Pacejet

Guidelines for Shipping Hazardous LTL Freight in Pacejet



This page explains the considerations for shipping hazardous Less Than Truckload (LTL) freight with Pacejet. Because carrier requirements vary significantly, you should work with each carrier to understand its rating, documentation and labeling requirements before configuring hazardous freight shipments in Pacejet.


Understand Carrier Requirements

Hazardous freight requirements differ by carrier. The products a carrier classifies as hazardous, the services it offers, the rates it charges and the documentation it requires can all vary.

Before implementing hazardous freight shipping, review your requirements with each LTL carrier. After you understand the carrier's requirements, share them with the Pacejet implementation team so they can determine whether configuration changes or customizations are needed.

Focus on two areas during planning:

  • Rating

  • Shipping documentation


Configure Shipment Rating

Some carriers apply additional charges to hazardous freight shipments, while others do not. Confirm whether shipping hazardous materials changes the shipment rate for each carrier you use.

If hazardous freight affects the carrier's pricing, the carrier may require an additional Shipment Service in Pacejet to calculate rates correctly. Confirm both of the following before implementation:

  • Whether the carrier requires a Shipment Service for hazardous freight.

  • Whether the Pacejet carrier connection supports that Shipment Service.


Prepare Required Shipping Paperwork

Hazardous freight always affects shipment paperwork, although the amount of required information varies by carrier.

Review the requirements for:

  • Bill of Lading

  • Pallet address labels

  • Hazardous material labels

  • Any carrier-specific documentation

At a minimum, most carriers require emergency contact information on the Bill of Lading.

Many carriers also require information about the hazardous products being shipped. Common requirements include:

  • Identification of the pallet containing hazardous materials.

  • UN code information.

  • All seven elements associated with the applicable UN code.

  • Packaging details.

  • Hazardous Product weight.

Because these requirements vary, confirm the required documentation directly with each carrier before configuring your implementation.


Use the Pacejet Bill of Lading

Descartes Pacejet recommends using the Pacejet Bill of Lading instead of a carrier-generated Bill of Lading as a best practice for all shipments but that is even more critical for hazardous freight shipments.

Carrier systems often do not receive enough information from Pacejet to generate a complete hazardous freight Bill of Lading. Managing separate Bill of Lading formats for multiple carriers also becomes difficult as carrier requirements differ.

The hazardous freight Bill of Lading is not included in the standard Shipping Templates. As a result, it isn't available through the Self-Service Editor for customization.

Pacejet provides a separate hazardous freight Bill of Lading that was developed from common customer customization requests. It includes many of the most frequently requested hazardous shipping fields.

The standard hazardous freight Bill of Lading may still require additional customization to meet your carrier's or organization's specific documentation requirements.


Implementation Recommendations

Successful hazardous freight implementations begin with understanding each carrier's requirements before configuration work starts.

Follow these recommendations:

  • Review hazardous freight requirements with every LTL carrier you use.

  • Document the carrier's rating, Shipment Service, and documentation requirements.

  • Share those requirements with the Pacejet implementation team.

  • Determine whether standard functionality meets your needs or whether customizations are required.

  • Validate the completed configuration and documentation with each carrier before shipping production freight.


Regulatory Resources

The following official resources provide background on the government regulations that shape carrier hazardous materials requirements. These are general references only; always confirm specific requirements directly with each carrier.

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