[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 49, Volume 2]
[Revised as of October 1, 2007]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 49CFR171.2]

[Page 80-82]
 
                        TITLE 49--TRANSPORTATION
 
   CHAPTER I--PIPELINE AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, 
                      DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
 
PART 171_GENERAL INFORMATION, REGULATIONS, AND DEFINITIONS--Table of 
Contents
 
   Subpart A_Applicability, General Requirements, and North American 
                                Shipments
 
Sec.  171.2  General requirements.

    (a) Each person who performs a function covered by this subchapter 
must perform that function in accordance with this subchapter.
    (b) Each person who offers a hazardous material for transportation 
in commerce must comply with all applicable requirements of this 
subchapter, or an exemption or special permit, approval, or registration 
issued under this subchapter or under subchapter A of this chapter. 
There may be more than one offeror of a shipment of hazardous materials. 
Each offeror is responsible for complying with the requirements of this 
subchapter, or an exemption or special permit, approval, or registration 
issued under this subchapter or subchapter A of this chapter, with 
respect to any pre-transportation function that it performs or is 
required to perform; however, each offeror is responsible only for the 
specific pre-transportation functions that it performs or is required to 
perform, and each offeror may rely on information provided by another 
offeror, unless that offeror knows or, a reasonable person, acting in 
the circumstances and exercising reasonable care, would have knowledge 
that the information provided by the other offeror is incorrect.
    (c) Each person who performs a function covered by or having an 
effect on a specification or activity prescribed in part 178, 179, or 
180 of this subchapter, an approval issued under this subchapter, or an 
exemption or special permit issued under subchapter A of this chapter, 
must perform the function in accordance with that specification, 
approval, an exemption or special permit, as appropriate.
    (d) No person may offer or accept a hazardous material for 
transportation in commerce or transport a hazardous material in commerce 
unless that person is registered in conformance with subpart G of part 
107 of this chapter, if applicable.

[[Page 81]]

    (e) No person may offer or accept a hazardous material for 
transportation in commerce unless the hazardous material is properly 
classed, described, packaged, marked, labeled, and in condition for 
shipment as required or authorized by applicable requirements of this 
subchapter or an exemption or special permit, approval, or registration 
issued under this subchapter or subchapter A of this chapter.
    (f) No person may transport a hazardous material in commerce unless 
the hazardous material is transported in accordance with applicable 
requirements of this subchapter, or an exemption or special permit, 
approval, or registration issued under this subchapter or subchapter A 
of this chapter. Each carrier who transports a hazardous material in 
commerce may rely on information provided by the offeror of the 
hazardous material or a prior carrier, unless the carrier knows or, a 
reasonable person, acting in the circumstances and exercising reasonable 
care, would have knowledge that the information provided by the offeror 
or prior carrier is incorrect.
    (g) No person may represent, mark, certify, sell, or offer a 
packaging or container as meeting the requirements of this subchapter 
governing its use in the transportation of a hazardous material in 
commerce unless the packaging or container is manufactured, fabricated, 
marked, maintained, reconditioned, repaired, and retested in accordance 
with the applicable requirements of this subchapter. No person may 
represent, mark, certify, sell, or offer a packaging or container as 
meeting the requirements of an exemption, a special permit, approval, or 
registration issued under this subchapter or subchapter A of this 
chapter unless the packaging or container is manufactured, fabricated, 
marked, maintained, reconditioned, repaired, and retested in accordance 
with the applicable requirements of the exemption, special permit, 
approval, or registration issued under this subchapter or subchapter A 
of this chapter. The requirements of this paragraph apply whether or not 
the packaging or container is used or to be used for the transportation 
of a hazardous material.
    (h) The representations, markings, and certifications subject to the 
prohibitions of paragraph (g) of this section include:
    (1) Specification identifications that include the letters ``ICC'', 
``DOT'', ``CTC'', ``MC'', or ``UN'';
    (2) Exemption, special permit, approval, and registration numbers 
that include the letters ``DOT'', ``EX'', ``M'', or ``R''; and
    (3) Test dates associated with specification, registration, 
approval, retest, exemption, or special permit markings indicating 
compliance with a test or retest requirement of the HMR, or an 
exemption, special permit, approval, or registration issued under the 
HMR or under subchapter A of this chapter.
    (i) No person may certify that a hazardous material is offered for 
transportation in commerce in accordance with the requirements of this 
subchapter unless the hazardous material is properly classed, described, 
packaged, marked, labeled, and in condition for shipment as required or 
authorized by applicable requirements of this subchapter or an exemption 
or special permit, approval, or registration issued under this 
subchapter or subchapter A of this chapter. Each person who offers a 
package containing a hazardous material for transportation in commerce 
in accordance with the requirements of this subchapter or an exemption 
or special permit, approval, or registration issued under this 
subchapter or subchapter A of this chapter, must assure that the package 
remains in condition for shipment until it is in the possession of the 
carrier.
    (j) No person may, by marking or otherwise, represent that a 
container or package for transportation of a hazardous material is safe, 
certified, or in compliance with the requirements of this chapter unless 
it meets the requirements of all applicable regulations issued under 
Federal hazardous material transportation law.
    (k) No person may, by marking or otherwise, represent that a 
hazardous material is present in a package, container, motor vehicle, 
rail car, aircraft, or vessel if the hazardous material is not present.
    (l) No person may alter, remove, deface, destroy, or otherwise 
unlawfully

[[Page 82]]

tamper with any marking, label, placard, or description on a document 
required by Federal hazardous material transportation law or the 
regulations issued under Federal hazardous material transportation law. 
No person may alter, deface, destroy, or otherwise unlawfully tamper 
with a package, container, motor vehicle, rail car, aircraft, or vessel 
used for the transportation of hazardous materials.
    (m) No person may falsify or alter an exemption or special permit, 
approval, registration, or other grant of authority issued under this 
subchapter or subchapter A of this chapter. No person may offer a 
hazardous material for transportation or transport a hazardous material 
in commerce under an exemption or special permit, approval, registration 
or other grant of authority issued under this subchapter or subchapter A 
of this chapter if such grant of authority has been altered without the 
consent of the issuing authority. No person may represent, mark, 
certify, or sell a packaging or container under an exemption or special 
permit, approval, registration or other grant of authority issued under 
this subchapter or subchapter A of this chapter if such grant of 
authority has been altered without the consent of the issuing authority.

[68 FR 61937, Oct. 30, 2003, as amended at 70 FR 43643, July 28, 2005; 
70 FR 73162, Dec. 9, 2005]