all of the product contact surfaces of the interior of the
				tank (interior surfaces of the tank, CIP equipment and any other product
				contact surfaces). This may be done by the inspector entering the interior of
				the tank or by using instruments that enable the inspector to visually observe
				all product contact surfaces in the interior of the tank. All other product
				surfaces (including pumps, valves, hoses, sampling equipment, etc.) shall be
				inspected.
4. Milk tank trucks that
				are found to be in compliance with §701. A above and are in substantial
				compliance with all other requirements of this Code, but are not equipped with
				an internal CIP system which complies with 3-A Standards shall be issued a
				restricted permit. This restricted permit shall authorize them to be unloaded
				only at plants that have cleaning systems (including manual cleaning and
				sanitizing programs), approved by the state health officer, capable of properly
				cleaning and sanitizing the vehicle. Provided, that arrangements may be made to
				have the milk tank truck properly cleaned and sanitized at a permitted dairy
				plant or milk tank truck cleaning facility that is capable of properly cleaning
				and sanitizing such trucks, as determined by the state health officer, within
				four hours after the milk tank truck is unloaded and prior to next use. Milk
				tank trucks that haul multiple loads within a 24 hours period, and are not
				empty for periods exceeding four hours each, during that time period, are
				excluded from this requirement, provided that they are cleaned and sanitized at
				a dairy plant or cleaning station that can accommodate such milk tank
				trucks.
5. Permits shall be valid
				for a period of one year unless suspended or revoked by the state health
				officer for cause.
6. A decal
				indicating the permit number and date of expiration shall be affixed to the
				milk tank truck trailer, in an area near the rear of the milk tank, where it
				can easily be seen.
7. Dairy plants
				that do not have facilities for properly cleaning and sanitizing milk tank
				trucks shall not unload milk tank truck loads of milk or dairy products.
				Provided, that the milk tank truck may be unloaded when arrangements are made
				by the dairy plant for the milk tank truck to be properly cleaned and sanitized
				at a permitted dairy plant or milk tank truck cleaning facility capable of
				properly cleaning and sanitizing the milk tank truck within four hours after
				being unloaded and prior to next use.
8. Milk tank trucks shall transport milk
				products only, provided that the state health officer may authorize the
				transporting of other food grade products. Milk tank trucks that have
				transported egg products shall not be used for transportation of milk
				products.
9. Milk tank trucks that
				have transported unpasteurized products shall not be used to transport
				pasteurized products that will not be re-pasteurized.