When exporting Dangerous Goods the most common error we see from shippers who frequently export dangerous goods is not properly expressing the DG Emergency Response Number. Government regulations CFR49 172.604 require that a 24 hour response number be provided to the carrier. Many 3rd party services offer subscriptions that provide a number that can be that can be used by a shipper as the 7 x 24 contact number.
The number provided to a domestic shipper is frequently an “800” number. While this number is acceptable for domestic freight, it is not acceptable for international freight, since the number can not be dialed outside of the country.
International shipments should have a response number shown below:
+1-###-###-####
The “+” refers to a given country’s international dialing access code. The USA uses “011” as an international dialing access code. Other countries will use 00 or 0 as well as other combinations. Since there is a variety of access codes globally, the ”+” is a wild card place holder for these variations. “1” is the USA country code, then the remaining area code and local dialing numbers.
Place the following statement in the “Additional Handling Information” box on the DG declaration:
24-hour Number: +1-###-###-####
Using this format will prevent carrier rejections of DG shipments for improperly formatted 24-hour emergency contact number.
For more information on Hazmat/Dangerous Goods visit our website: http://www.bdginternational.com/international-shipping-logistics-services/international-logistics/hazmat-fail-safe/
