7.2 Transportation Safety, Container Rinsing & NDDA Project Safe Send

7.2 Transportation Safety, Container Rinsing & NDDA Project Safe Send

Quick Answer: Pesticides must be transported securely braced in an open cargo bed using heavy-duty tie-down straps, never in vehicle passenger compartments or alongside food, animal feed, seed, or pharmaceuticals. DOT Hazmat regulations mandate shipping papers within the driver's immediate reach, an Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) in the cab, and 4-sided diamond placards plus a CDL Hazmat endorsement for shipments of 1,000 pounds or more. Spray tank filling requires an unbroken physical air gap equal to twice the fill hose diameter (never under 1.0 inch) or an RPZ backflow preventer. Emptied containers must be immediately triple-rinsed or pressure-rinsed (40 psi for 30 seconds), rinsate drained into the spray tank, punctured to render unusable, and recycled or submitted to NDDA Project Safe Send.

Safe Vehicular Transport Protocols & Cargo Segregation

Transporting concentrated pesticide products along public roadways presents immediate public safety and environmental risks. Applicators must adhere to rigorous transport safety standards:

• Open Cargo Area Requirement: Pesticides must always be transported in the open bed of a pickup truck, a flatbed trailer, or a dedicated chemical tender truck. Containers must be tightly braced, blocked, and secured using commercial ratchet cargo straps, chains, or load-locking bars to prevent shifting, tipping, or rolling during abrupt braking or sudden swerves.
• THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT PROHIBITION: Pesticides must NEVER be transported inside the enclosed passenger compartment of any vehicle—including pickup truck cabs, passenger cars, vans, or sport utility vehicles (SUVs).
  • Vapor Intoxication Hazard: Even tightly sealed containers emit trace chemical vapors or volatile organic solvents through micro-pores and cap seals. In an enclosed passenger cab, these vapors rapidly concentrate to toxic levels, causing headaches, dizziness, nausea, impaired vision, and severe neurotoxic exposure that compromises driving ability.
  • Collision Contamination: In a traffic collision, chemical jugs rupture, instantly drenching seat upholstery, interior carpeting, headliners, and seatbelts with concentrated chemical poison. Fabric, foam cushions, and porous vehicle trim cannot be decontaminated; chemical residues persist indefinitely, off-gassing toxic fumes and causing permanent dermal contamination, rendering the vehicle uninhabitable and requiring it to be scrapped.
• Cargo Segregation Rules: Pesticides must never be transported in the same cargo area as human groceries, livestock feed, food supplements, planting seed, or veterinary pharmaceuticals. A pinhole leak or torn chemical bag during transit can contaminate animal feed or crop seed, resulting in mass livestock mortality, animal product recalls, or total seed germination failure.
• Truck Bed Preparation: Before loading, inspect the truck bed and sweep away gravel, broken glass, scrap metal, and loose nails or screws that could puncture plastic jugs. Ensure vehicle tailgates and side gates are fully latched and locked.
• Weather Protection: Paper bags and cardboard cartons containing dry formulations (WP, WDG, Granules) must be covered with an impermeable, waterproof canvas or heavy vinyl tarpaulin firmly secured with tie-down bungees to protect packaging from rain saturation and wind tearing.

DOT Hazardous Materials Regulations: Placarding, Shipping Papers & Driver Credentials

The transportation of hazardous chemicals on public roads is governed by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) under the Hazardous Materials Regulations (49 CFR Parts 100–185).

DOT Shipping Papers

When transporting regulated quantities of hazardous materials, certified shipping papers must accompany the shipment. The shipping paper documents:

• The Proper Shipping Name (e.g., Environmentally Hazardous Substance, Liquid, N.O.S.).
• The Hazard Class or Division (e.g., Class 6.1 for toxic substances, Class 9 for miscellaneous).
• The UN/NA Identification Number (e.g., UN3082).
• The Packing Group (PG I, II, or III, indicating degree of danger).
• The Total Quantity (mass or volume) and container types.
• A 24-Hour Emergency Response Telephone Number monitored by individuals knowledgeable about the chemical's emergency response procedures (e.g., CHEMTREC).
• Driver Accessibility Rule: Under federal law, the shipping papers must be within immediate arm's reach of the driver while restrained by the seatbelt (e.g., stored in a clear pocket mounted on the driver's interior door panel or placed on the driver's seat). Papers must be immediately accessible to first responders without entering a potentially contaminated cargo area.

DOT Diamond Placarding

• Placards are standardized 10.8-inch (273 mm) square-on-point diamond signs displaying the hazard class number, symbolic hazard pictogram, and color-coded background (e.g., skull and crossbones for Class 6.1 toxic materials; flame for Class 3 flammable liquids).
• Placement: Placards must be displayed on all four sides of the transport vehicle (front, rear, and both exterior sides), mounted horizontally, free of dirt, and clearly visible from a distance.
• The 1,000-Pound Rule: Vehicles transporting 1,000 pounds or more aggregate gross weight of regulated hazardous materials (Table 2 materials) must display appropriate DOT placards. Any shipment containing designated "Table 1" materials (such as poisonous inhalation hazard gases or certain agricultural fumigants) requires placarding at any quantity.

