Title 49

SECTION 173.33

173.33 Hazardous materials in cargo tank motor vehicles.

§ 173.33 Hazardous materials in cargo tank motor vehicles.

(a) General requirements. (1) No person may offer or accept a hazardous material for transportation in a cargo tank motor vehicle except as authorized by this subchapter.

(2) Two or more materials may not be loaded or accepted for transportation in the same cargo tank motor vehicle if, as a result of any mixture of the materials, an unsafe condition would occur, such as an explosion, fire, excessive increase in pressure or heat, or the release of toxic vapors.

(3) No person may fill and offer for transportation a specification cargo tank motor vehicle for which the prescribed periodic retest or reinspection under subpart E of part 180 of this subchapter is past due until the retest or inspection has been successfully completed. This requirement does not apply to a cargo tank supplied by a motor carrier who is other than the person offering the hazardous material for transportation (see § 180.407(a)(1) of this subchapter), or to any cargo tank filled prior to the retest or inspection due date.

(b) Loading requirements. (1) A hazardous material may not be loaded in a cargo tank if during transportation any part of the tank in contact with the hazardous material lading would have a dangerous reaction with the hazardous material.

(2) A cargo tank may not be loaded with a hazardous material that will have an adverse effect on the tank's integrity or -

(i) May combine chemically with any residue or contaminants in the tank to produce an explosion, fire, excessive increase in pressure, release of toxic vapors or other unsafe condition.

(ii)-(iii) [Reserved]

(iv) May severely corrode or react with the tank material at any concentration and temperature that will exist during transportation.

(v) Is prohibited by § 173.21 or § 173.24 of this subchapter.

(3) Air pressure in excess of ambient atmospheric pressure may not be used to load or unload any lading which may create an air-enriched mixture within the flammability range of the lading in the vapor space of the tank.

(4) To prevent cargo tank rupture in a loading or unloading accident, the loading or unloading rate used must be less than or equal to that indicated on the cargo tank specification plate, except as specified in § 173.318(b)(6). If no loading or unloading rate is marked on the specification plate, the loading or unloading rate and pressure used must be limited such that the pressure in the tank may not exceed 130% of the MAWP.

(c) Maximum Lading Pressure. (1) Prior to loading and offering a cargo tank motor vehicle for transportation with material that requires the use of a specification cargo tank, the person must confirm that the cargo tank motor vehicle conforms to the specification required for the lading and that the MAWP of the cargo tank is greater than or equal to the largest pressure obtained under the following conditions:

(i) For compressed gases and certain refrigerated liquids that are not cryogenic liquids, the pressure prescribed in § 173.315 of this subchapter.

(ii) For cryogenic liquids, the pressure prescribed in § 173.318 of this subchapter.

(iii) For liquid hazardous materials loaded in DOT specification cargo tanks equipped with a 1 psig normal vent, the sum of the tank static head plus 1 psig. In addition, for hazardous materials loaded in these cargo tanks, the vapor pressure of the lading at 115 °F must be not greater than 1 psig, except for gasoline transported in accordance with Special Provision B33 in § 172.102(c)(3) of this subchapter.

(iv) For liquid hazardous materials not covered in paragraph (c)(1)(i), (ii), or (iii) of this section, the sum of the vapor pressure of the lading at 115 °F, plus the tank static head exerted by the lading, plus any pressure exerted by the gas padding, including air in the ullage space or dome.

(v) The pressure prescribed in subpart B, D, E, F, G, or H of this part, as applicable.

(vi) The maximum pressure in the tank during loading or unloading.

(2) Any Specification MC 300, MC 301, MC 302, MC 303, MC 305, MC 306 or MC 312, cargo tank motor vehicle with no marked design pressure or marked with a design pressure of 3 psig or less may be used for an authorized lading where the pressure derived from § 173.33(c)(1) is less than or equal to 3 psig. After December 31, 1990, a cargo tank may not be loaded and offered for transportation unless marked or remarked with an MAWP or design pressure in accordance with 49 CFR 180.405(k).

(3) Any Specification MC 310 or MC 311 cargo tank motor vehicle may be used for an authorized lading where the pressure derived from § 173.33(c)(1) is less than or equal to the MAWP or MWP, respectively, as marked on the specification plate.

