Frequently Asked Questions

Consignors of goods, Operators of vehicles, Drivers and Consignees that receive goods are all regulated and are assigned certain “duties” to perform.

Vehicles are regulated in terms of registration, design, construction and fitment with regard to placards, signage and other specified safety equipment.

Drivers of all Dangerous Goods vehicles must be trained annually by an accredited training provider under SAQA Unit Standard 123259.

Drivers of Heavy Goods Vehicles (>3.500kg GVM) must obtain a Professional Drivers Permit (PrDP) category G (Goods) and D (Dangerous Goods) every two years after undergoing a criminal record check and medical assessment by a General Practitioner. Certain prescribed documents must accompany all loads of “Dangerous Goods”, such as Transport Emergency Cards and Dangerous Goods Declarations. Hazardous Goods being transported must be compatible whilst loaded on a vehicle and some goods must be separated to prevent negative reactions when spilled.

Consignors of goods, Operators of vehicles, Drivers and Consignees that receive goods are all regulated and are assigned certain “duties” to perform.

Vehicles are regulated in terms of registration, design, construction and fitment with regard to placards, signage and other specified safety equipment.

Drivers of all Dangerous Goods vehicles must be trained annually by an accredited training provider under SAQA Unit Standard 123259.

Drivers of Heavy Goods Vehicles (>3.500kg GVM) must obtain a Professional Drivers Permit (PrDP) category G (Goods) and D (Dangerous Goods) every two years after undergoing a criminal record check and medical assessment by a General Practitioner. Certain prescribed documents must accompany all loads of “Dangerous Goods”, such as Transport Emergency Cards and Dangerous Goods Declarations. Hazardous Goods being transported must be compatible whilst loaded on a vehicle and some goods must be separated to prevent negative reactions when spilled.

The requirements for the transport of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR/DGR) are regulated internationally by the UNITED NATIONS and are regulated locally in South Africa under the following types of legislation:

– National Road Traffic Act, (NRTA) and National Road Traffic Regulations (NRTR)
– South African National Standards (SANS Codes) which are specifically referred to in the NRTR under Regulation 273A
– Municipal By-Laws (Emergency Services By-Laws)
– Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA)
– Hazardous Substances Act
– Explosives Act
– Fertilizer, Farm Feeds, Agricultural Remedies and Stock Remedies Act

New vehicles may be registered from new as carriers of both goods AND Dangerous Goods, and registered vehicles may be re-registered as carriers of Dangerous Goods after initial registration was done for only goods.

These registrations are done at the local License Department in the area where the vehicle is normally parked or where the vehicle is continuously used for a period exceeding 3 months.

Some local authority License Departments first require that the vehicle undergoes an inspection at a designated Fire Department and once a Municipal Dangerous Goods Permit is issued, only then will the vehicle be allowed to be registered, licensed and declared roadworthy. Other License Departments will first perform the registration/re-registration, licensing and roadworthy checks prior to the issue of a Municipal Dangerous Goods Permit.

ALL vehicles, irrespective of GVM, must be registered as Dangerous Goods carriers and must display an Operator Card to this effect (Category D).

Most of the larger Local Authorities in South Africa demand that Dangerous Goods vehicles must undergo an inspection annually at a designated Fire Department. Once approved, the vehicle is issued a Municipal Permit / Disc which must be displayed on the windscreen along with the COF and Operator Card. There is unfortunately different requirements in different Municipal Areas, where some may only require a Permit for “Flammable Goods” whilst others may require such Permits for ALL classes of Dangerous Goods.

The majority of Municipal Authorities will recognize permits issued by other local authorities, whilst a few demand that Operators obtain permits from them if they wish to travel through those areas.

No. Drivers are compelled to undergo “annual, comprehensive training and be able to produce proof of training to a Law Enforcement Officer on request. Only every two years will drivers actually use this proof of training for application / renewal of their PrDP’s, but must still attend the training regardless.

