DOT regulations apply to shipments of hazardous materials by all
modes of transportation (i.e., highway, rail, vessel and air).
DOT regulations are revised at least annually. These regulations
are complex and their applicability depends on the type of
material being shipped, its amount, its destination, and the
mode of transportation employed. There are nine classes of
hazardous materials under DOT regulations (explosives,
compressed gasses, flammable liquids, flammable solids,
oxidizers, poisons and infectious substances, radioactives and
miscellaneous). There are four categories of shipments depending
on the amount being shipped in a container (i.e. small quantity,
excepted quantity, limited quantity and fully regulated
quantity). The quantity category determines the type of
packaging and the labeling required. The first task in
determining the regulations applicable to a shipment is to
select the proper shipping name for the material from among the
over 3000 listed items which include a large number of gen