# Hyundai America — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation

- **operation:** document
- **citation:** 04-0196
- **title:** Hyundai America — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation
- **source type:** guidance
- **agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- **status:** guidance
- **official:** true
- **published on:** 2005-01-18
- **effective on:** Not available
- **summary:** 04-0196 response to Hyundai America concerning 172.516.
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- **source url:** https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/2004/040196.pdf
**body:**

<<<PAGE 1>>>

J.S. Department
of Transportatior
Washington, D.C. 20590
400 Seventh St., S.W.
Special Programs
Research and
JAN 1 8 2005
Administration
Mr. Herbert Giles
Reference No.: 04-0196
Manager, Hazardous Material
Hyundai America
1425 Greenway Drive
Suite 600
Irving, TX 75038
Dear Mr. Giles:
This responds to your letter requesting further clarification of
the placarding requirements under the Hazardous Materials
Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180). Specifically, you ask
if it is a violation to affix placards to a non-flat surface
(e.g.: corrugated) of a freight container.
It is difficult for us to evaluate the merits of the specific
placard in question without seeing a picture of the placard on
the freight container.
However, the HMR do not prohibit
placards from being placed on a corrugated surface if the
placards still comply with the visibility and display
requirements specified in § 172.516.
I trust this
satisfies your inquiry.
Sincerely,
Hattie Mitchell
Chief,
Regulatory Review and Reinvention
Office of Hazardous Materials
: Standards
MINANIMII
172.516
040196

<<<PAGE 2>>>

Satterthumute.
5172.516
HYUNDAI
Placarding
AMERICA SHIPPING AGENCY, INC.
04-0146
20 December 2004
To:
office of Hazardous Material Standards (DHM 10)
U. S. Department of Transportation
400 7th Street SW
Washington, D. C. 20590
From:
Hyundai America Shipping Agency
(Hazardous Material Department)
Irving, Texas 75038
1425 Greenway Drive, Suite 600
Subj: Letter of Interpretation
citation by the Long Beach Police Department alleging that the
Recently, one of our in-house trucking companies received a
container was not readable and therefore was in violation of section
hazardous material placards affixed to the front panel of an intermodal
172.516 (c) (5) 49 CFR.
viewed from an angle rather than directly from the direction the
In addition, the citation states that when
placard faced, only "927" of the ID number 2927 could be viewed from
the officer whom wrote the citation was attempting to read the ID
the left front and only "292" from the right front.
In other words,
numbex 2927 from it seems a 45 degree angle.
Long Beach policeman cited the trucker, the U. S. Coast Guard Marine
Just minutes before the
Safety Office had inspected the same container and found no defects or
violations of either the 49 CFR or the IMDG Code.
placard on a rail car must be clearly visible from the direction it
Section 172.516 (a) reads "Each placard on a motor vehicle and each
met by the placards displayed on the freight containers or portable
faces, etc".
This section goes on to state "This requirement may be
tanks loaded or a motor vehicle or rail car."
3. My question is:
container obscure the visibility of placards, is it a violation of the
a.
Since the corrugated sides (especially the front) of a freight
HMR to affix placards to freight containers that do not have a flat
surface welded on each of the four sides specifically for the purpose
of affixing placards to its flat surface?
4. I look forward to your response.
Best Regards,
Halibites
Herbert
Hyundai
Manager, Hazardous Material
972-550-2645
America
MERIDIAN BUILDING • 1425 GREENWAY DRIVE, SUITE 600 • IRVING, TX 75038
PHONE: (972) 550-2600 • FAx: (972) 550-2695
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