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Notice2026-19276

Hazardous Materials: Information Collection Activities

Primary source

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Published

September 21, 2026

Issuing agencies

Transportation DepartmentPipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

Abstract

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), PHMSA invites comments on proposed updates to the form used for reporting incidents that occur during the transportation of hazardous materials. PHMSA intends to request a revision of a currently approved information collection from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the Hazardous Materials Incident Report (DOT Form 5800.1; Form Approval OMB No. 2137-0039). Revisions include new data elements and clarifications of existing fields. PHMSA has also removed, simplified, or reorganized data elements to reduce the burden on filers and staff, alongside modernizing the form's visual layout. PHMSA encourages commenters to review a draft version of the new DOT Form 5800.1, which is provided as a Portable Document Format (PDF) file in the electronic Docket at regulations.gov. This draft of the new form does not replace the currently approved form. It is provided only for purposes of this notice and request for comments.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 181 (Monday, September 21, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 181 (Monday, September 21, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59834-59849]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-19276]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket No. PHMSA-2026-1981 (Notice No. 2026-04)]

Hazardous Materials: Information Collection Activities

AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA),
Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA),
PHMSA invites comments on proposed updates to the form used for
reporting incidents that occur during the transportation of hazardous
materials. PHMSA intends to request a revision of a currently approved
information collection from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
for the Hazardous Materials Incident Report (DOT Form 5800.1; Form
Approval OMB No. 2137-0039). Revisions include new data elements and
clarifications of existing fields. PHMSA has also removed, simplified,
or reorganized data elements to reduce the burden on filers and staff,
alongside modernizing the form's visual layout. PHMSA encourages
commenters to review a draft version of the new DOT Form 5800.1, which
is provided as a Portable Document Format (PDF) file in the electronic
Docket at <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a>. This draft of the new form does not replace
the currently approved form. It

[[Page 59835]]

is provided only for purposes of this notice and request for comments.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
December 21, 2026. However, PHMSA will consider late-filed comments to
the extent possible.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by the Docket Number
PHMSA-2026-1981 (Notice No. 2026-04) by any of the following methods:
<bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>.
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
<bullet> Mail: Docket Management System, U.S. Department of
Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, Ground Floor, Room W12-140,
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590.
<bullet> Hand Delivery: To the Docket Management System; U.S.
Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, Room W12-140 on
the ground floor of the West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE,
Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except Federal holidays.
Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and
Docket ID (i.e., PHMSA-2026-1981) for this notice at the beginning of
the comment. To avoid duplication, please use only one of these methods
(i.e., Federal Rulemaking Portal, Mail, or Hand Delivery). PHMSA will
post all comments without change to the Federal Docket Management
System (FDMS) and will include any personal information you provide.
If you send comments by mail, please submit two copies. Persons
wishing to receive confirmation of receipt of their comments must
include a self-addressed stamped postcard.
Direct requests for a copy of an information collection to Steven
Andrews or Glenn Foster, Standards and Rulemaking Division, (202) 366-
8553, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S.
Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC
20590-0001. In addition, the current DOT Form 5800.1 can be accessed
electronically on the PHMSA website.\1\
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\1\ PHMSA, Hazardous Materials Incident Report (DOT Form 5800.1;
OMB No. 2137-0039) (Jan. 2004), available at: <a href="https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/docs/IncidentForm010105.pdf">https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/docs/IncidentForm010105.pdf</a>.
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Docket: For access to background documents or comments received, go
to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a> and search for the Docket ID: PHMSA-2026-
1981. Access to the docket materials can also be provided at the
physical location for DOT's Docket Operations Office (see ADDRESSES).
Privacy Act: In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c) and 44 U.S.C. 3501
et seq., DOT solicits comments from the public to inform better its
rulemaking and information collection processes, respectively. DOT
posts these comments, without edit, including any personal information
the commenter provides, to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>, as described in the
system of records notice (DOT/ALL-14 FDMS).\2\
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\2\ DOT, System of Records Notice (DOT/ALL-14 FDMS), available
at: <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/privacy/privacy-act-system-records-notices">https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/privacy/privacy-act-system-records-notices</a>.
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Confidential Business Information: Confidential Business
Information (CBI) is commercial or financial information that is both
customarily and actually treated as private by its owner. Under the
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt from
public disclosure. If your comments contain commercial or financial
information that is customarily treated as private, that you actually
treat as private, and that is relevant or responsive to this notice, it
is important that you clearly designate the submitted comments as CBI.
Please mark each page of your submission containing CBI as ``PROPIN''
to indicate the presence of proprietary information. PHMSA will treat
such marked submissions as confidential under the FOIA, and they will
not be placed in the public docket of this notice. Submissions
containing CBI should be sent to Steven Andrews, Standards and
Rulemaking Division, and addressed to the Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation,
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001 or
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4c3f38293a2922622d22283e293b3f0c282338622b233a">[email&#160;protected]</a>. Any commentary that PHMSA receives which is not
specifically designated as CBI will be placed in the public docket for
this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about the proposed
updates to this form, contact Robert Starin, (202) 366-1074,
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#ec9e838e899e98c29f988d9e8582ac888398c28b839a">[email&#160;protected]</a>, Operations Systems Division, Office of Hazardous
Materials Safety (OHMS), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001. For information about the PRA and
this information collection, contact Steven Andrews or Ryan Larson at
(202) 366-8553 or at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#80efe8edf3f0f2e1c0e4eff4aee7eff6">[email&#160;protected]</a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Acronyms

CFR Code of Federal Regulations
CTMV Cargo Tank Motor Vehicle
DCMRB Data Collection and Methodology Research Branch (U.S. Census
Bureau)
DHS Department of Homeland Security
DOT Department of Transportation
EMS Emergency Medical Services
EPA Environmental Protection Agency
FAA Federal Aviation Administration
FMCSA Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
FRA Federal Railroad Administration
GPS Global Positioning System
HAZMATICS Hazardous Materials Incident Communication System
HMR Hazardous Materials Regulations
HMT Hazardous Materials Table
IBC Intermediate Bulk Container
ID Identification
NAR Non-Accident Release
NRC National Response Center
OHMS Office of Hazardous Materials Safety (DOT/PHMSA)
OMB Office of Management and Budget
PDF Portable Document Format
PHMSA Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
PIH Poisonous by Inhalation
POP Performance Oriented Packaging
RAM Radioactive Materials
SME Subject Matter Expert
TIH Toxic by Inhalation
TSA Transportation Security Administration (DHS)
UAS Unmanned Aircraft System
ULD Unit Load Device
UN United Nations
UN/NA United Nations/North American
USCG U.S. Coast Guard
XML Extensible Markup Language

I. Overview

PHMSA uses the Hazardous Materials Incident Report (DOT Form
5800.1) to collect information on reportable hazardous materials
incidents in air, rail, highway, and vessel transportation under the
Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR parts 171-180). OHMS
requires the form for incidents covered by 49 CFR 171.16, including
those subject to Sec. 171.15.\3\ PHMSA must comply with Federal laws,
regulations, and policies when collecting this information or revising
the collection.
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\3\ 49 CFR 171.15.
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Under 5 CFR 1320.8(d), PHMSA must provide the public and affected
agencies an opportunity to comment before submitting an information
collection request to OMB.\4\ PHMSA is providing a 90-day comment
period, rather than 60 days, because it has not substantially revised
DOT Form 5800.1 in many years. After considering comments and revising
the proposal as warranted, PHMSA will submit the request to OMB for a
3-year approval and publish a subsequent 30-day Federal Register notice
for additional public comment.

