Does DOT need to be spelled completely out on Shipper's certification
I am a truck driver, I pick up Hazmat, had a question on shipper's certification, I pick up some bills that has on shipper's certification DOT and some have spelled out Department of Transportation, been told it has to be spelled out, just want to make sure I had the right information, if I had something I could show customers if it needed to be spelled out, when I look it up on internet, it shows both ways ok and I have seen national governmental regulations.
Answer
Thank you for your question.
PHSMA has an Interpretations Browser where you can view formal interpretations of questions of clarification that have been received by the agency. This is the page that has answers to questions about 49 CFR § 172.204 Shipper's certification: https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/regulations/title49/section/172.204
As far as I can tell, there is no keyword search function for this database, and browsing for an answer is like searching for a needle in a haystack. I did manage to find one document that answers the exact question you have: https://www7.phmsa.dot.gov/regulations/title49/interp/06-0053
This letter includes the following paragraph:
The certification statement specified in § 172.204(a)(1) must be written as specified and may not be modified. Therefore, use of the abbreviation “DOT” in lieu of “Department of Transportation” in the shipper’s certification statement is unacceptable.
If you would like to print out a scan of the original letter submitted and the formal reply letter, they are available at https://www7.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/2006/060053.pdf
Note that this interpretation is from 2006. If you have any concerns that their response might be different today, or if you need any further clarification, you might want to contact the Hazardous Materials Information Center and ask the question again. Their contact information is available at https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/standards-rulemaking/hazmat/hazardous-materials-information-center (It includes a mailing address for requesting a formal letter of interpretation.)
I hope this information is helpful to you. If this is not what you need, or if there is any more assistance we can provide, please let us know.
Bobby Griffith
Lead Government Information Reference Associate
Sycamore Library
University of North Texas Libraries
bobby.griffith@unt.edu