Drivers of HMV who wish to obtain a PrDP category D must be minimum 25 years of age. This effectively means that drivers of light delivery vehicles (LDV’s) may drive this class of vehicle with an ordinary Code EB / B licence, as long as they carry proof of training. Drivers usually receive a training card from the relevant training provider for this purpose.

Hazchemwize Pty Ltd is one of the accredited training providers that have registered as such with the Department of Transport and the Transport Education and Training Authority (TETA) and are therefore approved to train Drivers for this purpose.

Unit Standard 123259 is strictly followed for the training of Drivers in the transportation of Dangerous Goods at Hazchemwize Pty Ltd and training is conducted at our approved training facility in Spartan, Kempton Park or is available on request nationwide.

Vehicles that carry Dangerous Goods must be fitted with a range of safety equipment and signage such as –

-Fire extinguishers and quick-release brackets mounted on the exterior (L/R) – (DCP variety, size: 9kg) – Truck Tractors (1), All other goods vehicles / trailers / semi-trailers (2)
– Orange Warning Diamond and Bracket on the front (must be removable when vehicle is nominally empty / unloaded)
– 3 Placards with brackets fitted to both sides and rear of each vehicle / trailer (must be removable when vehicle is nominally empty / unloaded)
– Battery Cut-off switch (Isolator switch) mounted on the exterior of the vehicle, in close proximity to the battery / battery pack.
– Battery cover (for vehicles with externally-mounted batteries)
– Designated Space (orange container, marked “DOCUMENTS”, mounted centre of the cab. (Documents for current loads only kept here whilst in transit)
– Prohibition Signs on both sides and rear (may be permanent) – No Smoking, No Naked Flame, No Cell phone
– High sides (600mm) – rails or fixtures that prevent loads from becoming dislodged and spilled in transit. Applies to flatbeds, drop sides, open load-body and curtain-side vehicles.

Only documents for Dangerous Goods loads actually on a vehicle at a specific time must be found in the Designated Space. All extraneous / irrelevant documents must be removed from the Designated Space and kept elsewhere in the vehicle to prevent misidentification of substances during an emergency.

– Transport Emergency Card/s (for each product carried on the vehicle, as per UN number and specific description of product. Compiled from information in the ERG 2012 and relevant MSDS),
– Dangerous Goods Declaration/s (for each Consignee to whom goods are being delivered),
– Material Safety Data Sheets (recommended, but not compulsory),
– Route Map/s or Route Instructions (not compulsory),
– Explosives Permit/s (If vehicle is conveying Class 1 substances)
– Cross-Border Permits (if applicable),
– Radioactive Permits (if vehicle is conveying Class 7 substances)
– Waste Transporter Permit (If any substance is transported as regulated waste),
– Waste Manifests and Waste Destruction Certificates (if applicable under the NEMA Act)

Depending on the type of contract that is drawn up between parties, responsibilities must be clearly spelled out so that there is no confusion once an incident or accident occurs. Contracts should be drawn up in accordance with the duties of each party as stated in SANS 10231:2010 version 3.1.

Issues such as Civil Liability insurance cover must be addressed in advance to eliminate potential legal and environmental problems after the occurrence of an incident involving dangerous goods.

In the absence of a properly constituted contract, the law Courts will automatically revert to the prescriptions of SANS 10231: 2010 and other relevant legislation.

Low Hazard Goods are not regulated by any national legislation currently. Operators who wish to subscribe to responsible corporate governance and wish to take added precautions with certain products which may potentially cause harm when spilled may voluntarily follow the guidelines of SANS 10368:2007 Edition 1.1 Transport of low-hazard goods in bulk —

Emergency information for road vehicles are strongly urged to do so in the spirit of Responsible Care, good environmental/social business practice.

Please Note: Low Hazard products are not regulated products with UN Numbers assigned to them, nor are they listed in SANS 10228: 2012 Edition 6.