Hazmat Shipping Papers and Emergency Response Information
Preparation and verification of hazardous materials shipping papers for highway transport, covering the basic description in its required sequence, total quantity and package entries, hazmat-first and highlighted-entry formatting, page numbering, the shipper's certification and who may sign it, shipping paper retention periods, the emergency response information that must accompany the papers, and the monitored emergency response telephone number.
- Audience
- Trained hazmat employees who prepare or sign hazardous materials shipping papers, shipping clerks, shipping supervisors, and the dock personnel who tender hazmat shipments to highway carriers
- Review cycle
- annual
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-17
- Revision
- 1
What is in the procedure
9 sections. Regulatory language is fixed and passes through verbatim. Sections marked customized get rewritten around your facility, your equipment, and your job titles.
- 01
Purpose
FixedThis procedure establishes how hazardous materials shipping papers are prepared, verified, certified, and retained when this facility offers a hazardous material for highway transportation.
- 02
Scope
CustomizedThis procedure applies to every shipment of hazardous materials offered from this facility for transportation by highway, whether the shipping paper is a dedicated hazmat shipping paper or the hazardous materials...
- 03
Responsibilities
CustomizedOnly a hazmat employee with current training under 49 CFR part 172 subpart H may prepare a hazmat shipping paper.
- 04
Procedure: The Basic Description and Additional Entries
FixedBuild every entry from the 172.101 Hazardous Materials Table, never from memory, a product label, or a prior shipping paper.
- 05
Procedure: Shipping Paper Format, Hazmat-First Entries, and Page Numbering
FixedFormat the paper so a responder can find the hazmat entries in seconds, as 49 CFR 172.201 requires.
- 06
Procedure: Shipper's Certification and Who May Sign
CustomizedThe certification is a legal statement that the shipment complies with the hazardous materials regulations, and it is signed only after verification, never as a formality.
- 07
Procedure: Emergency Response Information and the Monitored Telephone Number
CustomizedNo hazmat shipment leaves without the information a responder needs, and no hazmat sits in the building without that information immediately at hand.
- 08
Procedure: Retention of Shipping Papers
CustomizedA shipping paper's job does not end at tender; the retained copy is what answers an agency request or an incident investigation years later.
- 09
References
Fixed49 CFR 172.200 through 172.204, subpart C, Shipping papers.
Regulatory references
Hazmat Shipping Papers and Emergency Response Information: 49 CFR 172.200
Every SOP generated from this template cites the paragraphs below, with a plain-language summary of what each one requires. Citations are informational and are not legal advice.
| Standard | Title | What it requires |
|---|---|---|
| 49 CFR 172.200 | Applicability | Except as otherwise provided in the subpart, each person who offers a hazardous material for transportation shall describe the hazardous material on the shipping paper in the manner required by the subpart. The subpart does not apply to certain materials, including limited quantity packages unless offered for transportation by aircraft or vessel, provided they are not hazardous substances, hazardous wastes, or marine pollutants. |
| 49 CFR 172.201 | Preparation and retention of shipping papers | When hazardous and non-hazardous materials are described on the same shipping paper, the hazardous materials entries must be entered first or clearly distinguished, such as by a contrasting color or an entry in an HM column. Each shipping description must be legible and printed manually or mechanically in English. When a shipping paper consists of more than one page, each page must be consecutively numbered and the first page must bear a notation specifying the total number of pages. A shipping paper must contain an emergency response telephone number as prescribed in subpart G. The offeror must retain a copy of the shipping paper for two years after the material is accepted by the initial carrier, or three years for a hazardous waste, accessible at or through its principal place of business. |
| 49 CFR 172.202 | Description of hazardous material on shipping papers | The shipping description of a hazardous material must include the identification number from column 4 of the 172.101 table, the proper shipping name from column 2, the hazard class or division from column 3 with any subsidiary hazard in parentheses, and the packing group in Roman numerals from column 5 where one is assigned. This basic description must be shown in that sequence with no additional information interspersed. The description must also include the total quantity by mass or volume with the unit of measure, and the number and type of packages must be indicated; those entries may appear before or after the basic description. |
| 49 CFR 172.203 | Additional description requirements | Certain entries must be added in association with the basic description where they apply: the letters RQ before or after the basic description of each hazardous substance; the technical name entered in parentheses in association with the basic description for materials described by a generic or n.o.s. entry; the words Limited Quantity or Ltd Qty following the basic description where authorized; the words Marine Pollutant with the component names where applicable; and the words Poison-Inhalation Hazard or Toxic-Inhalation Hazard with the hazard zone for materials poisonous by inhalation. |
