Canada/U.S. reciprocal recognition of containers.

A modification negotiated under the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) now eases the transportation of dangerous goods between Canada and the U.S.

The U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration revised its regulations to recognize containers manufactured in accordance with Transport Canada's Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations as equivalent to American containers. With the change, as many as five percent of trucks coming over the Canadian border that previously had to be empty can now carry loads, easing border pressure and helping the environment.

Because of small differences in the way their respective regulations were written, Canada and the U.S. used to certify containers separately. Typically, the classification and labelling of dangerous goods is based on recommendations set out by the United Nations (UN) in the Transportation of Dangerous Goods, model regulations. Under the UN model, countries are allowed to make the final decisions regarding their respective regulations. In the past, the U.S. has not fully recognized Canadian specifications. Trucks carrying dangerous goods in containers made to Canadian specifications were permitted only to travel into the U.S. and unload. They could not fill up in the U.S. and return to Canada with a load. This meant that up to five percent of all trucks crossed the Canadian border empty, burning fuel and adding to border pressure.

With the modification, the cross-border transportation of dangerous goods has become seamless, creating an equal playing field for container manufacturers and shippers in both countries. Dangerous goods include flammable, corrosive, explosive, toxic, or infectious materials, ranging from petroleum products to acids and compressed gases. Canada and the U.S. now recognize each other's specifications for transporting such goods, while continuing to ensure high standards in the two countries.

"Everybody's life just gets easier," said Dwaine Ferguson, the engineering manager of Goldec Hamms Manufacturing Ltd. in Red Deer, AB, that makes tanker trucks for transporting dangerous goods. "We were able to find an approach that showed that we have an equivalent level of safety, without being identical," explained Ferguson. "Canadian tanks are recognized as being fully equivalent, with comparable levels of safety." He said the change benefits container manufacturers, truckers, drivers, and shippers as well as the wider community, which can be assured that such goods are transported safely and effectively on public highways. The change allows Canadian manufacturers better access to the U.S. market and reduces the cost, time, and paperwork associated with having to get their containers certified in both countries.

The SPP works to ensure compatibility in regulations in North America while maintaining standards and the individual sovereignty of countries. The initiative on dangerous goods was part of the SPP's Manufactured Goods and Sectoral and Regional Competitiveness Working Group.

The article was first published by the SPP. For more information, visit www.spp-psp.gc.ca.

Transport Canada