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Transportation of Dangerous Goods—
Is your certificate valid and up-to-date?
By Tom Sigurdson, Training Coordinator
Last summer, I heard dispatcher John Hoare call a number of members on the available-for-work list to see who might be available to work on a fuel truck. Many members had the required valid driver’s licence, but did not have a Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) certificate issued by the Joint Training School. Without the certificate, the member could not be dispatched to work.
The regulations which govern the transportation of dangerous goods require employers to train and certify all employees involved with transporting dangerous goods. A certificate, issued by an employer, is non-transferable but valid for three years while working for the employer who issued the certificate.
For example, if you work for ABC Construction and it issues you a Transportation of Dangerous Goods certificate in April, it is good for three years, as long as you are driving for ABC Construction. If you change employers and move to XYZ Contracting in July, then XYZ Contracting must issue a Transportation of Dangerous Goods certificate in order for you to continue to be in compliance with the regulations.
I have visited a number of work sites where members are unaware of these regulations. Having a certificate in your wallet issued by an employer that you are not currently working for or holding a certificate that is older than three years will not save you from receiving a fine or other penalty if you’re pulled over and asked to produce a valid certificate.
Only a Training School TDG Certificate is transferable
The Teamsters Joint Training School is the only agency authorized to issue multi-employer Transportation of Dangerous Goods certificates.
We have worked with Transport Canada which, in turn, co-ordinated with the provincial authorities to allow us to issue certificates that are transferable between companies who are signatory to Teamsters 213 collective agreements.
You can register with the dispatch hall and explain that you hold a valid certificate issued by the Joint Training School. Then, when a contractor calls to request drivers holding valid certificates, the Joint Training School will fax the appropriate documents to the contractor (who will have to keep the documents on file) and sign your certificate so that you and the contractor are in compliance with the regulations. The contractor may want to provide additional training depending on the dangerous goods that require transport, but most drivers should be able to use the transferable certificate with a multitude of employers for the three-year life of the certificate.
More information about training
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Transportation of Dangerous Goods