# URS Corporations — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation

**Citation:** 03-0251  
**Type / status:** guidance / guidance  
**Agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration  
**Effective:** Not stated  
**Published:** 2003-11-18

03-0251 response to URS Corporations concerning 171.2.

## Document text

<<<PAGE 1>>>

of Transportation
U.S. Department
400 Seventh St., S.W,
Speciai Programs
Research and
Washington, D.C. 20590
Administration
NOV 1 8 2003
Mr. Andrew N. Romach
Ref. No. 03-0251
Regulatory Manager
1600 Perimeter Park Drive
URS Corporations
Morrisville, NC 27560
Dear Mr. Romach:
This is in response to your September 24, 2003 letter, requesting clarification of the
Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180) applicable to the removal of
freight container has been unloaded of hazardous materials.
placards. Specifically, you ask if the truck driver is responsible for removing placards after a
The HMR do not specify when placards must be applied to or removed from a vehicle.
unloaded and no longer contains hazardous materials, the placards must be removed prior to
transportation of the empty freight container.
I hope this satisfies your inquiry.
Sincerely,
Khar Goo
Susan Gorsky
Senior Transportation Regulations Specialist
Office of Hazardous Materials Standards
1712
030251

<<<PAGE 2>>>

FPOM:
URS CORP
FAX NO.:
9194611371
10-15-03
03:47P
P. 02
URS
Foster
$172.512
September 24, 2003
Placarding
Mr. Ed Mazzullo, Director
Research and Special Programs Administration
Office of Hazardous Material Standards
U.S. Department of Transportation
Washington, DC 20590-0001
400 7th Street, SW
FAX: (202) 366-3012
Dear Mr. Mazzulio:
I am writing to you to request a written regulatory interpretation concerning who is responsible for removing
the situation under question, the shipper of the hazardous materials hires a truck driver to transport a
placards once hazardous matcrials are delivered to the consignce and unloaded from a freight container. In
the hazardous materials from the freight container and take possession of the hazardous materials at that
placardable quantity of hazardous materials inside a freight container to our facility; our employees unload
time. The freight container remains attached to the truck bed. Once unloaded, the truck leaving our facility is
empty. Is it the truck driver's responsibility to ensure that all of the placards formerly indicating that
171.2(0(2) before driving off of our premises?
hazardous materials were present inside the freight container are removed in accordance with 49 CFR
I would appreciate yuur clarification of this question.
-..
Sincerely
Regulatory Manager
Andrew N. Romach
URS Corporation
1600 Perimeter Park Drive
URS Corporation
Tel: 919.461.1220
Morrisville, NC 27560
Fax: 919.461.1371
Andy romach@urscorp.com

## Provenance

- Official: Yes
- Source: <https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/2003/030251.pdf>
- Source ID: `phmsa`
- SHA-256: `3bd85e923553998669261f0e26c8aaf287efeb4def1126864a169ea510b96f3f`
- Retrieved: 2026-08-20T00:59:31.977Z
- Exported: 2026-08-23T03:26:37.918Z
- Document slug: `phmsa-interpretation-03-0251`

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