[[Page 59836]]

This notice begins the first of those two comment periods.\5\
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\4\ 5 CFR 1320.8.
\5\ GSA, A Guide to the Paperwork Reduction Act: PRA Approval
Process, available at: <a href="https://pra.digital.gov/clearance-process/">https://pra.digital.gov/clearance-process/</a>.
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The form collects information about the incident, hazardous
material, packaging, and human and environmental impacts to help PHMSA
analyze trends and gaps and inform actions to mitigate risk and improve
safety. The OHMS Operations Systems Division processes and checks the
data through a quality management system compliant with International
Organization for Standardization's (ISO) ISO 9001:2015 standard.\6\ In
coordination with PHMSA's Office of the Chief Information Officer, the
division stores and manages the data in a relational database and
publishes them on PHMSA's website with a tool to search fields and
filter results.\7\
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\6\ PHMSA, Data Operations Quality Management System, available
at: <a href="https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat-program-management-data-and-statistics/data-operations/quality-management-system">https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat-program-management-data-and-statistics/data-operations/quality-management-system</a>.
\7\ PHMSA, Hazardous Materials Incident Report Search Tool,
available at: <a href="https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat-program-management-data-and-statistics/data-operations/incident-statistics">https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat-program-management-data-and-statistics/data-operations/incident-statistics</a>.
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II. Census Review and Cognitive Evaluation of DOT Form 5800.1

PHMSA contracted with the U.S. Census Bureau to evaluate DOT Form
5800.1 and recommend a redesign that improves data accuracy and
consistency, reduces respondent burden, and meets collection
requirements. The Bureau's Data Collection and Methodology Research
Branch (DCMRB) assessed the form for cognitive and usability issues and
opportunities to reduce burden.
DCMRB began with an expert review and exploratory research,
including interviews with internal and external stakeholders and
subject matter experts (SMEs), focus groups, and field observations. It
used the findings to develop changes, which it refined through
cognitive and usability testing with filers. DCMRB presented findings
to PHMSA after each activity. Its final report is available in the
electronic docket. Recommendations included:
<bullet> Improving efficiency by reorganizing content, allowing
filers to bypass sections that are not applicable to their reported
incident;
<bullet> Adding content to address incidents caused by batteries
(e.g., lithium-ion batteries) that undergo thermal runaway, which were
not captured previously;
<bullet> Reducing burden by capturing alternative data in cases
where other data may not be available to the filer or not available at
the time of submission--e.g., Global Positioning System (GPS) location,
flight numbers; and
<bullet> Identifying intermodal transport to account for multiple
modes of transportation that may have been involved in an incident or
the shipment.

III. Supporting Materials in the Docket

The electronic docket at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> contains the proposed
DOT Form 5800.1 in PDF format and the U.S. Census Bureau's final
research report.\8\ PHMSA intends the proposed PDF to replace the
current PDF on its website after public comment and OMB approval.
Filers must continue using the currently approved form until OMB
finalizes and approves the revision.
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\8\ Docket Number: PHMSA-2026-1981, available at: <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/">https://www.regulations.gov/document/</a> PHMSA-2026-1981.
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Filers may submit reports using the PDF form, the Hazardous
Materials Incident Communication System (HAZMATICS) portal at <a href="https://portal.phmsa.dot.gov">https://portal.phmsa.dot.gov</a>, or Extensible Markup Language (XML) data
submission.\9\ PHMSA encourages HAZMATICS and XML submissions because
they better accommodate incidents involving multiple packaging types or
hazardous materials. The PDF remains an option and provides a practical
way to show the proposed data changes without developing a HAZMATICS
prototype.
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\9\ PHMSA, Introduction to XML Submission, available at: <a href="https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat-program-development/data-operations/introduction-xml-submission">https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat-program-development/data-operations/introduction-xml-submission</a>.
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PHMSA also seeks comments on filers' experiences with HAZMATICS and
XML submissions. The PDF includes all required incident-reporting data
elements, which must remain consistent across all three submission
methods. PHMSA will assess the software, data-processing, and database
changes needed to reflect revisions to the collection in HAZMATICS and
XML submissions.
The Council on the Safe Transportation of Hazardous Articles
(COSTHA) petitioned PHMSA to revise DOT Form 5800.1 (P-1721).\10\ Many
of COSTHA's comments concern HAZMATICS and remain outstanding. PHMSA
will consider them with comments received on this notice and expects to
better address HAZMATICS development by the second comment period.
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\10\ COSTHA, Petition P-1721 (Oct. 5, 2018), available at:
<a href="https://www.regulations.gov/docket/PHMSA-2018-0101">https://www.regulations.gov/docket/PHMSA-2018-0101</a>.
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IV. Proposed Changes to DOT Form 5800.1--Question-by-Question Review

This section explains and justifies revisions to existing data
elements, following the current form's organization and numbering.
References such as ``Q1'' mean Question 1 on the current form. Readers
should consult the current form on PHMSA's website alongside the
proposed form in the docket.\11\ Section V addresses new data elements
and provides additional details in proposed-form order.
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\11\ PHMSA, Hazardous Materials Incident Report (Jan. 2004). DOT
Form 5800.1; OMB No. 2137-0039, available at: <a href="https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/docs/IncidentForm010105.pdf">https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/docs/IncidentForm010105.pdf</a>.
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The current form has eight Parts:

I. Part I--Report Type
II. Part II--General Incident Information
III. Part III--Packaging Information
IV. Part IV--Consequences
V. Part V--Air Incident Information
VI. Part VI--Description of Events & Packaging
VII. Part VII--Recommendations/Actions Taken To Prevent Recurrence
VIII. Part VIII--Contact Information

A. Current Form: Part I--Report Type

Q1 on the current form asks whether the filer is reporting: (A) a
hazardous materials incident; (B) an undeclared shipment with no
release; or (C) certain damage to a specification cargo tank with no
release. The new form divides Q1 into two questions aligned with
Sec. Sec. 171.15 and 171.16. The first replaces option A with the
circumstances requiring a telephone report to the National Response
Center (NRC) under Sec. 171.15(b), making the applicable incident
types explicit. The second covers options B and C and the other
reporting criteria in Sec. 171.16(a)(2) and (a)(5).
Renamed ``Part 1--Reason for the Report,'' this section requires
filers to identify the regulatory basis for reporting before completing
the rest of the form. This will help the OHMS Data Operations team
determine whether a report is required without checking other answers.
Filers may spend more time reviewing Sec. Sec. 171.15 and 171.16 to
identify the applicable criteria, but the change may prevent
unnecessary reports. Filers should complete the remaining sections only
after confirming that reporting is required.
Q2 currently offers ``an initial report,'' ``a supplemental
(follow-up) report,'' and ``additional pages.'' The new form replaces
``a supplemental (follow-up) report'' with the plainer ``update
existing report,'' without changing its

[[Page 59837]]

purpose: providing new or revised information after submitting a
completed report. Filers who have not yet submitted a report must
select ``an initial report.'' Under Sec. 171.16(c), a filer must
update a report within one year of the incident whenever:
<bullet> a death results from injury caused by hazardous material;
<bullet> there was a misidentification of the hazardous material or
package information on a prior incident report;
<bullet> damage, loss or related cost that was not known when the
initial incident report was filed becomes known; or
<bullet> damage, loss, or related cost changes by $25,000 or more,
or 10% of the prior total estimate, whichever is greater.
<bullet> Filers may also select ``update existing report'' to
revise information voluntarily, even when Sec. 171.16(c) does not
require an update. ``Additional pages'' applies only when information
does not fit in the space provided.

