Hazmat segregation table

Hazmat segregation table: The hazmat segregation table, in 49 CFR 177.848, is the chart that tells a carrier which hazard classes may not share a truck. An X means never together, an O means only if separated so leaks can't mix, and a blank means no restriction. Source

How to read it

Find one material's class in the rows and the other's in the columns. An X means the two may not be loaded, transported or stored together in the same vehicle. An O means not together unless separated so that leaking packages couldn't mix. A blank means no restriction. A star sends explosives to a separate compatibility table. Source

Rules beside the table

• Class 8 corrosive liquids may never be loaded above or next to Class 4 or Class 5 materials, even when separated.
• Cyanides may not ride with acids that could produce hydrogen cyanide.
• Ammonium nitrate fertilizer has its own exception for loading with some explosives.

In practice EXAMPLE

A less-than-truckload carrier has a pallet of a Class 3 flammable liquid and a pallet of a Class 5.1 oxidizer for the same trailer. The table shows an O: they can ride together only if separated so a leak from one can't reach the other. The dock blocks them apart with non-hazardous freight between. Run any mix of classes through our segregation and placard checker, and read the hazmat classes chart and hazmat quantity thresholds.

Who checks segregation

Shippers prepare and label packages, but the carrier loads the truck, so segregation is the carrier's job at the dock. Drivers should read the classes on the shipping papers and the labels on the packages before loading, especially on mixed loads picked up at more than one stop, where a material loaded at the second stop may not be allowed next to one from the first. When in doubt, call the shipper or your dispatcher before closing the doors.

Segregation also matters at the dock while freight waits to be loaded, and in storage incidental to transport. A mixed load that is fine for placards can still break the segregation rules, so check both every time. Our segregation and placard checker runs both checks on any mix of classes at once.