International Carriage Of Dangerous Goods By Road (ADR) From UK Haulier. Also all UK Tunnel Codes and classification for ADR

To establish whether a vehicle/load is subject to ADR rules use the following procedure.

1. Identify the transport category of the load, this is usually the same as the Packing Group but can be more accurately identified from the table (See Below.). If the size of the load does not exceed the limit in column 3 then ADR rules do not apply other than as follows:

      i)      One 2 kg fire extinguisher must still be carried and precaution taken against fire during loading/unloading and transit.

      ii)      The driver, although not requiring an ADR licence, should have received training appropriate to his responsibilities and duties.

      iii)      In the case of larger loads parking restrictions may still apply.

2. In the case of a mixed load the load size limits are calculated as follows:

The sum of

- the quantity of substances and articles of transport category 1 multiplied by 50

- the quantity of substances and articles of transport category 1 referred to in note are below the table multimlied by 20.

- the quantity of substances and articles of transport category 2 multiplied by 3, and...

- the quantity of substances and articles of transport category 3 shall not exceed 1000. If the number does not exceed 1000 then as in 1 above, only these provisions apply.

Note: Further exemptions may apply in the case of small quantities packed in combination packagings. In this case ADR does not apply at all.

The above summary is not intended as a definitive interpretation of ADR rules and no responsibility can be accepted for its accuracy. In case of doubt refer to http://www.unece.org. (Please note ukhaulier.co.uk is not responsible for the content of any external internet sites)

Where the dangerous goods carried in the transport unit belong to the same category, the maximum total quantity per transport unit is indicated in column (3) of the table below.

For UN No's. 0081, 0082, 0084, 0241, 0331, 0332, 0482, 1005 and 1017, the total maximum quantity per transport unitshall be 50kg.

Tunnel classification for ADR came into effect on 1st January 2010. These codes should make it easier to route journeys as the tunnels and codes are published on the UNECE web-ste. You can find the at the following address: http://www.unece.org. The Tunnel codes will need to be added to transport documents by consignors.

There are five categories of tunnel categorisation with A being the least restrictive and as such will not be sign-posted, through to E which will mean only the passage of UN 2919, 3291, 3331, 3359 and 3373 will be allowed.

The categorisation is based on the assumption that in tunnels there are three major dangers which may cause numerous victims or serious damage to the tunnel itself, these are:

- Explosions
- Release of toxic gas or volatile liquid
- Fires

The UK aithorities have now concluded all but one of their codes on the nine applicable tunnels after undertaking the risk assessment process. These tunnels are confirmed as:

Blackwall (London) - Code E

Clyde - Code D

Dartford - Code C

East India Dock Road (London) - Code E

Limehouse (London) - Code E

Mersey - Code D

Ramsgate - Code A

Rotherhithe (London) - Code E

Tyne - Code D

The codes above are for the tunnels themselves, the dangerous goods carried have a set of codes to go with them and can been seen on the table below (ADR 8.6.4).

Hauliers who transport goods under excemptions at 1.1.3, Limited and Excepted Quantities or under threshold limits for example will not have to apply to the tunnel codes as they are not subject to the restrictions (shown at 1.9.5.3.6 & 8.6.3.3).

Each UN number has been given a tunnel restriction code and they can be found in table A 3.2.1 in column 15 along with the Transport category information.

If substances transported are in scope these codes will need to be inserted into the tranport documents in compliance with 5.4.1.1.1 (k). If it's known the travel will not involve any tunnels then the code does not need to be entered.

When loads contain more than one dangerous substance the most restrictive code amongst those substances will need applying to the entire load.

Petrol (UN 1203) in tank carrage, which is a common member load can be shown as an example, colum 15 shows this as D/E. Looking at the table below, D/E allows the substance to travel through tunnel marked D or E.