Driver Licensing & The Hazardous Materials Endorsement

Any individual operating a commercial motor vehicle transporting a load of hazardous materials that requires DOT placarding must hold a valid Commercial Driver's License (CDL) equipped with a Hazardous Materials Endorsement ('H' or combined Tank/Hazmat 'X').

• Applicators must undergo comprehensive federal background checks (including fingerprinting and TSA security threat assessments) and complete recurrent hazardous materials training every three years.
• Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG): A current copy of the DOT Emergency Response Guidebook must be kept in the vehicle cab, providing immediate reference to initial isolation distances, fire suppression techniques, and protective clothing requirements for the specific UN identification number.

Cross-Connection Control & Back-Siphoning Prevention During Tank Filling

Accidental back-siphoning of concentrated chemical solution from an agricultural spray tank into rural drinking water supplies represents one of the most severe environmental contamination threats in agriculture.

Mechanics of Reverse Siphon Flow

When an applicator fills a sprayer tank using a water hose connected to a wellhead hydrant, municipal water outlet, or water tender truck, a cross-connection is formed. If the discharge end of the fill hose is submerged below the liquid surface inside the spray tank, a direct fluid pathway connects the chemical solution to the water supply.

• If supply water pressure suddenly drops—caused by supply pump failure, well shutoff, line ruptures, or heavy withdrawal from another nearby hydrant—a negative pressure vacuum is generated inside the supply pipe.
• This vacuum creates an atmospheric reverse siphon, pulling hundreds of gallons of concentrated pesticide solution out of the spray tank and sucking it backward into the water well, aquifer, or domestic distribution system. In rural North Dakota, a single back-siphoning incident can contaminate private aquifers and municipal drinking water for miles.

The Physical Air Gap Specification

The physical air gap is the simplest, most foolproof, and legally mandated anti-siphon defense.

• An air gap is an unobstructed, vertical physical separation through the free atmosphere between the lowest end of the water supply delivery hose and the highest possible flood rim of the spray tank or nurse tank.
• Dimensional Standard: The vertical air gap distance must measure at least twice the inside diameter of the supply hose (2x hose ID), and NEVER less than 1.0 inch.
  • Example: A 2-inch diameter tender hose requires an unbroken vertical air gap of at least 4 inches ($2 \times 2 = 4\text{ in}$). A 3-inch fill hose requires an air gap of at least 6 inches ($2 \times 3 = 6\text{ in}$).
• The water hose must be rigidly secured above the tank opening using an external bracket. Never drop or submerge a water hose below the tank rim or into the chemical solution.

Mechanical Backflow Preventers

When an open physical air gap cannot be maintained—such as when utilizing closed-system bottom-fill cam-lock connections:

• Reduced Pressure Zone (RPZ) Backflow Preventer: The most dependable mechanical device, featuring two independent spring-loaded check valves separated by an intermediate hydraulically operated differential relief valve. If pressure drops or either check valve fouls, the relief valve vents to the atmosphere, discharging water and physically breaking the reverse siphon.
• Atmospheric Vacuum Breaker (AVB): Installed downstream of the last shutoff valve at least 6 inches above the highest downstream piping, an AVB admits atmospheric air to break the siphon whenever line pressure ceases.

Immediate Container Decontamination: Triple Rinsing vs. Pressure Rinsing

Pesticide containers must be thoroughly decontaminated immediately upon emptying. If chemical residues are allowed to dry on plastic walls for even a few hours, the active ingredient crystallizes and binds tenaciously to the high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic, making complete cleaning impossible. Uncleaned containers are classified under federal RCRA law as hazardous waste, subjecting the owner to severe regulatory penalties and rendering the plastic unrecyclable.

Step-by-Step Triple Rinsing Procedure

1. Primary Drain: Empty the concentrated pesticide into the sprayer tank. Hold the container vertically over the tank fill opening until continuous flow stops, then let it drain for an additional 30 seconds.
2. First Water Addition: Fill the container one-fourth (1/4 or 25%) full with clean water.
3. Agitation: Replace the container cap securely. Vigorously shake, rotate, and invert the container for at least 30 seconds so that wash water aggressively contacts all interior walls, handles, corners, and the pour spout.
4. Drain Rinsate into Tank: Remove the cap and pour the rinsate directly into the sprayer tank as part of the makeup water. Allow the container to drain for another 30 seconds.
5. Repeat Twice: Repeat steps 2 through 4 two more times, completing a total of three full rinse cycles.

