OTTAWA — US DOT is revising its rules dealing with Canadian and domestic-built tank trailers used for bulk shipments in North America, but not nearly enough to truly harmonize the use of these trailers for the transport of dangerous goods, says the Canadian Trucking Alliance.

While a recently published Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the announces the US DOT’s plan to allow for tank trailers constructed under Canadian standards to transport dangerous goods to Canada from the US and vice-versa, CTA is concerned the revision still does not allow for these trailers to be used by U.S. nationals to transport dangerous materials from point to point in the U.S. — a common scenario for international carriers who employ both Canadian and American drivers in their cross- border operations.

“It seems illogical that a tank authorized to transport hazardous materials from the international border to points in the U.S. and similarly from points in the U.S. to the international border would be prohibited from transporting hazardous materials between points in the US. There is no increased risk,” CTA Senior Policy Advisor Barrie Montague pointed out in a written comment submitted to DOT.

CTA is urging DOT to amend the proposed rulemaking dealing with tank trailers to allow those built to Canadian standards to also be used to transport hazardous materials between two points in the U.S.