# Ehrhart Propane Gas — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation

**Citation:** 06-0185  
**Type / status:** guidance / guidance  
**Agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration  
**Effective:** Not stated  
**Published:** 2006-10-12

06-0185 response to Ehrhart Propane Gas concerning 177.834.

## Document text

<<<PAGE 1>>>

U.S. Department
of Transportation
400 Seventh Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20590
Hazardous Materials Safety
Pipeline and
Administration
Mr. Thomas G. Overbaugh
OCT 12 2006
Reference No. 06-0185
P.O. Box 388
President, Ehrhart Propane Gas
Trumansburg, NY 14886
Dear Mr. Overbaugh:
This is in response to your July 31, 2006 letter and August 16, 2006 telephone
conversation with a member of my staff asking if a RegO Products "Flomatic" fully
automatic internal valve installed on your company's bobtail cargo tanks is considered
closed in transportation under § 177.834(j) of the Hazardous Materials Regulations
(HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180).
You state the cargo tanks are in propane delivery service and when the pump is operating
separate actuator switch at another location on the cargo tank truck and to operate the
internal valve this separate switch must be open.
in accordance with § 177.834() of the HMR when the cargo tank pump is not in
Based on the information you provided, the answer is yes the valve is considered closed
operation and the slot in the visual indicator is in a horizontal position.
I hope this information is helpful.
Sincerely,
Hattie L. Mitchell
Office of Hazardous Materials Standards
Chief, Regulatory Review and Reinvention
177.834(j)
060185

<<<PAGE 2>>>

_amonsor
{ 171.8346
loading Unloading hining
EHRHART
PROPANE GAS
7387-8881
PO Box 388 • Trumansburg NY 14886
July 31, 1984
US Dept. of Transportation
400 Seventh Street S.W.
Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Washington, D.C.
Attention: Standards Development Office
Of Hazardous Materials Standards
RE: CFR177.834(J.2)
Propane cargo tank
Dear Sirs;
I would like to have a formal interpretation on the use a REGO FloMatic internal valve.
interpretation from you will put this issue to bed permanently.
impossible to have this valve open while driving down the road
I am inclosing a letter I received from the manufacturer of this valve explaining that it is
Yours truly
President

## Provenance

- Official: Yes
- Source: <https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/2006/060185.pdf>
- Source ID: `phmsa`
- SHA-256: `89807cc6ed17cca1521ac09ea074b27c623467b82a57787672fadab6c89f0e25`
- Retrieved: 2026-08-20T00:59:31.977Z
- Exported: 2026-08-26T17:05:55.668Z
- Document slug: `phmsa-interpretation-06-0185`

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