| 49 CFR 172.204 | Shipper's certification | Except as otherwise provided, each person who offers a hazardous material for transportation shall certify on the shipping paper that the material is offered in accordance with the regulations, using the prescribed certification language, either the certification that the materials are properly classified, described, packaged, marked and labeled, and in proper condition for transportation according to the applicable regulations of the Department of Transportation, or the declaration that the contents are fully and accurately described by the proper shipping name and are in all respects in proper condition for transport. The certification must be legibly signed by a principal, officer, partner, or employee of the shipper or his agent, and may be signed manually, by typewriter, or by other mechanical means. Certification is not required for, among other exceptions, a hazardous material offered in a cargo tank supplied by the carrier or transported by the shipper as a private carrier unless reshipped or transferred. |
| 49 CFR 172.600 | Applicability and general requirements | Emergency response information requirements apply to persons who offer for transportation, accept for transportation, transfer, or otherwise handle hazardous materials during transportation. No person may perform those functions unless emergency response information conforming to the subpart is immediately available for use at all times the hazardous material is present, and unless the emergency response information, including the emergency response telephone number, is immediately available to any person who, as a representative of a Federal, State, or local government agency, responds to an incident involving the material or conducts an investigation involving it. The requirements do not apply to a hazardous material excepted from the shipping paper requirements. |
| 49 CFR 172.602 | Emergency response information | Emergency response information must include at a minimum the basic description and technical name of the hazardous material, immediate hazards to health, risks of fire or explosion, immediate precautions to be taken in the event of an accident or incident, immediate methods for handling fires, initial methods for handling spills or leaks in the absence of fire, and preliminary first aid measures. The information must be printed legibly in English and may be on the shipping paper, in a separate document such as a safety data sheet that includes both the description and the emergency response information, or in a separate reference document such as the Emergency Response Guidebook, cross-referenced to the description on the shipping paper. A facility operator must maintain the information whenever the hazardous material is present, in a location immediately accessible to facility personnel in the event of an incident. |
| 49 CFR 172.604 | Emergency response telephone number | A person who offers a hazardous material for transportation must provide a numeric emergency response telephone number, including the area code, that is monitored at all times the hazardous material is in transportation, including storage incidental to transportation. The number must reach a person who is knowledgeable of the hazardous material being shipped and has comprehensive emergency response and incident mitigation information for that material, or who has immediate access to a person with that knowledge and information; a telephone number that requires a call back, such as an answering service, answering machine, or beeper device, does not satisfy the requirement. The number must be entered on the shipping paper immediately following the description of the hazardous material, or entered once in a clearly visible location if it applies to every hazardous material on the paper and is indicated as an emergency response number. A person whose number is provided through an emergency response information services provider must be identified on the shipping paper by name or contract number, and must ensure the provider has current information on the material before it is offered for transportation. |
Compliance checklist
What an inspector looks for
Every hazardous material offered for transportation is described on a shipping paper in the manner the regulations require
49 CFR 172.200
The basic description appears in sequence, identification number, proper shipping name, hazard class with subsidiary in parentheses, packing group, with no additional information interspersed
49 CFR 172.202
Total quantity with unit of measure and the number and type of packages appear on the paper outside the basic description
49 CFR 172.202
Additional entries that apply are present: RQ for hazardous substances, technical names in parentheses for n.o.s. entries, Limited Quantity, Marine Pollutant, and inhalation hazard entries with zone
49 CFR 172.203
On mixed papers, hazmat entries are entered first or clearly distinguished by contrasting color or the HM column, entries are legible and in English, and multi-page papers are consecutively numbered with the total pages noted on page one
49 CFR 172.201
The prescribed shipper's certification appears unmodified and is legibly signed by a principal, officer, partner, or employee of the shipper or its agent from the authorized signer roster
49 CFR 172.204
Shipping paper copies are retained for two years after acceptance by the initial carrier, three years for hazardous waste, accessible at or through the principal place of business
49 CFR 172.201
Emergency response information with all required elements accompanies the papers and is kept immediately accessible to facility personnel while hazmat is present
49 CFR 172.602
Emergency response information and the emergency telephone number are immediately available to government responders and investigators at all times hazmat is present
49 CFR 172.600
A numeric emergency response telephone number with area code appears on the paper, monitored at all times by a knowledgeable person, with any ERI provider identified by name or contract number and holding current information before the material is offered
49 CFR 172.604
Waitlist
Generate this SOP for your facility
At launch you answer the facility questionnaire once and this template comes back with your equipment, your titles, and your sign-off sheet attached.
This page is informational and is not legal advice. Have a qualified safety professional review any procedure before it goes into service at your facility.