B. Current Form: Part II--General Incident Information

Q3 and Q4 request the incident's date and time, but the filer may
know when an incident was discovered without knowing when it occurred.
The new form asks filers to identify which date and time they are
providing.
This distinction reduces the need to determine an exact occurrence
time when only discovery is known--for example, when an undeclared
shipment with no release is discovered after shipment. The new PDF also
includes a calendar date picker and specifies the 24-hour time format
as ``HH:MM'' (two-digit hour, two-digit minute), clarifying the current
instruction to ``use 24-hour time.'' These features may reduce
reporting burden.
Section 171.15 requires telephone notification to the U.S. Coast
Guard (USCG) NRC for certain incidents. Q5 currently requests the NRC
report number, if applicable. A blank response does not distinguish a
call that was not made from one whose report number is unknown or
omitted. The new form first asks whether the flier notified the NRC,
and then requests the report number separately. It also links to the
NRC website so filers can look up the number.\12\ PHMSA intends these
changes to improve clarity for filers and data users.
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\12\ USCG, National Response Center, available at: <a href="https://nrc.uscg.mil/">https://nrc.uscg.mil/</a>.
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OHMS Data Operations staff use NRC records to identify incidents
not yet reported on DOT Form 5800.1 and to match the two reports. In
PHMSA's experience, NRC records generally become available within days,
before the 30-day written-report deadline. If the report number is
unavailable or omitted, the new Yes or No response will help staff
assess whether NRC reporting requirements apply and follow up on
incomplete information.
Q6 currently requests the agency name and report number in one
field when the filer report an incident to ``another Federal DOT
agency.'' For example, a derailment may require both a PHMSA report and
a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) report on FRA F 6180.54.\13\
The new form first asks whether the filer reported the incident other
agencies, then provides separate fields for agency names and report
numbers, if known, with space for multiple reports. This accommodates
filers who know the agency but not its report number and should improve
completeness and coordination during analysis or investigation.
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\13\ FRA, Rail Equipment Accident/Incident (approved Dec. 5,
2023). FRA F 6180.54; OMB No. 2130-0500, available at: <a href="https://railroads.dot.gov/safety-data/forms-guides-publications/forms/618054-rail-equipment-accidentincident">https://railroads.dot.gov/safety-data/forms-guides-publications/forms/618054-rail-equipment-accidentincident</a>.
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The new question also expands the scope beyond DOT: ``Was the
incident reported to other Federal, state, or local regulatory
agencies?'' For example, USCG enforces the HMR for vessel shipments but
is part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), not DOT.
Collecting information about reports to non-DOT Federal agencies and
state or local agencies may increase filer burden, but it may improve
coordination with agencies responding to or investigating incidents.
PHMSA solicits comment.
Q7 requests the incident's city, county, state, postal code, and
street address, or mode-specific location information such as a mile
marker, yard name, airport, body of water, river mile, or subdivision.
The new form retains these fields, adds a checkbox for locations
without a street address, and requests GPS latitude and longitude
coordinates.
PHMSA expects GPS coordinates to improve location accuracy and
support geospatial safety analysis, especially for in-flight, rail, or
vessel incidents without a useful street address. Free online mapping
tools can provide coordinates for a selected point. Providing
coordinates may add little burden and may be easier than identifying a
street address, mile marker, yard name, or other location descriptor.
Q8 identifies the transportation mode at the time of the incident.
The new form retains that question and adds a follow-up about other
modes used or planned for the shipment. Filers may identify multiple
known modes--for example, vessel transport before a rail incident or
air transport planned after a highway leg.
This information could support coordination with the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA), FRA, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration (FMCSA), and USCG on intermodal safety and ``near miss''
analysis. It would also help data users avoid treating the incident
mode as the only mode potentially affected. PHMSA seeks comment on the
benefits and burden of the question and whether to ask separately about
modes already used and modes planned for later legs.
Q9 retains the transportation phases--in-transit, loading,
unloading, and in-transit storage--but changes ``In-Transit Storage''
to ``Temporary Storage (In-Transit Storage).'' The revision clarifies
that this storage occurs before final delivery to the consignee. PHMSA
solicits comment.
Q10 requests the ``Carrier/Reporter'' name, address, Federal DOT ID
Number, and PHMSA Hazardous Materials Registration Number. The new form
links to FMCSA's DOT-number lookup and PHMSA's registration search (see
49 CFR part 107, subpart G).\14\ It replaces ``Carrier/Reporter'' with
``Reporter/Company'' because Sec. 171.16 assigns reporting to the
person in physical possession of the material, who is not necessarily
the carrier. Carrier information is requested separately; a ``Carrier/
Transporter same as Reporter'' checkbox copies the reporter information
into those fields to avoid duplicate entry. The new form also replaces
``ZIP code'' with ``Postal Code'' to accommodate international
addresses and supplies state dropdowns for the reporter, carrier,
shipper, shipment origin and destination, and incident location. These
changes are intended to improve accuracy and standardize entries
without adding burden.
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\14\ FMCSA, Safety and Fitness Electronic Records (SAFER)
System: Company Snapshot, available at: <a href="https://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/CompanySnapshot.aspx">https://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/CompanySnapshot.aspx</a>. PHMSA, Hazmat Registration Company Search,
available at: <a href="https://portal.phmsa.dot.gov/HazmatRegistrationSearch">https://portal.phmsa.dot.gov/HazmatRegistrationSearch</a>.
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Q11 retains shipper/offeror information, replaces ``ZIP Code'' with
``Postal Code,'' and links to PHMSA's registration search. Anyone may
search by company name, postal code, DOT number, or Hazardous Materials
Registration Number.\15\ The new form also clarifies the current
``Waybill/Shipping Paper'' field as ``Identification

[[Page 59838]]

Number for the Shipping Paper/Bill of Lading/Waybill (e.g., Invoice #,
tracking #).'' PHMSA solicits comment.
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\15\ PHMSA, Hazmat Registration Company Search, available at:
<a href="https://portal.phmsa.dot.gov/HazmatRegistrationSearch">https://portal.phmsa.dot.gov/HazmatRegistrationSearch</a>.
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Q12 and Q13 retain shipment origin and destination addresses,
replace ``ZIP code'' with ``Postal Code,'' and add country fields to
capture international shipments. Because most reported origins and
destinations are in the United States, PHMSA seeks comment on whether
the country fields should be required only for international locations
to limit added burden.
Q14-Q18 retain the proper shipping name, technical/trade name,
hazard class/division, United Nations/North American (UN/NA)
identification number, and packing group used to identify the
material's Hazardous Materials Table (HMT) entry (49 CFR 172.101), with
revised wording and order. ``Identification number'' becomes ``UN/NA
Identification Number,'' and ``Hazardous Class/Division'' becomes
``Hazard Class/Division.'' The form clarifies that ``Technical Trade
Name'' applies only to certain HMT entries.\16\ Dropdowns supply the
limited choices for hazard class/division and packing group. A lookup
or autofill feature for the thousands of UN/NA numbers and proper
shipping names appears feasible in HAZMATICS but difficult in the PDF.
PHMSA solicits comment.
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\16\ In the first column of the HMT, the letter ``G'' identifies
proper shipping names for which one or more technical names of the
hazardous material must be entered in parentheses, in association
with the basic description. See Sec. 172.203(k).
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Q19 currently combines release quantity and unit of measure in one
free-text field. The new form first asks ``Was there a release?'' to
distinguish no release from an unknown quantity. It then permits a
point estimate, a range, or both, and separates the unit of measure.
This gives filers flexibility when the exact quantity is uncertain. A
new field requests estimated release duration, which may add burden but
could improve risk analysis and emergency-response planning by
indicating potential public exposure. PHMSA has previously estimated
duration from media reports, which may be less accurate than
information available to filers.
Q20 retains the Yes/No hazardous-waste question concerning
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements but specifies
``shipped as an EPA-regulated hazardous waste.'' The new wording adds
``tracking'' to ``EPA Manifest Tracking Number,'' matching EPA's
Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest (OMB No. 2050-0039).\17\
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\17\ EPA, Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest (rev. Dec. 2017). EPA
Form 8700-22, available at: <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2018-05/documents/uniform_hazardous_waste_manifest.pdf">https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2018-05/documents/uniform_hazardous_waste_manifest.pdf</a>.
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Q21 retains the Toxic by Inhalation (TIH) question and adds the
synonymous term ``Poison by Inhalation (PIH).'' \18\ For an affirmative
response, a dropdown supplies the hazard-zone choices A, B, C, and D.
PHMSA intends for change to reduce burden and improve accuracy and
completeness.
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\18\ Section 171.8 defines ``Material poisonous by inhalation or
Material toxic by inhalation'' as: ``(1) a gas meeting the defining
criteria in Sec. 173.115(c) of this subchapter and assigned to
Hazard Zone A, B, C, or D in accordance with Sec. 173.116(a) of
this subchapter; (2) a liquid (other than as a mist) meeting the
defining criteria in Sec. 173.132(a)(1)(iii) of this subchapter and
assigned to Hazard Zone A or B in accordance with Sec. 173.133(a)
of this subchapter; or (3) any material identified as an inhalation
hazard by a special provision in column 7 of the Sec. 172.101
table.'' available at: <a href="https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-171/subpart-A/section-171.8">https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-171/subpart-A/section-171.8</a>.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q22 replaces ``Exemption'' with ``Special Permit,'' consistent with
the HM-240 final rule, Hazardous Materials: Incorporation of
Statutorily Mandated Revisions to the Hazardous Materials Regulations
(70 FR 73156).\19\ Because a Competent Authority Certificate is a type
of approval under the HMR, the new form asks whether the material was
``shipped under a DOT/PHMSA Special Permit or Approval.'' \20\ PHMSA
solicits comment on this simplification. Links allow filers to search
for the applicable Special Permit or Approval number.\21\ Although
Sec. 172.203(a) requires the ``DOT-SP'' number on the shipping paper,
these searches provide another resource.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

