# Farmland Industries, Inc. — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation

- **operation:** document
- **citation:** 98-0411
- **title:** Farmland Industries, Inc. — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation
- **source type:** guidance
- **agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- **status:** guidance
- **official:** true
- **published on:** 1998-05-29
- **effective on:** Not available
- **summary:** 98-0411 response to Farmland Industries, Inc. concerning 172.204.
- **machine formats:** - **json:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-98-0411.json
- **markdown:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-98-0411.md
- **app url:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-98-0411
- **source url:** https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/1998/980411.pdf
**body:**

<<<PAGE 1>>>

U.S.Department
of Transportation
Washington, D C.
400 Seventh Street, S.W
20590
Special Programs
Research and
Administration
MAY 29 1998
Mr. Jack Curry
Manager, Safety/Hazardous Materials
P.O. Box 7305
Farmland Industries, Inc.
Kansas City, MO 64114-0005
Dear Mr. Curry:
This is in response to your letter of March 13, 1998, concerning clarifications of the
Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180). Your first question
concerns the requirement for a shipper's certification for a shipment that was shipped to the
wrong location and had a new shipping paper assigned to it. Your second question concerned
whether it is permissible to continue to include a "placarded" notation on your shipping
papers even though it is not required.
In response to your first question, when a shipment is offered for transportation and a
shipping paper is required, you are subject to § 172.204 which requires a shipper's
certification unless excepted in § 172.204(b). Since you created a new shipping paper for the
shipment, it must include a signed certification statement.
In response to your second question, you may include a "placarded" notation on your shipping
paper even though the HIMR do not require you to do so. As provided in § 172.201(a)(4),
additional information may be included on a shipping paper after the basic description
I hope this answers your questions.
contact us.
If we can be of further assistance, do not hesitate to
Sincerely,
•
Nelo
Delmer F. Billings
Chief, Standards Development
Office of Hazardous Materials Standards

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Farmland
172.204
armland Industries, Inc
Aali.
224,210
ost Office Box 730:
s0:
Mr. Alan Roberts
March 13, 1998
Research and Special Programs Administration
US Department of Transportation
400 S. W. Seventh Street
Washington, DC 20590-0001
Dear Mr. Roberts:
I recently received an internal audit of bills of lading from the Burlington Northern
Railroad in which they took exception to some issues, which I question.
One of the issues or to use their language exception which they found dealt with the need
for a shipper certification 172.204 on a "rebilled" rail car of ammonia. The car was
shipped originally destined for one location. Upon arrival at that location, it was
determined that the car needed to be relocated to another location. The car, at that point
was rebilled. My question is regarding the need for a shipper certification on this type
movement. Is a shipper certification required on movement of a hazardous materials
shipment once it has passed it's original intended destination?
The audit committee, also took exception to the fact that Farmland has elected to
continue to place a Placarded notation on our bills of lading. We are fully aware that the
requirement no longer exits in the regulation. It was decided that Farmland would
continue to place this information on the bills. As long as that information appears
following any basic description, is there a problem with the display of a placarded
statement?
Considering the number of problems that BNSF as well as all the other railroads are
having with service complaints, I find it interesting that they have the time or take the
trouble to question a shipper regarding the above requested information. Regardless, I
look forward to your response, in order to draft response to BNSF.
Sincerely,
fork hung
Jack Curry, Manager
Safety/Hazardous Materials
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