Every single year – in the United States alone – there are – at least – 1.5 billion tons of highly hazardous materials transported throughout the country.
The professionals responsible for the transportation of these materials face numerous risks. They also pose many risks. The greatest of these are traffic accidents.
The hazardous materials may result in contamination, injuries, and even death. The materials have the capability of causing fires, the release of highly toxic fumes, and even explosions.
Many precautions must be taken and many costs are incurred, should a clean-up become necessary. As a result of all of the potential risks, special insurance is a must for truckers who transport these materials.
Hazardous Materials
A hazardous material (also referred to as “HAZMAT”) are defined as any type of substance that is known to pose an unreasonable level of risk to the general health and safety of life and property.
In terms of transportation – or, moving substances from one area to another – the following goods are classified as being “hazardous”:
- Adhesive Materials
- Chemicals
- Cleaning Products
- Contaminated Items
- Dynamite
- Fertilizer Products
- Gases That Are Combustible
- Petroleum-based Products
- Propane
Statistics
The statistics – as released by the administrator’s office of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety – go all the way back to the year of 1980. The following outlines these statistics:
- At least 225 fatal crashes occur a year involving trucks that are carrying hazardous materials.
- At least 6,000 non-fatal crashes occur annually involving HAZMAT trucks.
- Trucks that carry flammable-based liquids account for approximately half of all of the fatal truck accidents.
HAZMAT Insurance
If you are a trucker that is responsible for the transportation of hazardous materials, you are required to carry HAZMAT insurance. The liability of this type of insurance will need to be $1 million dollars or more, depending on the type of material that you are responsible for transporting.
Your cargo will fall under a designated “classification”. In order to determine this, you may contact the cargo provider or evaluate under the regulations known as “49 CFT 177”.
If the insurance that you require is not obtained, you stand the risk of being fined and facing penalties – including facing incarceration.
The Policy
Once you obtain the insurance for transporting hazardous materials, you will discover that the policy includes many different types of coverages. The following outlines the most common types of coverages:
- Coverage for the actual transit process
- Coverage for contamination that may occur while the materials are in your possession
- Clean-up coverage if spills or other types of pollution occur
- Loading and unloading coverage
Modica
We here at Modica Insurance can help insure you and your cargo – regardless of the hazards posed. Hauling HAZMAT is considered to be one of the most heavily regulated industries, due to the risks posed to others, the environment, and property.
We understand the unique concerns that you have and are familiar with all federal and state laws that govern your cargo. To learn more about transportation insurance in New York, call us today by dialing: 718-855-1836