Pennsylvania State Senator Roger Madigan, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, has obtained from RegScan Inc, Williamsport PA, compliance software for hazardous materials truck shipments, which he will deliver to all states hazardous materials inspection teams, according to information from the senator.
The systems will be distributed to law enforcement personnel nationwide at no charge to Senator Madigan or the state agencies. Under the terms of the program, Madigan will provide each state with a software license to its program, HazMat Loader.
"September 11 has brought to the consciousness of the American public, the risks and hazards that are part of our national transportation system," said Madigan. "With the large number of hazardous materials truck shipments each day, we must be prepared for accidental or deliberate disasters involving these shipments.
"Our emergency response teams and law enforcement officers must be aware of the hazardous materials carried on the trucks in the event of sabotage or accident. This program will provide the necessary tools to see that all trucks are placarded properly and that hazardous materials are properly segregated on the trucks."
RegScan took the step due to the high level of violations that occur, violations that may jeopardize emergency response teams, firefighters, and the public, according to Allen E Ertel, RegScan president, chief executive officer, and a former member of Congress.
Each truck carrying hazardous materials is required, by regulations, to have visible placards on the truck trailer to identify the type of hazardous material that it is carrying, as well as to segregate these materials from each other on the trailer. The regulations are complex and voluminous, said Ertel. To illustrate the size and complexity of these regulations, the Department of Transportation issued over 140 pages of revisions in June 2001.
HazMat Loader (compliance software) reduces public risk by telling government workers, drivers, dockworkers, carriers and shippers whether a load should even be on our highways.