\19\ Hazardous Materials: Incorporation of Statutorily Mandated
Revisions to the Hazardous Materials Regulations, 70 FR 73156 (Dec.
9, 2005).
\20\ Section 171.8 defines ``Approval'' as ``a written
authorization, including a competent authority approval, issued by
the Associate Administrator, the Associate Administrator's designee,
or as otherwise prescribed in the HMR, to perform a function for
which prior authorization by the Associate Administrator is required
under subchapter C of this chapter (49 CFR parts 171 through 180).''
available at: <a href="https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-171/subpart-A/section-171.8">https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-171/subpart-A/section-171.8</a>.
\21\ PHMSA, Hazardous Materials Special Permits Search Page,
available at: <a href="https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/approvals-and-permits/hazmat/special-permits-search">https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/approvals-and-permits/hazmat/special-permits-search</a>. PHMSA, Hazardous Materials Approvals
Search Page, available at: <a href="https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/approvals-and-permits/hazmat/approvals-search">https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/approvals-and-permits/hazmat/approvals-search</a>.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q23 retains the undeclared-shipment question and adds a question
about misdeclaration. An undeclared hazardous material lacks ``any
visible indication to the person accepting the hazardous material''
(see Sec. 171.8); misdeclaration may involve incorrect or missing
shipping-paper information, labels, markings, or placards. The new
question could identify noncompliance trends or confusing requirements
that warrant guidance or regulatory changes.
Unlike undeclared shipments, ``misdeclaration'' is not itself a
criterion that triggers hazardous materials incident reporting in Sec.
171.16. Therefore, a misdeclared shipment that does not result in a
release may not require reporting on DOT Form 5800.1.

C. Current Form: Part III--Packaging Information

Q24 currently offers Non-bulk, Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC),
Cargo Tank Motor Vehicle (CTMV), Tank Car, Cylinder, Radioactive
Materials (RAM), Portable Tank, and Other. To identify a non-bulk
subtype, filers must complete Q26b or provide a packaging code or
specification marking in Q26a; for example, 1A1 identifies a steel drum
with a non-removable head and 4G a fiberboard box. Without that
information, data users cannot distinguish drums, boxes, bags, or other
non-bulk packaging. The new form adds ``Drum (Non-bulk),'' ``Box (Non-
bulk),'' ``Bag (Non-bulk),'' ``Jerrican (Non-bulk),'' and ``Barrel
(Non-bulk),'' aligned with United Nations (UN) Performance Oriented
Packaging (POP) categories. POP also includes IBCs and composite
packaging.\22\ IBCs already have a separate option and are not non-bulk
packaging. PHMSA expects the expanded choices to be more intuitive and
improve completeness, but their effect on burden is uncertain. PHMSA
solicits comment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

\22\ PHMSA, Guide to Performance Oriented Packaging Codes,
available at: <a href="https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/docs/Performance%20Packaging%20Codes.pdf">https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/docs/Performance%20Packaging%20Codes.pdf</a>.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The new form adds ``Nurse Tanks'' as a packaging type. Under 49 CFR
173.315(m), these cargo tanks transport anhydrous ammonia and are
operated by private motor carriers exclusively for agricultural
purposes.\23\ The current form accommodates them under ``Other.'' PHMSA
proposes a separate category because nurse tanks present distinct
safety risks and are a common ``Other'' response.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

\23\ 49 CFR 173.315.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

For incidents involving multiple packaging types, the new form
directs filers to HAZMATICS (<a href="https://portal.phmsa.dot.gov">https://portal.phmsa.dot.gov</a>). Each type
requires its own packaging details; using the current PDF requires
copies of Part III with separate responses for each type. HAZMATICS and
XML better accommodate these incidents, and PHMSA encourages their use.
Q25 requests packaging failure codes from the Guide for Reporting
Hazardous Materials Incident Reports in three categories: What Failed,
How Failed,

[[Page 59839]]

and Cause of Failure.\24\ The current PDF allows two codes per
category. The new form requests the most important code in each
category--three codes total--consistent with most filings, while
retaining a free-text field for additional codes. The question moves
after the packaging description so filers describe the package before
explaining its failure. This is intended to streamline reporting
without restricting additional information.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

\24\ PHMSA, Guide for Preparing Hazardous Materials Incident
Reports (Jan. 2004), available at: <a href="https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/docs/reporting_instructions_rev.pdf">https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/docs/reporting_instructions_rev.pdf</a>.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

PHMSA seeks comment on whether to delete, revise, or add failure
codes, including an ``Other (not listed)'' code. DOT's internal review
recommended ``Carrier/Operator Mishandling,'' included as code 539 in
the new form. The following tables show code counts in incident reports
from 2010-2023, illustrating common and rarely used codes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

\25\ PHMSA, Hazardous Materials Incident Report Search Tool
(last accessed Feb. 26, 2026), available at: <a href="https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat-program-management-data-and-statistics/data-operations/incident-statistics">https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat-program-management-data-and-statistics/data-operations/incident-statistics</a>. Query the incident data by the
following field: Date of Incident = 01/01/2010 to 12/31/2023.
Deduplicate the resulting rows/records using the Report Number
field, as a single incident (each uniquely identified by the Report
Number) can have multiple rows/records. Aggregate the number of
distinct reports where the Failure_Cause_Code is not blank and
contains at least one valid value for the field, such as ``501,''
``535,'' or ``535; 508.''
\26\ PHMSA, Hazardous Materials Incident Report Search Tool
(last accessed Feb. 26, 2024), available at: <a href="https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat-program-management-data-and-statistics/data-operations/incident-statistics">https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat-program-management-data-and-statistics/data-operations/incident-statistics</a>. Query the incident data by the
following field: Date of Incident = 01/01/2010 to 12/31/2023.
Deduplicate the resulting rows/records using the Report Number
field, as a single incident (each uniquely identified by the Report
Number) can have multiple rows/records. Aggregate the number of
distinct reports where the value for the What_Failed_Code is not
blank and contains at least one valid value for the field, such as
``101,'' ``104,'' or ``104; 161''.

Count of Failure Cause Codes, 2010-2023 \25\
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Failure cause code Description Count (n=188,672) Percentage
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
526........................................ Loose Closure, Component, or 34,331 18.2
Device.
515........................................ Human Error.................. 29,284 15.5
511........................................ Dropped...................... 24,934 13.2
517........................................ Improper Preparation for 23,496 12.5
Transportation.
513........................................ Forklift Accident............ 13,935 7.4
521........................................ Inadequate Preparation for 12,039 6.4
Transportation.
508........................................ Defective Component or Device 11,274 6.0
516........................................ Impact with Sharp or 9,584 5.1
Protruding Object (e.g.,
nails).
519........................................ Inadequate Blocking and 3,880 2.1
Bracing.
534........................................ Too Much Weight on Package... 3,857 2.0
502........................................ Broken Component or Device... 3,139 1.7
535........................................ Valve Open................... 3,011 1.6
522........................................ Inadequate Procedures........ 2,175 1.2
505........................................ Conveyor or Material Handling 2,008 1.1
Equipment Mishap.
510........................................ Deterioration or Aging....... 1,757 0.9
501........................................ Abrasion..................... 1,732 0.9
537........................................ Vehicular Crash or Accident 1,366 0.7
Damage.
529........................................ Overfilled................... 1,095 0.6
531........................................ Rollover Accident............ 1,015 0.5
530........................................ Over-pressurized............. 916 0.5
527........................................ Misaligned Material, 614 0.3
Component, or Device.
507........................................ Corrosion--Interior.......... 549 0.3
528........................................ Missing Component or Device.. 515 0.3
506........................................ Corrosion--Exterior.......... 295 0.2
514........................................ Freezing..................... 293 0.2
509........................................ Derailment................... 250 0.1
512........................................ Fire, Temperature, or Heat... 236 0.1
533........................................ Threads Worn or Cross 199 0.1
Threaded.
518........................................ Inadequate Accident Damage 183 0.1
Protection.
523........................................ Inadequate Training.......... 160 0.1
538........................................ Water Damage................. 148 0.1
520........................................ Inadequate Maintenance....... 114 0.1
503........................................ Commodity Self-Ignition...... 98 0.1
525........................................ Incorrectly Sized Component 92 0.0
or Device.
524........................................ Incompatible Product......... 47 0.0
536........................................ Vandalism.................... 25 0.0
504........................................ Commodity Polymerization..... 22 0.0
532........................................ Stub Sill Separation from 4 0.0
Tank (Tank Cars).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Count of ``What Failed'' Codes, 2010-2023 \26\
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Count
What failed code Description (n=189,087) Percentage
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
109........................................... Closure (e.g., Cap, Top, or 80,546 42.6
Plug).
104........................................... Body............................ 62,179 32.9
103........................................... Basic Material.................. 13,125 6.9
128........................................... Inner Packaging................. 4,468 2.4
129........................................... Inner Receptacle................ 3,982 2.1
110........................................... Cover........................... 3,231 1.7

