Flexibility, Harmonization Key to PHMSA's Paperless Plan, Stakeholders Say
Shippers and carriers of hazardous materials want electronic shipping to be flexible, performance-based and not mandatory, according to draft working papers released March 25 by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. The comments stem from workshops held last year on the administration’s pilot project to allow paperless e-shipping for hazardous materials shipments, titled HM-ACCESS (Hazardous Materials -- Automated Cargo Communication for Effective and Safe Shipments).
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Transporters said the project needs to better understand international requirements, the needs of law enforcement, and the relevance of freight forwarders and brokers in the implementation of e-shipping. The project should also understand differences across modes of transportation. Air carriers, for example, already have security protocols for electronic records, so the pilot project could simply be folded in. Motor carriers, however, travel shorter distances along well-defined routes, often with a single item. Adding e-shipping capability to the electronic monitoring devices most motor carriers have is feasible, but it would boost cost, the paper said. Carriers also said there is a difference between electronic information for business purposes and those for emergency purposes, and were concerned about the reliability of networks -- in some remote areas, emergency response providers and inspectors may not be able to receive electronic communication. A successful system should also allow carriers to make corrections, and harmonize regulations with international standards, stakeholders said.
See 09090805 for more on HM-ACCESS. Additional comments or questions on the working paper can be sent to HMACCESS@dot.gov by April 5.