When do hazardous materials transportation regulations take effect? On the dock? Once goods are loaded on a carrier's vehicle? When the vehicle hits the road? The answer has not always been clear.

Now, the federal agency in charge of hazmat transportation rules hopes a new proposal will clarify the issue. That proposal, issued by the Department of Transportation's Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA), would clarify which activities prior to and during transportation are governed by federal hazardous materials regulations.

Pre-transportation functions, RSPA says, would be activities that are performed in order to prepare hazardous materials for movement in commerce. Included in transportation functions, the agency says, would be loading, unloading, and storage that are incidental to the movement of hazardous materials.

Under the agency's proposed definitions, "transportation in commerce"—for the purpose of applying federal regulations—would begin when a carrier takes possession of a hazardous material and continue until the carrier delivers the package containing the hazardous material to its destination.

The proposed rule can be viewed at RSPA's Web site (www.rspa.gov). Written comments on the proposed rule, Docket Number RSPA-98-4952 (HM-223), are due by Oct. 12.