[[Page 59840]]

161........................................... Weld or Seam.................... 2,474 1.3
137........................................... Manway or Dome Cover............ 1,886 1.0
140........................................... Outer Frame..................... 1,382 0.7
121........................................... Gasket.......................... 1,331 0.7
134........................................... Liquid Valve.................... 1,084 0.6
144........................................... Pressure Relief Valve--Reclosing 964 0.5
150........................................... Tank Shell...................... 907 0.5
106........................................... Bottom Outlet Valve............. 857 0.5
125........................................... Hose............................ 821 0.4
139........................................... O-Rings or Seals................ 776 0.4
135........................................... Loading or Unloading Lines...... 580 0.3
126........................................... Hose Adaptor or Coupling........ 540 0.3
108........................................... Chime........................... 522 0.3
158........................................... Vapor Valve..................... 482 0.3
115........................................... Discharge Valve or Coupling..... 462 0.2
141........................................... Piping or Fittings.............. 433 0.2
159........................................... Vent............................ 432 0.2
114........................................... Cylinder Valve.................. 410 0.2
117........................................... Fill Hole....................... 402 0.2
112........................................... Cylinder Sidewall--Near Base.... 394 0.2
153........................................... Vacuum Relief Valve............. 365 0.2
143........................................... Pressure Relief Valve--Non- 350 0.2
Reclosing.
133........................................... Liquid Line..................... 336 0.2
118........................................... Flange.......................... 287 0.2
122........................................... Gauging Device.................. 280 0.1
105........................................... Bolts or Nuts................... 245 0.1
132........................................... Liner........................... 235 0.1
113........................................... Cylinder Sidewall--Other........ 200 0.1
119........................................... Frangible Disc.................. 197 0.1
154........................................... Valve Body...................... 181 0.1
111........................................... Cylinder Neck or Shoulder....... 171 0.1
124........................................... High Level Sensor............... 140 0.1
130........................................... Lifting Feature................. 134 0.1
101........................................... Air Inlet....................... 132 0.1
107........................................... Check Valve..................... 127 0.1
146........................................... Sample Line..................... 124 0.1
157........................................... Valve Stem...................... 123 0.1
152........................................... Threaded Connection............. 121 0.1
160........................................... Washout......................... 119 0.1
149........................................... Tank Head....................... 115 0.1
127........................................... Inlet (Loading) Valve........... 91 0.0
116........................................... Excess Flow Valve............... 74 0.0
155........................................... Valve Seat...................... 58 0.0
120........................................... Fusible Pressure Relief Device 56 0.0
or Element.
102........................................... Auxiliary Valve................. 31 0.0
136........................................... Locking Bar..................... 28 0.0
148........................................... Sump............................ 21 0.0
151........................................... Thermometer Well................ 20 0.0
123........................................... Heater Coil..................... 11 0.0
138........................................... Mounting Studs.................. 10 0.0
147........................................... Stub Sill (Tank Car)............ 9 0.0
142........................................... Piping Shear Section............ 8 0.0
145........................................... Remote Control Device........... 7 0.0
156........................................... Valve Spring.................... 7 0.0
131........................................... Lifting Lug..................... 4 0.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Count of ``How Failed'' Codes, 2010-2023 \27\
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How failed code Description Count (n=187,584) Percentage
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
308........................................ Leaked....................... 100,434 53.54
309........................................ Punctured.................... 27,412 14.61
305........................................ Crushed...................... 19,041 10.15
304........................................ Cracked...................... 14,556 7.76
306........................................ Failed to Operate............ 6,531 3.48
303........................................ Burst or Ruptured............ 5,999 3.20
302........................................ Bent......................... 3,665 1.95
312........................................ Torn Off or Damaged.......... 2,713 1.45
310........................................ Ripped or Torn............... 2,090 1.11

[[Page 59841]]

307........................................ Gouged or Cut................ 1,810 0.96
313........................................ Vented....................... 1,694 0.90
311........................................ Structural................... 1,148 0.61
301........................................ Abraded...................... 491 0.26
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q26a replaces ``identification markings'' with ``specification
markings'' to reduce confusion with UN material identification numbers
such as UN1263 and UN1075. Responses are frequently missing, incorrect,
or incomplete. Possible reasons include this terminology, unfamiliarity
with technical markings, markings destroyed in the incident, or
packaging no longer in the reporting company's custody. PHMSA seeks
comment on improving data quality for this field.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

\27\ PHMSA, Hazardous Materials Incident Report Search Tool
(last accessed Feb. 26, 2024), available at: <a href="https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat-program-management-data-and-statistics/data-operations/incident-statistics">https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat-program-management-data-and-statistics/data-operations/incident-statistics</a>. Query the incident data by the
following field: Date of Incident = 01/01/2010 to 12/31/2023.
Deduplicate the resulting rows/records using the Report Number
field, as a single incident (each uniquely identified by the Report
Number) can have multiple records. Aggregate the number of distinct
reports where the value for How_Failed_Code is not blank and
contains at least one valid value for the field, such as ``301,''
``304,'' or ``303; 308.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The new form asks whether the packaging met a UN or DOT
specification. A ``No'' response hides the specification-markings
field, accommodating authorized non-specification packaging. Otherwise,
markings remain relevant because they describe packaging design,
manufacture, and testing and can support failure investigations. PHMSA
seeks comment on reducing nonresponse and improving accuracy.
Q26b currently requests packaging type and material of construction
for non-bulk, IBC, and non-specification packaging when identification
markings are incomplete or unavailable. The new form instead requests
these details for the outermost or single packaging, then for inner
packaging, if applicable. Expanded Q24 packaging choices eliminate the
first Q26b packaging-type field; the inner-packaging field remains.
Packaging-type fields therefore decrease from three (Q24 and two in
Q26b) to two. Material-of-construction fields likewise decrease from
three (Q28 and two in Q26b) to two. The information remains requested,
but it is organized by outer/single and inner packaging rather than by
separate groups of packaging types.
Packaging codes or complete specification markings can already
supply some of these details. For example, 1A1 identifies a steel drum
with a non-removable head, while 1A2 identifies a removable head. The
marking 1A1/Y1.4/150/92/USA/RB additionally gives performance level
(Y), specific gravity (1.4), hydrostatic test pressure (150 kPa),
manufacture year (1992), country of origin (USA), and manufacturer's
symbol (RB). Thus, code 1A1 conveys the packaging type, construction
material, and head type requested in Q26b.
The form retains some redundancy because filers may know these
characteristics without knowing the packaging code or full
specification marking. They may be unfamiliar with PHMSA's Guide to
Performance Packaging Codes or have difficulty locating and
interpreting requirements such as 49 CFR 178.35 for DOT specification
cylinders or part 178, subpart L for non-bulk POP specifications.\28\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

\28\ PHMSA, Guide to Performance Packaging Codes (Aug. 13,
2009), available at: <a href="https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/docs/Performance%20Packaging%20Codes.pdf">https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/docs/Performance%20Packaging%20Codes.pdf</a>.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

PHMSA seeks comment on reducing confusion and streamlining
packaging-specification questions. Options include allowing a
photograph showing the markings and encouraging carriers to corroborate
information with shippers. The shipper preparing the package may know
more about its specification than the carrier, although Sec. 171.16
places reporting responsibility on the person in physical possession of
the material at the time of the incident.
Q27 retains capacity, amount in the package, the number of packages
matching the Part III description, and the number that failed. The new
form adds separate unit-of-measure fields for capacity and amount. It
presents outermost or single packaging first and inner packaging later,
rather than side by side, because all shipments have single or
outermost packaging but only some have inner packaging. ``Outermost''
identifies the packaging visible to shippers and carriers.
Q28's twelve fields are reorganized into smaller groups.
``Manufacturer Name,'' ``Date of Manufacture,'' and ``Serial Number''
form one question, with the first two labels replacing ``Manufacturer''
and ``Manufacture Date.'' As explained under Q26b, construction
material is requested for outer/single and inner packaging rather than
separately for tank cars, CTMVs, portable tanks, and cylinders. Design
pressure, shell thickness, head thickness, and service pressure remain,
with a nurse-tank annotation and visibility linked to packaging type.
The pressure-relief device or valve fields--type, manufacturer, and
model--remain essentially unchanged.
Alongside Q28's ``Last Test Date,'' the new form requests ``Type of
Testing or Requalification'' and ``Test Laboratory or Provider,''
identifying the authorized person or company that last performed the
prescribed testing. Because specification packaging undergoes different
tests, the type and provider give the date context and can support
failure investigations. These new fields may add burden. PHMSA solicits
comment.
Q29's radioactive-materials questions move into a separate Part
without changing their content, as recommended by PHMSA's RAM experts.
This makes these questions easier to bypass for the large majority of
incidents that do not involve RAM. Even a small time saving across
those filings could be beneficial.
The new form reorganizes Q24-Q29, increases spacing, provides
dropdowns for limited response sets, and links fields so filers see
only applicable questions. PHMSA seeks comment on whether these design
changes reduce burden and improve response rates and data quality in
this technical section.

