{"operation":"document","citation":"19-0022","title":"Thunder Creek Equipment — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation","source_type":"guidance","agency":"Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","status":"guidance","official":true,"published_on":"2019-03-04","effective_on":null,"summary":"19-0022 response to Thunder Creek Equipment concerning 173.5.","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-19-0022.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-19-0022.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-19-0022","source_url":"https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/docs/standards-rulemaking/hazmat/interpretations/70951/190022.pdf","body":"<<<PAGE 1>>>\n\nU.S. Department\nof Transportation\nPipeline and Hazardous\nMaterials Safety\nAdministration\n1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE\nWashington, DC 20590\nMAR O 4 2019\nMr. Luke Van Wyk\nSales Manager\nThunder Creek Equipment\n1833 Highway 163\nPella, Iowa 50219\nReference No. 19-0022\nDear Mr. Van Wyk:\nThis letter is in response to your August 22, 2018, email requesting clarification of the\nHazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180) applicable to agricultural\noperations. Specifically, you ask whether a local road, as the term is used in§ 173.5(a), must be\nconstructed of a specific material. You state the Illinois State Police are defining local roads\nprimarily as gravel roads when interpreting the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA)\nHighway Functional Classification: Concepts, Criteria and Procedures guidance issued to State\nDOTs. Consequently, farmers are not able to utilize the exceptions provided for agricultural\noperations in§ 173.5(a) when transporting authorized hazardous materials over paved roads.\nUnlike the guidance provided by the FHWA, the term \"local road\" is not defined in the HMR.\nSection 173.5(a) of the HMR applies to agricultural products being transported over local roads\nbetween fields of the same farm. Please note, in the preamble of the January 8, 1997, final rule\n(62 FR 1207; [HM-200]) we stated, \"For the purposes of this section, a local road does not\n. include an interstate highway.\" Thus, the type ofroadway (e.g., paved, unpaved, gravel) is\nirrelevant. We also note the FHW A guidance does not specify the type of roadway in its\ndefinition of a local road.\nI hope this information is helpful. 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 2>>>\n\nJanuary, lkeya CTR (PHMSA)\nFrom:\nSent:\nTo:\nCc:\nSubject:\nStevens, Michael (PHMSA)\nMonday, February 25, 2019 1:33 PM\nJanuary, Ikeya CTR (PHMSA)\nFoster, Glenn (PHMSA); Stevens, Michael (PHMSA)\nInterpretation\nlkeya,\nPlease assign the below interp request to me. The incoming is from:\nMr. Luke Van Wyk\nSales Manager\nThunder Creek Equipment\n1833 Highway 163\nPella, Iowa 50219\nPhone number: (641) 620-4025\nThanks,\nMichael\nFrom: Luke Van Wyk\nSent: Wednesday, August 22, 2018 8:07 AM\nTo: Stevens, Michael (PHMSA) <michael.stevens@dot.gov>\nSubject: RE: Questions\nGood morning Mr. Stevens,\nThank you for getting back to me. In rural settings they are defining local roads primarily as gravel roads. They have\nreferenced this Federal Highway Administration standard below as the basis for their very narrow interpretation of the\nterm \"local roads\" as it is used on 173.5\nhttps://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/processes/statewide/related/highway functional classifications/section03.cfm\nSection 3, in particular section 3.1.6 defines what a local road is\naccording to the Feds:\n3.1.6 Local Roads\nLocally classified roads account for the largest percentage of all\nroadways in terms of mileage. They are not intended for use in long\ndistance travel, except at the origin or destination end of the trip, due\nto their provision of direct access to abutting land. Bus routes generally\ndo not run on Local Roads. They are often designed to discourage through\ntraffic. As public roads, they should be accessible for public use\nthroughout the year.\n1\n\n<<<PAGE 3>>>\n\nLocal Roads are often classified by default. In other words, once all\nArterial and Collector roadways have been identified, all remaining\nroadways are classified as Local Roads (see Table 3-4).\nTable 3-4: Characteristics of Urban and Rural Local Roads\nUrban\nRural\nProvide direct access to adjacent land\nProvide access to higher systems\nCarry no through traffic movement\nConstitute the mileage not classified as part of the Arterial and\nCollector systems\nServe primarily to provide access to adjacent land\nProvide service to travel over short distances as compared to higher\nclassification categories\nConstitute the mileage not classified as part of the Arterial and\nCollector\nLuke Van Wyk I Vice President - Sales\nThunder Creek Equipment\nDirect: 641.620.4025\nCell: 641-780-1285\nLuke@ThunderCreek.com\nThunderCreek.com I LDJ-Products.com\nMichael Stevens\nTransportation Specialist (Regulations)\nStandards and Rulemaking Division\nOffice of Hazardous Materials Safety\nPipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration\nUS Department of Transportation\n1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. (E24-409)\nWashington, DC 20590\n(202) 366-8553\n2","truncated":false,"body_characters":4497}