{"operation":"document","citation":"10-0261","title":"Duke Energy Corporation — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation","source_type":"guidance","agency":"Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","status":"guidance","official":true,"published_on":"2011-02-28","effective_on":null,"summary":"10-0261 response to Duke Energy Corporation concerning 173.159, 173.6.","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-10-0261.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-10-0261.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-10-0261","source_url":"https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretations/2010/100261.pdf","body":"<<<PAGE 1>>>\n\nU.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration\nFEB 2 8 2011\n1200 New Jersey Ave, SE\nWashington, D.C. 20590\nMr. Chuck Denny\nDuke Energy Corporation\n526 South Church Street, EC13K\nCharlotte, NC 28202\nReference No.: 10-0261\nDear Mr. Denny:\nThis responds to your email requesting clarification of the Hazardous Materials Regulations\n(HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180) applicable to a transport vehicle. Specifically, you ask for\nclarification on the definition of a transport vehicle and how this definition affects the use of the\nexceptions for materials of trade (MOTs) specified in § 173.6 and batteries specified in\n§ 173.159 and 173.159a.\nIn your email, you describe a scenario in which a utility truck is pulling a trailer. The utility\ntruck is carrying material meeting the MOTs exception, specified in § 173.6, while the trailer\ncontains electric storage batteries. Your questions are paraphrased and answered as follows:\nQl: Can a utility truck be considered a separate transport vehicle from a trailer that is\nconnected to it?\nAI: The answer is yes. Transport vehicle means a cargo-carrying vehicle, such as an\nautomobile, van, tractor, truck, semitrailer, tank car or rail car used for the transportation\nof cargo by any mode. Each cargo.,carrying body (trailer, rail car, etc.) is a separate\ntransport vehicle. (See § 171.8.)\nQ2: If the answer to Ql is yes, may each transport vehicle utilize separate exceptions\nspecified in the HMR? Specifically, can the utility truck use the MOTs exception\nspecified in § 173.6 while the trailer uses the electric storage battery exception specified\nin § 173.159(e)?\nA2: The answer is yes. If a transport vehicle contains any other hazardous materials, even\nthose excepted from all or part of the HMR (e.g., materials of trade; see § 173.6), the\nexception specified in § 173.1S9(e) does not apply. However, since the utility truck and\ntrailer are considered separate transport vehicles a person may utilize separate exceptions\nin each transport vehicle provided they meet all the requirements specified for each\nexception (Le. §§ 173.6 and 173.159(e)).\n\n<<<PAGE 2>>>\n\nQ3: If a transport vehicle contains both spillable and non-spillable lead acid batteries, can that\ntransport vehicle utilize the exceptions specified in §§ 173.159(e) and 173.159a\nsimultaneously?\nA3: The answer is yes. Electric storage batteries containing electrolyte or corrosive battery\nfluid are excepted from the HMR when transported in accordance with the provisions\nspecified in § 173.159( e). The exception in § 173.159( e) is applicable to \"Electric\nstorage batteries containing electrolyte or corrosive battery fluid\" and does not\ndifferentiate between spillable and non-spillable lead acid batteries. The condition\nspecified in § 173 .159( e )(1) states that no other hazardous materials may be transported\non the same vehicle. For the purposes of this exception, spillable and non-spillable\nbatteries are both considered \"Electric storage batteries containing electrolyte or\ncorrosive battery fluid.\" Therefore, provided no other hazardous materials are loaded in\nthe transport vehicle with the spillable and non-spillable electric storage batteries and all\nthe requirements of §§ 173.159 and 173.159a are met, the electric storage batteries would\nbe excepted from the HMR.\nI hope this satisfies your inquiry. Please contact us if we can be of further assistance.\nSincerely,\nT. Glenn Foster\nChief, Regulatory Review and Reinvention Branch\nStandards and Rulemaking Division\n\n<<<PAGE 3>>>\n\n13 en e cl ,. <!.-1~J1~·\n159\nDrakeford, Carolyn (PHMSA) ~/73#ft:;\nFrom: INFOCNTR (PHMSA) Ba Hey,'es\nSent: Wednesday, December 15, 2010 3:56 PM I D- DJ...b J\nTo: Drakeford, Carolyn (PHMSA)\nSubject: FW: Hazmat Information Center Feedback: Shippers-General Requirements for Shipments\nand Packagings (Sections 173.1 &ndash; 173,476)\nHi Carolyn,\nChuck Denny requested we forward this e-mail as a request for a formal letter of\ninterpretation.\nThanks,\nVictoria Lehman\n202-366-1035\n-----Original Message-- -From:\nPHMSA-Feedback [mailto:PHMSA-Feedback]\nSent: Tuesday, December 14, 2010 2:37 PM\nTo: PHMSA HM InfoCenter; PHMSA Webmaster\nSubject: Hazmat Information Center Feedback: Shippers-General Requirements for Shipments and\nPackagings (Sections 173.1 &ndash; 173.476)\nThe following questions pertain to battery shipments and reference DOT interpretation letters\n06-0062, 07-0026 and 98-0532.\nIssue 1\nA utility truck is pulling a trailer. The utility truck is carrying material under the\nMaterials of Trade exception, 49 CFR 173.6. The trailer contains only lead acid batteries.\nCan the trailer transport the lead acid batteries exception under 49 CFR 173.159 (e) while\nconnected to the utility truck carrying hazardous materials under the Materials of Trade\nexception 49 CFR 173.6? Per DOT interpretation 07-0026, the battery exception 49 CFR 173.159\n(e) cannot be used with the Materials of Trade exception 49 CFR 173.6 when they are being\ntransported on the same vehicle. Per DOT Interpretation, 98-0532, each cargo-carrying body\n(trailer) is a separate transport vehicle. Can the utility truck be considered a separate\ntransport vehicle from the trailer that it is connected and allow one exception to be used on\nthe utility truck and the other exception to be used for the trailer?\nIssue 2\nA transport vehicle contains both spillable and non-spillable batteries. Can lead acid\nbatteries under 49 CFR 173.159 (e) and lead acid batteries under 49 CFR 173.159a both be\ntransported together using both exceptions? Per DOT Interpretation 06-0062, the usage of\nboth exceptions being used at the same time appears to be accurate.\nThe questions were sent earlier, but no response was received. Therefore, resubmitting with\ncell phone telephone number.\nName: Chuck Denny\nOrganization: Duke Energy Corporation\nEmail: Chuck.Denny@duke-energy.com\nAddress: 526 South Church Street, EC13K\nCity: Charlotte\nZip Code: 28202\nPhone: 704-564-1504\nCountry: USA\n1\n\n<<<PAGE 4>>>\n\nFAX: 704-382-6240","truncated":false,"body_characters":6036}