D. Current Form: Part IV--Consequences

Q30 currently identifies the ``Result of Incident'' through
Spillage, Fire, Explosion, Material Entered Waterway/Storm Sewer, Vapor
(Gas) Dispersion, Environmental Damage, and No Release. The new form
asks ``What was the type of release or outcome of the release?'' and
adds ``thermal runaway.'' This is a reaction in which heat generation
accelerates further temperature rise. Increasing lithium battery
incidents

[[Page 59842]]

prompted the addition, but it also covers other reactions, including
polymerization and decomposition. PHMSA seeks comment, particularly on
additional lithium-battery data elements.
The new ``Was there a release?'' question also replaces Q30's ``No
release'' checkbox. A blank checkbox is ambiguous, and a ``Yes'' value
for the published variable ``No_Release_Result_Ind'' can confuse data
users. Asking directly whether a release occurred makes both reporting
and interpretation clearer. PHMSA expects filers to be able to
determine this by the time of filing, even if it was uncertain during
the initial response.
As discussed under Q19, the new form requests release duration in a
dedicated field rather than only in the incident narrative. Duration
helps assess potential exposure of responders, transportation workers,
and the public. PHMSA expects filers preparing reports within 30 days
to provide more complete estimates than may be available to on-site
contacts or news outlets soon after an incident.
Q31 retains the Fire/Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Police
response indicators and report-number fields and adds the responding
departments' names. Incident location alone may not identify which
state, county, or municipal departments responded. Names will help OHMS
Data Operations staff obtain or corroborate information even when the
filer does not know the report numbers.
The new form separates Q31's ``In-house cleanup'' and ``Other
Cleanup'' from emergency response because remediation and cleanup are
distinct activities. It asks: ``Did the release of hazardous material
require environmental remediation, disposal of contaminated soil or
water, or other cleanup?'' A ``No'' response closes the question. A
``Yes'' response prompts a description using ``In-house cleanup (no
contracted parties)'' or ``Other cleanup (e.g., contracted parties).''
The latter requests the names of companies contracted to conduct or
otherwise involved in cleanup; the in-house selection ends the
question. This removes uncertainty when the current cleanup checkboxes
are left blank.
Q32 retains the $500 damage threshold and the categories Material
Loss, Carrier Damage, Property Damage, Response Cost, and Remediation/
Cleanup Cost. The new form hides the category fields when the filer
answers ``No'' to whether total damage exceeded $500. PHMSA remains
concerned about underreported damages but does not propose changing the
threshold and seeks comment on it.
Q33a retains the question whether hazardous material caused or
contributed to a fatality and the counts for employees, responders, and
the general public. The new form removes ``resulting from the hazardous
material'' from the follow-up instructions because the initial question
already establishes that scope. Q33b separately addresses fatalities
not caused by hazardous material.
Q33b retains fatalities not resulting from the hazardous material
and changes ``If yes, how many?'' to ``If yes, enter the number of
fatalities,'' consistent with Q33a. For example, a driver killed by a
collision with a gasoline cargo tank is distinguished from a driver
killed by a fire resulting from released gasoline. The distinction
between incident involvement and hazardous-material causation remains.
Q34 retains the question whether hazardous material caused or
contributed to injury and the counts by hospitalization status and
population--employees, responders, or the general public. The new form
slightly revises the affirmative-response instructions and hides the
remaining fields after a ``No'' response.
Q35 retains whether hazardous material caused or contributed to
evacuation, the employee and general-public counts, and duration in
hours. It removes ``Total Evacuated'' because PHMSA calculates and
publishes that total by adding the two counts. The follow-up fields
respond to the Yes/No selection to reduce unnecessary entry.
Q36 retains whether a major transportation artery or facility
closed and, if so, the closure duration. The current guide defines a
major transportation artery as a highway, main road, or secondary road,
excluding side streets and dirt roads; for rail, it includes lines
other than rail spurs. The new form slightly revises the affirmative-
response instructions and hides the duration field after a ``No''
response.
Q37 retains crash or derailment, vehicle overturn, departure from
the roadway or track, estimated speed, and weather conditions. The new
form groups the Yes/No questions and requests speed in miles per hour
and a weather description if any of the three conditions occurred. The
current form requests these details only for a crash or derailment.
Expanding the trigger to overturns and departures may therefore
slightly increase burden.

E. Current Form: Part V--Air Incident Information

The new form retains the current air-only content (Q38-Q40),
expands some response choices, and adds questions on flight numbers,
passenger baggage, and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), or drones.
Section V describes the new questions.
The air-only section moves earlier, from Part V to Part 4, so
filers reporting passenger-baggage incidents can identify which
shipping-paper questions to bypass. It is enabled only when the
reported mode at occurrence or discovery is air; otherwise, its fields
cannot be completed.
Q38 retains whether the material was offered or transported on
passenger aircraft and whether it was cargo or passenger baggage. For
baggage incidents, the new instructions allow filers to skip shipment
information such as shipper/offeror name and shipping-paper or bill-of-
lading number because baggage generally has no shipping paper. This
should reduce required entries.
Q39 currently offers six incident locations or stages: air carrier
cargo facility, sort center, baggage area, surface transport to or from
the airport, flight, and aircraft loading/unloading. The new form adds
Unit Load Device (ULD) loading and unloading, taxiing for takeoff and
landing, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) baggage screening
area, other baggage area, gate area, and maintenance/stores area. It
separates aircraft loading from unloading and adds ``Other (please
describe)'' with free text. DOT's internal review recommended the
expanded choices to give PHMSA and FAA more detail, although reviewing
more options may increase burden. DOT solicits comment.
Q40 asks which phases the shipment had completed before the
incident. The new form changes ``Transported by air (first flight)''
and ``Transported by air (subsequent flights)'' to ``Transported by air
(one flight)'' and ``Transported by air (multiple flights).'' It
separates ``Transfer at sort center/cargo facility'' into sort-center
and air-cargo-facility choices and adds ``Origin Forwarder'' and
``Destination Forwarder.'' ``Shipment had not been transported'' and
``Initial transport by highway to cargo facility'' remain. DOT's
internal review recommended the additional choices. DOT solicits
comment.
Section V, Part 4, provides the additional air questions and the
routing instructions for cargo and passenger-baggage incidents.

[[Page 59843]]

F. Current Form: Part VI--Description of Events & Package Failure

Part VI requests a free-text incident narrative: the sequence of
events, mitigation actions, package failure--including the size and
location of holes or cracks--and estimated release duration. It also
requests photographs and diagrams when needed for clarification. This
flexible field allows filers to explain circumstances not captured by
structured questions, but many responses contain only a sentence or
two. PHMSA seeks comment on encouraging more detailed narratives.
The new form retains a large free-text field and uses plain-
language questions and bullets to organize the response. Its
``Description of Events'' instructions are:
Please describe the following:
<bullet> Why did the incident occur?
<bullet> What sequence of events led up to the incident?
<bullet> What was done to mitigate the release?
<bullet> What actions were taken at the time the incident occurred
or was first discovered?
<bullet> Any additional details about the incident that are not
captured elsewhere on the form?
The dedicated release-duration field discussed under Q19 replaces
the request within the current narrative instructions, where filers may
overlook it.
The new instructions state: ``PHMSA strongly encourages you to
submit photographs, maps, diagrams, or other visuals that illustrate
the nature or impacts of the incident.'' Visuals can clarify
circumstances beyond the narrative. Filers may attach them to an
emailed PDF report sent to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#8adae2e7f9ebc2cbd0c7cbdec3c9d9caeee5fea4ede5fc">[email&#160;protected]</a> or upload them
through HAZMATICS (<a href="https://portal.phmsa.dot.gov">https://portal.phmsa.dot.gov</a>). PHMSA seeks comment
on encouraging these submissions.