(4) Any cargo tank marked or certified before August 31, 1995, marked with a design pressure rather than an MAWP may be used for an authorized lading where the largest pressure derived from § 173.33(c)(1) is less than or equal to the design pressure marked on the cargo tank.

(5) Any material that meets the definition of a Division 6.1, Packing Group I or II (poisonous liquid) material must be loaded in a cargo tank motor vehicle having a MAWP of 25 psig or greater.

(6) Substitute packagings. Unless otherwise specified, where MC 307, MC 312, DOT 407 or DOT 412 cargo tanks are authorized, minimum tank design pressure is 172.4 kPa (25 psig) for any Packing Group I or Packing Group II liquid lading that meets more than one hazard class definition.

(d) Relief system. (1) Non-reclosing pressure relief devices are not authorized in any cargo tank except when in series with a reclosing pressure relief device. However, a cargo tank marked or certified before August 31, 1995 which is fitted with non-reclosing pressure relief devices may continue to be used in any hazardous material service for which it is authorized. The requirements in this paragraph do not apply to MC 330, MC 331 and MC 338 cargo tanks.

(2) Each cargo tank motor vehicle used to transport a liquid hazardous material with a gas pad must have a pressure relief system that provides the venting capacity prescribed in § 178.345-10(e) of this subchapter. The requirements in this paragraph do not apply to MC 330, MC 331 and MC 338 cargo tanks.

(3) A cargo tank motor vehicle made to a specification listed in column 1 may have pressure relief devices or outlets conforming to the applicable specification to which the tank was constructed, or the pressure relief devices or outlets may be modified to meet the applicable requirement for the specification listed in column 2 without changing the markings on the tank specification plate. The venting capacity requirements of the original DOT cargo tank specification must be met whenever a pressure relief valve is modified.

(e) Retention of hazardous materials in product piping during transportation. DOT specification cargo tanks used for the transportation of any material that is a Division 6.1 (poisonous liquid) material, oxidizer liquid, liquid organic peroxide or corrosive liquid (corrosive to skin only) may not be transported with hazardous materials lading retained in the piping, unless the cargo tank motor vehicle is equipped with bottom damage protection devices meeting the requirements of § 178.337-10 or § 178.345-8(b) of this subchapter, or the accident damage protection requirements of the specification under which it was manufactured. This requirement does not apply to a residue which remains after the piping is drained. A sacrificial device (see § 178.345-1 of this subchapter) may not be used to satisfy the accident damage protection requirements of this paragraph.

(f) An MC 331 type cargo tank may be used where MC 306, MC 307, MC 312, DOT 406, DOT 407 or DOT 412 type cargo tanks are authorized. An MC 307, MC 312, DOT 407 or DOT 412 type cargo tank may be used where MC 306 or DOT 406 type cargo tanks are authorized. A higher integrity tank used instead of a specified tank must meet the same design profile (for example, an MC 331 cargo tank must be lined if used in place of a lined MC 312 cargo tank.)

(g) Remote control of self-closing stop valves - MC 330, MC 331 and MC 338 cargo tanks. Each liquid or vapor discharge opening in an MC 330 or MC 331 cargo tank and each liquid filling and liquid discharge line in an MC 338 cargo tank must be provided with a remotely controlled internal self-closing stop valve except when an MC 330 or MC 331 cargo tank is marked and used exclusively to transport carbon dioxide; an MC 338 is used to transport argon, carbon dioxide, helium, krypton, neon, nitrogen, or xenon; or an MC 338 utilizes an external self-closing stop valve to comply with the requirements in § 178.338-11(b). However, if the cargo tank motor vehicle was certified before January 1, 1995, this requirement is applicable only when an MC 330 or MC 331 cargo tank is used to transport a flammable liquid, flammable gas, hydrogen chloride (refrigerated liquid), or anhydrous ammonia; or when an MC 338 cargo tank is used to transport flammable ladings.

(h) A cargo tank motor vehicle authorized by the Transport Canada TDG Regulations (IBR, see § 171.7 of this subchapter) may be used provided it conforms to the applicable requirements in § 171.12 of this subchapter.

[Amdt. 173-212, 54 FR 25005, June 12, 1989] Editorial Note:For Federal Register citations affecting § 173.33, see the List of CFR Sections Affected, which appears in the Finding Aids section of the printed volume and at www.govinfo.gov.

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