Step-by-Step Pressure Rinsing Procedure

Pressure rinsing utilizes a specialized probe nozzle attached to a pressurized clean water hose (delivering a minimum of 40 psi):

1. Hold the emptied container upside down over the sprayer tank fill opening, draining continuous chemical flow for 30 seconds.
2. Thrust the sharp tip of the rotating pressure-rinse probe firmly through the bottom or lower side wall of the plastic container.
3. Turn on the pressurized water supply and rinse the interior surfaces for at least 30 seconds at 40 psi, rotating the nozzle to scour all internal corners.
4. Allow all rinsate water to drain continuously through the container neck directly into the sprayer tank.

• Advantage: Pressure rinsing cleans containers faster and more effectively than manual triple rinsing, adds zero external handling steps, and punctures the container in a single operation.

Mandatory Container Disablement

Immediately following triple rinsing or pressure rinsing, the applicator must puncture the bottom or cut large slits in the sides of the container using a sharp utility knife or punch. Puncturing permanently prevents the container from ever being reused to hold water, food, fuel, or livestock feed—a critical practice that prevents lethal accidental poisonings.

Container Identification, Custom Blends & the Adopted Federal Container Rules

EPA container regulations are North Dakota rules (NDAC 60-03-01-11.1)

North Dakota has adopted by reference the U.S. EPA pesticide container regulations at 40 CFR Part 165, subparts A, B, C, and D, effective as of August 17, 2011. That means the federal standards for nonrefillable containers, refillable containers, repackaging, and container labeling are enforceable state requirements, not merely federal ones. In practice, those subparts govern container construction and closure standards, the residue-removal (rinsing) standards for nonrefillable containers, the one-way valve, tamper-evident device, and serial-number requirements for refillable containers, and the cleaning and labeling duties that attach when a refillable container is refilled.

Identifying information for mixtures, custom blends, and bulk containers (NDAC 60-03-01-10)

Whenever a pesticide leaves the container it was registered in, the rule keeps its identity attached to it:

Two exam points fall out of this table. First, the EPA establishment number identifies the facility that produced or packaged the product, while the EPA registration number identifies the product itself — the two are never interchangeable. Second, a person producing a mixture for another to apply needs an establishment number, while a custom blender does not; the blender's obligation is to keep the end-use labeling with the blend. Recall as well that NDAC 60-03-01-13(2) forbids holding a mixture or custom blend in inventory — after producing it, it must be promptly delivered to the person who requested it.

Container Recycling & North Dakota Department of Agriculture Project Safe Send

Properly cleaned pesticide containers are valuable resources that must be diverted from landfills and kept out of farm burn piles.

• Ag Container Recycling Council (ACRC) Programs: North Dakota participates in nationwide container recycling programs that collect clean, triple-rinsed or pressure-rinsed, punctured HDPE #2 plastic containers. Plastic jugs are shredded into flakes, decontaminated, and remanufactured into non-food industrial products, such as underground electrical conduit, industrial fence posts, highway guardrail blocks, and landscape edging. Container caps, label booklets, and aluminum neck foil seals must be removed and discarded prior to recycling.
• Strict Ban on Open Burning: Open burning of plastic pesticide containers, chemical bags, or pesticide-contaminated wood is strictly illegal under North Dakota Air Pollution Control Rules and Administrative Code. Burning chlorinated or organophosphate pesticide containers releases lethal airborne dioxins, furans, phosgene, and toxic particulate clouds, subjecting the applicator to severe environmental fines.

North Dakota Department of Agriculture (NDDA) Project Safe Send

• Program Purpose: Project Safe Send is an annual, statewide, non-regulatory collection program administered and funded by the North Dakota Department of Agriculture (NDDA) via pesticide registration fees.
• Target Materials: It provides safe, legally compliant, and environmentally responsible disposal for unusable, cancelled, banned, obsolete, or deteriorated agricultural pesticides. It accepts legacy banned chemicals that can no longer be legally applied—such as DDT, dieldrin, toxaphene, aldrin, chlordane, lead arsenate, and 2,4,5-T—as well as unidentifiable liquids with disintegrated labels or frozen, crystallized chemical jugs.
• Non-Regulatory Protection: Agricultural producers, commercial applicators, non-profit organizations, and rural homeowners can transport these hazardous chemicals to designated annual collection sites across North Dakota without fear of regulatory inspection, citation, or civil penalties. The program removes hundreds of thousands of pounds of high-risk toxic chemicals from rural farmsteads and agricultural warehouses, permanently protecting the state's groundwater resources.
• Cost and quantity limits: Project Safe Send is entirely free of charge — there is no fee at any volume. What the program limits is quantity: a maximum of 5,000 pounds per person, limited to one shuttle; pesticide distributors and agronomy centers are capped at 3,000 pounds with one shuttle. Anyone bringing more than 1,000 pounds must pre-register with the NDDA at least one week before the collection date. Collections run at a set of North Dakota Department of Transportation sites over roughly a week each summer; since the program began in 1992 it has collected more than 6.8 million pounds of pesticides from nearly 12,000 participants.

Independent Preparation Notice

This study guide is an independent educational publication developed by OpenExamPrep. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by, endorsed by, or produced in partnership with the North Dakota Department of Agriculture, North Dakota State University Extension, or the EPA.