G. Current Form: Part VII--Recommendations/Actions Taken To Prevent
Recurrence

Part VII retains a free-text field for actions and recommendations
to prevent recurrence, including measures within the company's control
and broader improvements. Filers have suggested training, packaging,
operating procedures, technology, and routing changes that PHMSA and
other stakeholders can examine. The new form revises the instructions
for ``Actions Taken or Planned to Prevent Recurrence'' as follows:

Do you have recommendations to help prevent the recurrence of a
similar incident? These recommendations may include improvements to
regulations, training, packaging, operations, communications, or
other areas. Please describe whether the recommended actions are
within the control of your company or if they depend on other
parties or stakeholders to be implemented.

PHMSA seeks comment on improving responses because many filings
leave this field blank or identify no potential change to prevent
recurrence.

H. Current Form: Part VIII--Contact Information

Part VIII currently identifies a ``Preparer'' whom PHMSA can
contact for additional information. It requests name, telephone, job
title, fax, business name and address, email, hazardous materials
registration number if not already provided, date, and whether the
preparer is a carrier, shipper, facility, or other entity.
The new form removes fax number, date, separate preparer business
name and address, and preparer registration number. Email generally
serves document transmission needs, and email timestamps or mailed-
report postmarks supply dates. Although a company may use a third-party
preparer, the reporter remains responsible under the HMR; PHMSA
therefore proposes to remove the preparer/reporter distinction while
retaining a direct contact. Email and telephone are preferred contact
methods, and carrier and shipper registration numbers are already
collected elsewhere.
PHMSA has also removed the carrier/shipper/facility/other
indicator. Reporter, carrier, and shipper information--and the
``Shipper/Offeror same as Reporter'' and ``Carrier/Transporter same as
Reporter'' checkboxes--can identify those relationships. ``Facility''
is ambiguous and historically appears in less than about 0.5 percent of
filings; ``Other'' often identifies a third-party agent or consultant.
PHMSA solicits comment.
The direct contact moves earlier in the form and retains first
name, last name, position title, email, telephone, and extension,
without the ``Preparer'' label.
The new form also requests a direct shipper contact, beyond the
company-level information already collected. DOT's internal review
recommended this addition to help investigators obtain packaging and
hazardous-material information. Most reporters are carriers; PHMSA
expects them to be able to provide a shipper contact reachable by
telephone or email. Section V, Part 5, describes this new field.

V. New Content (Found on New Form/Not Found on Current Form)

This section describes new data elements and additional details in
proposed-form order. Where a change is already explained in section IV,
this section refers to that discussion. The proposed form uses Arabic-
numbered Parts rather than Roman numerals to improve readability.
The proposed form has ten Parts:

1. Part 1--Reason for the Report
2. Part 2--Reporter/Company Information
3. Part 3--General Incident Information
4. Part 4--Air Incident Only
5. Part 5--Shipment Information
6. Part 6--Hazardous Material Information
7. Part 7--RAM
8. Part 8--Packaging Information
9. Part 9--Outcomes of the Incident
10. Part 10--Description of Events and Actions Taken To Prevent
Recurrence

Here, ``Q*1'' means Question 1 on the proposed form; ``Q1'' refers
to the current form. Compare the docketed proposal with the current
form on PHMSA's website.\29\ Section VI provides a crosswalk, with
proposed question numbers in its right-most column.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

\29\ PHMSA, Hazardous Materials Incident Report (Jan. 2004). DOT
Form 5800.1; OMB No. 2137-0039, available at: <a href="https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/docs/IncidentForm010105.pdf">https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/docs/IncidentForm010105.pdf</a>.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

A. New Form: Part 1--Reason for the Report

Q*1 asks whether any of the following occurred as a direct result
of the hazardous material:
<bullet> A person was killed.
<bullet> A person received an injury requiring admittance to a
hospital.
<bullet> The general public was evacuated for one hour or more.
<bullet> A major transportation artery or facility was closed or
shut down for one hour or more.
<bullet> The operational flight pattern or routine of an aircraft
was altered.
<bullet> During transportation by aircraft, a fire, violent
rupture, explosion, or dangerous evolution of heat occurred as a direct
result of a battery or battery-powered device.
<bullet> Fire, breakage, spillage, or suspected radioactive
contamination occurred involving a radioactive material.
<bullet> Fire, breakage, spillage, or suspected contamination
occurred involving an infectious substance other than a regulated
medical waste.
<bullet> A release of a marine pollutant occurred in a quantity
exceeding 450 L (119 gallons) for a liquid or 400 kg (882 pounds) for a
solid.
<bullet> In the judgment of the person in possession of the
hazardous material,

[[Page 59844]]

the incident should be reported to the National Response Center (NRC)
even though the incident did not meet other criteria above.
These selections reflect Sec. 171.15(b) and make the reporting
criteria explicit, as discussed under Q1 in section IV.
A written report may be required even when NRC telephone
notification is not. Q*2 therefore asks, ``During transportation in
commerce, did any of the following occur?'' Filers select all
applicable criteria from Sec. 171.16(a):
<bullet> An unintentional release of a hazardous material or the
discharge of any quantity of hazardous waste.
<bullet> An undeclared hazardous material was discovered.
<bullet> In any mode of transportation, a fire, violent rupture,
explosion, or dangerous evolution of heat occurred as a direct result
of a battery or battery-powered device.
<bullet> A specification cargo tank with a capacity of 1,000
gallons or greater containing any hazardous material suffered
structural damage to the lading retention system or damage that
requires repair to a system intended to protect the lading retention
system, even if there is no release of hazardous material.
Together, Q*1 and Q*2 identify the basis for filing. If none
applies, the filer should gather more information and consider whether
a report is required. The current form identifies only some reporting
criteria, which can leave the basis unclear. Reviewing the full
criteria may add burden but should prevent unnecessary filing and
processing. Understanding reporting requirements is also part of
function-specific training for hazmat employees who prepare or assist
with reports; see the definition in Sec. 171.8 and training
requirements in Sec. 172.704.
Q*3-Q*6 correspond to existing questions. Section VI maps them to
the current form, including Q*3 to Q2 and Q*4 to Q5.
Q*3 retains initial reports, updates, and additional pages. Section
IV's Q2 discussion explains the revised ``update existing report''
label and mandatory update criteria. The label also aligns with
``Updating the incident report'' in Sec. 171.16(c). ``Additional
pages'' accommodates multiple hazardous materials, packaging types, or
shippers when using the PDF, although PHMSA encourages HAZMATICS or XML
for those cases. For example, an initial report covering UN1267 and
UN1993 would contain the general incident details and UN1267
information; a second PDF marked ``additional pages'' would provide the
unique UN1993 information.
Q*4 implements the NRC notification indicator, separate report-
number field, and lookup link discussed under Q5 in section IV. The NRC
website helps filers find a report number after notification.\30\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

\30\ USCG, National Response Center, available at: <a href="https://nrc.uscg.mil/">https://nrc.uscg.mil/</a>.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q*5 carries forward Q31's Fire/EMS and Police response information
and adds the responding departments' names, as explained in section IV.
Moving it earlier groups NRC, Fire/EMS, Police, and other-agency
reporting questions together.
Q*6 implements the separate agency-name and report-number fields,
space for multiple reports, and expanded agency scope described under
Q6 in section IV.
That discussion explains the potential added burden and
coordination benefits of including non-DOT Federal, state, and local
agencies. PHMSA solicits comment.

B. New Form: Part 2--Reporter/Company Information

Part 2 combines reporting-company and direct-contact information.
Section IV's Q10 and Part VIII discussions explain the retained fields
and removal of fax and separate preparer information. Use of a third
party does not transfer the reporting company's responsibility under
Sec. 171.16.
Q*9 asks, ``Is the reporting company the carrier of the hazardous
material?'' If yes, Q*10 asks whether the carrier notified the shipper
that its shipment was involved in an accident or incident. PHMSA
expects greater carrier-shipper communication to help corroborate
information and resolve safety issues.
The HMR currently does not require a carrier to notify the shipper
of such an incident. PHMSA may consider that requirement in a future
rulemaking. For now, Q*10 would identify whether notification occurred
and may encourage communication so both parties can help prevent
recurrence. A shipper otherwise may be unaware of the incident.
Shippers may be better positioned to fill gaps in packaging
specifications, markings, capacity, testing, and material
classification. The HMR distinguishes pre-transportation from
transportation functions. Section 171.1(b) addresses classification,
packaging selection, marking, labeling, shipping papers, and package
closure; Sec. 172.204 addresses the shipper's certification. These
responsibilities make shippers a potential resource for improving
incomplete reports.
Q*10 would help PHMSA assess whether voluntary notification is
common enough that a new requirement may be unnecessary. This PRA
notice does not propose an HMR amendment requiring notification. The
Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) proposed such a
requirement in the 2001 HM-229 notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) but
did not adopt it in the final rule.\31\ PHMSA seeks comment on
improving notification and collaboration.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

\31\ RSPA, Hazardous Materials: Revisions to Incident Reporting
Requirements and the Hazardous Materials Incident Report Form
(Docket No. RSPA-99-5013 (HM-229); RIN 2137-AD21), 66 FR 35155 (July
3, 2001).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Section VI maps the remaining Part 2 fields to the current form.

