Is Your Waste Management Driver Properly Licensed and Certified?
“License and Registration Please” – Or at least “License Please.”
Are you saying these words to the driver of the transport vehicle who picks up your hazardous waste? If you are a hazardous waste generator in the State of California, you should know that California regulations require you to verify that the driver is properly licensed to transport the load you are giving them.
The California Health and Safety Code, under Division 20 – Miscellaneous Health and Safety Provisions, Chapter 6.5 – Hazardous Waste Control, Article 6 – Transportation, Section 25160.7, states the following:
“An authorized representative of the generator or facility operator that is responsible for loading hazardous waste into a transport vehicle shall, prior to that loading, ensure that the driver of the transport vehicle is in possession of the appropriate class of driver’s license and any endorsement required to lawfully operate the transport vehicle with its intended load.”
So, if you asked to see someone’s driver’s license, what do you look for? As usual, the devil is in the details. Not all drivers of a vehicle carrying hazardous waste are required to have a special license. In some instances, a regular California Driver’s License is all that is needed, however, in other instances, a Commercial California Driver’s License with a Hazardous Materials Endorsement is required. In other cases, a Commercial California Driver’s License with a Hazardous Materials Endorsement and a Tank Endorsement is required. Add to this the different classes of a license (Class A, B or C) and this gets real confusing.
For example, the driver of a vehicle up to 26,000 pounds that is not required to be placarded only needs a basic Class C Driver’s License (which is the standard driver’s license that most of you may have). However, if that same vehicle had enough hazardous materials that a warning placard was required, the driver needs a Commercial Driver’s License Class C with a Hazardous Materials Endorsement.
Turns out there are commercial and basic driver’s licenses, as well as different classes of driver’s licenses and different endorsements. A commercial driver’s license is required if you drive a ‘commercial’ vehicle or haul something that triggers a commercial license. The classes of driver’s licenses include Class A, B and C and depend on the size of the vehicle. There a several different endorsements depending on what you are hauling. An ‘H’ endorsement for placardable quantities of hazardous materials. A ‘N’ endorsement for tank transportation. An ‘X’ endorsement for placardable quantities of hazardous materials along with a tank endorsement. Additional endorsements are required for other commodities, but we will limit this discussion to hazardous materials.
So with all these potential ‘appropriate’ licenses, how are you supposed to know the driver holds the proper license without being a DMV expert?
Rest assured, INGENIUM is highly regulated by multiple state and federal agencies and ensures compliance with these regulations. All INGENIUM drivers are properly licensed and are under constant and random driver’s license checks.