Carriers and others involved in hazardous materials spills can now electronically file incident reports. For incidents that occurred on or after January 1, 2005, persons can use the new Department of Transportation (DOT) Form 5800.1 (01-2004).
Electronic submission of incident data is only authorized for incidents that occur on or after January 1, 2005. For incidents that occurred prior to January 1, 2005, those making the reports must continue to use Department of Transportation (DOT) Form 5800.1 (Rev. 6/89).
On December 3, 2003, the Research and Special Programs Administration published a final rule under Docket HM-229 that made revisions to the incident reporting requirements.
The final rule provides the option of submitting reports electronically. There are two options for the electronic reporting: Option 1 is to fill out the form online. Option 2 is to submit a data file in an XML format.
For more information, go to the DOT's Web site by clicking here.