Transport of hazardous substances by road

You must comply with a number of Dutch laws when transporting hazardous substances by road in the Netherlands. These laws are based on the European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Hazardous Substances by Road (Europese overeenkomst voor het vervoer van gevaarlijke stoffen over de weg) (known as the ‘ADR’). The ADR contains safety regulations for the dispatcher, the addressee, the loader, the packer, the haulier and the filler. The haulier is responsible for transporting and for loading and unloading hazardous substances. Any temporary unloading in anticipation of further transport is also the haulier's responsibility.

Obligatory route for transporting hazardous substances

In the Netherlands, there is a so-called obligatory route for a number of hazardous substances. In some provinces and municipalities the obligatory route is indicated by traffic signs. If you want to deviate from the obligatory route in a municipality, e.g. for loading or unloading, you must apply to the municipality for dispensation to do so.

Dispensation from prohibition on transport of hazardous substances

In certain circumstances, such as icy road conditions or dense fog, you are prohibited from transporting hazardous substances. You can obtain a dispensation from this prohibition on transport if these circumstances are persistent and if you can demonstrate that the transport is urgent. You can obtain dispensation from the ban on the carriage of hazardous substances from the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport, ILT).

Transport safety advisor for hazardous substances

If you dispatch, transport, load, unload or temporarily store hazardous substances, you must employ a safety advisor. You can also hire an external safety advisor. The safety advisor for hazardous substances has for instance the following tasks:

• advise the company on the transport of hazardous substances;
• supervise compliance with the rules;
• take measures to prevent accidents.

A safety advisor must have a safety advisor certificate, that is granted by the CCV department at the Central Office for Motor Vehicle Driver Testing (Centraal Bureau Rijvaardigheidsbewijzen, CBR).