DOT Hazmat Placarding

Last Updated: October 6, 2026

1 Section
1 Lesson

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DOT Hazmat Placarding

1 Lesson

Interactive course

For shippers and drivers who decide, provide and display placards on highway shipments: know when placarding applies, use Tables 1 and 2 and the 454 kg exception, apply the DANGEROUS and subsidiary placards correctly, and display placards so they can be seen.

This certificate records completion of awareness training based on DOT 49 CFR 172.500, 172.502, 172.504, 172.505, 172.506, 172.514(b) and 172.516. It is not an OSHA card or license, and it does not by itself meet the training requirements of 49 CFR 172.702 and 172.704. Your hazmat employer must still ensure that you are trained and tested in accordance with 49 CFR Part 172, Subpart H: general awareness/familiarization training, function-specific training for the functions you perform, safety training, security awareness training, and in-depth security training if your employer must have a security plan; recurrent training at least once every three years; and a record of current training that includes certification that you have been trained and tested.

What you will learn

Decide whether placarding applies to a shipment, and when it must not be used
Choose the right placards using Table 1, Table 2 and the 454 kg exception
Apply the DANGEROUS placard and subsidiary placards correctly
Provide and display placards on each side and each end so they can be seen

Course outline

When placarding applies: Who must placard, and what is excepted; When you must NOT placard
Choosing placards: Table 1, Table 2 and the 454 kg exception
DANGEROUS, subsidiary and other exceptions: The DANGEROUS placard and subsidiary placards
Providing and displaying placards: Who provides them, and how they must look
On the job