RPSA Clarifies Hazmat Placard Placement
Hazardous materials placards may be placed at a level below the trailer’s floor and behind the rear underride guard as long as they are not obscured, according to a June 2 decision by the Department of Transportation’s Research and Special Programs Administration.
The decision was a reversal of an initial RSPA ruling that prohibited the practice of putting placards in such a location because they would easily be covered by dirt and debris.
Edward T. Mazzullo, director of the Office of Hazardous Material Standards at RSPA, acknowledged in a letter to ATA that the association and motor carrier representatives had convinced RSPA officials during a May 8 meeting that below-floor-level positioning of the signs was no more likely to obscured than a door position.
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 |  TT file photo |
| Hazardous materials placards may be placed low on the rear of a trailer as long as they are not obscured in any way, RSPA said. |
American Trucking Associations argued that placards placed below the trailer bed were no more likely to be obscured by the natural elements than those placed on the trailer door.
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