[RE-wrenches] Battery Transport

[Starlight Solar Power Systems]

Daunting, an excellent description. Means intimidating, formidable, disconcerting, unnerving, unsettling, dismaying; discouraging, disheartening, and so on. I had to become Hazmat Certified to ship lithium ion batteries….so, yes to all the synonyms.

49 CFR 173 regulates shipment and transport of batteries. They are Class 8 dangerous goods. Here’s some info about you transporting. 

"When packaged in accordance with 49 CFR 173.159 and transported by highway or rail, lead acid batteries are not subject to any other DOT requirements if all of the following conditions are met:

	• There are no other hazardous materials in the same vehicle.
	• The batteries are loaded or braced to prevent damage and short circuits.
	• Any other material loaded in the vehicle must be blocked, braced, or otherwise secured to prevent contact with or damage to the batteries.
	• The vehicle carries material offered only by the battery shipper.
(close quote)

I have not studied it but I think there is some exclusions for batteries being transported for recycling. See” https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=b79008b14fb36fd528cc84f87ed9af4e&mc=true&node=pt40.27.266&rgn=div5#sp40.29.266.g subpart G

Have fun.
Larry




On May 22, 2017, at 5:01 PM, Ray <ray at solarray.com> wrote:

HI All;

I was wondering if anyone had run into to trouble or special requirements or regulations when hauling new or dead lead acid batteries to and from job sites.  Do we need to be DOT approved/ registered?  This seems like a special case, since regular shipping companies do not deliver to these remote areas.

The regulations etc are amazingly daunting.  In the past, I've considered it a case of a contractor transporting building materials to the job site. We're not a carrier, that delivers packages for others for a living.   We have rented a truck with a DOT# when we need something over the 10,000 lb gross vehicle limit, like a 1 ton truck.  I'm hoping that would be adequate.

Thanks in advance for your advice,

-- 
R. Ray Walters
Chief Technical Officer, RemoteSolar.com
BS Mech Engineering, 1988
Former NABCEP Certified, 2004-2016
Licensed Master ELectrician, Colorado
303 505-8760

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