C. New Form: Part 3--General Incident Information

Part 3 requires filers to select either ``occurred'' or ``first
discovered'' for the incident date and time. Section IV's Q3/Q4
discussion explains how this distinction accommodates unknown
occurrence times without materially increasing burden.
Q*11 adds the calendar date picker, and Q*12 specifies the HH:MM
time format, as described in that discussion.
Q*13 adds GPS longitude/latitude coordinates. Section IV's Q7
discussion explains their use where conventional location descriptors
are inadequate and the possible additional burden. Filers can copy
coordinates from a point selected in a free online mapping tool into
the PDF.
Filer-supplied coordinates may also be more accurate than PHMSA's
geocoding results when no reliable street address exists. Uncertainty
in those results has complicated consideration of publishing
coordinates in the incident dataset. The new field is intended to
improve location accuracy and support PHMSA's geographic information
systems analysis, as well as partners' and stakeholders' use of
geospatial data.
Q*15 asks, ``Was the shipment transported or planned to be
transported by another mode?'' After ``Yes,'' filers select all known
applicable modes: Highway, Rail, Air, Water, and Pipeline. A ``No''
response closes the choices. The mode at occurrence or discovery
remains separately identified.
Section IV's Q8 discussion explains the intermodal rationale,
burden considerations, and possible separation of completed and planned
legs. For example, a highway incident involving a shipment destined for
air transport could inform analysis of potential air risks. The
additional modes would support multimodal queries and coordination with
FAA, FMCSA, FRA,

[[Page 59845]]

and USCG; they do not establish where the packaging would otherwise
have failed.
Q*17 asks, ``Did the incident occur or was the incident discovered
during an inspection?'' An affirmative response requests the inspecting
entity's name. PHMSA believes the information could help identify
patterns associated with inspections and inform advisories, guidance,
or changes to inspection practices or requirements to protect
transportation workers and agency personnel.
Section VI maps the remaining Part 3 fields, including Q*16 to Q9
and Q*18 to Q22.

D. New Form: Part 4--Air Incident Only

Part 4 is enabled only for air incidents at occurrence or
discovery. Section IV's Q38-Q40 discussion covers retained and expanded
air-only fields. The following paragraphs describe additional questions
and routing.
Q*19 adds a UAS question. Hazardous-material transport by UAS
presents potential safety risks and may become more common, subject to
FAA coordination and applicable testing, packaging, material, and
quantity limits. The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 directs the
Secretary to ``use a risk-based approach to establish the operational
requirements, standards, or special permits necessary to approve or
authorize an air carrier to transport hazardous materials by unmanned
aircraft systems'' based on the weight, amount, and type of
material.\32\ HMR incident-reporting triggers in Sec. Sec. 171.15 and
171.16 already apply to UAS operators as to other air operators. PHMSA
seeks comment on the proposed UAS question.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

\32\ FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, Public Law 118-63 (May 16,
2024), available at: <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/3935/text">https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/3935/text</a>.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q*20 expands Q39's six incident-location choices to fifteen: Sort
Center; During flight; Gate area; TSA baggage screening area; By
surface to/from the airport; Maintenance/Stores area; Other baggage
area; During loading of aircraft; During unloading of aircraft; During
taxiing for takeoff; During taxiing for landing; During loading of ULD
[Unit Load Device]; During unloading of ULD; Cargo facility; and Other
(please describe). The last option includes free text. Section IV
explains the changes recommended by DOT's internal review and their
potential burden. PHMSA solicits comment.
Q*22 requests flight numbers for cargo or passenger flights that
transported the material or to which it was offered. Flight numbers can
provide routing and flight details beyond origin and destination,
supporting analysis and investigation.
Q*23 and Q*24 retain Q38's passenger-aircraft and cargo/baggage
questions. For passenger baggage, Q*25 adds six location choices: ``On
the passenger's person (on one's person),'' ``In the cabin,'' ``In a
baggage compartment,'' ``Checked baggage,'' ``Gate area,'' and ``Other
(please describe),'' with free text. Q*26 asks whether the material
carried by the passenger or crewmember was allowed under 49 CFR 175.10
and requests a plain-language description.\33\ DOT's internal review
recommended these fields to help PHMSA and FAA identify prohibited
items commonly brought aboard and target outreach.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

\33\ 49 CFR 175.10.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

A ``Cargo'' response to Q*24 routes filers to Part 5, which
requests shipping-paper information. ``Passenger Baggage'' routes them
through Q*25 and Q*26 and then to Part 6, bypassing Part 5 because
baggage may have no shipping paper.
Q*21 corresponds to Q40, with the additional options described in
section IV. Section VI provides the crosswalk.

E. New Form: Part 5--Shipment Information

Part 5 retains the shipping-paper or waybill identifier (Q*27),
origin (Q*30), and destination (Q*31), corresponding to Q11-Q13.
Country fields are added for origin, destination, shipper, and carrier
to accommodate non-U.S. locations. Approximately 2 percent of reports
from 2010-2023 identified a non-U.S. shipper or shipment origin.\34\ To
reduce burden, PHMSA could require country only for non-U.S. entries or
prefill ``U.S.'' as the default.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

\34\ PHMSA, Hazardous Materials Incident Report Search Tool
(last accessed Sept. 12, 2024), available at: <a href="https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat-program-management-data-and-statistics/data-operations/incident-statistics">https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat-program-management-data-and-statistics/data-operations/incident-statistics</a>. Query the incident data by the
following field: Date of Incident = 01/01/2010 to 12/31/2023.
Deduplicate the resulting rows/records using the Report Number
field, as a single incident (each uniquely identified by the Report
Number) can have multiple records. Aggregate the number of distinct
reports where the value for Shipper_Country or Origin_Country is not
the U.S. and is not blank. Divide this count of distinct non-U.S.
shipper/origin incidents by the total number of incidents.
Approximately 1.8% of incidents indicate a non-U.S. shipper and
approximately 0.2% of incidents show a non-U.S. origin.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Checkboxes copy information to avoid repeat entry: ``Shipper/
Offeror same as Reporter'' (Q*28), ``Same as Shipper/Offeror Address''
(Q*30), and ``Carrier/Transporter same as Reporter'' (Q*31). Filers can
instead enter different addresses when these relationships do not
apply. The checkboxes are intended to reduce burden.
Q*29 adds a direct shipper contact who knows the shipment and pre-
transportation functions. Section IV's Part VIII discussion explains
the investigative purpose and expectation that reporting carriers can
provide a name, telephone number, and email. When the shipper is the
reporter, Q*7 already supplies its main contact. DOT's internal review
recommended ensuring investigators can reach both shipper and carrier
directly.
Section VI maps the remaining Part 5 fields to the current form.

F. New Form: Part 6--Hazardous Material Information

Part 6 carries forward Q14-Q23 and Q30: UN/NA ID (Q*33), proper
shipping name (Q*34), technical trade name where applicable (Q*35),
hazard class (Q*36), packing group (Q*37), undeclared shipment (Q*38),
TIH (Q*39), hazardous waste (Q*40), and release quantity (Q*41).
Section IV explains revisions to the existing fields.
Q*38 adds the definition of ``undeclared hazardous material'' to
the form.\35\ If the shipment was not undeclared, the filer is asked
whether it was misdeclared and to describe suspected errors in shipping
papers, labels, markings, or placards. ``Misdeclared'' is not defined
in Sec. 171.8; the form explains it for this collection.
Misdeclaration alone does not trigger reporting under Sec. 171.16, so
a misdeclared shipment without a release may not require a report.
PHMSA solicits comment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

\35\ 49 CFR 171.8.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q*41 combines the release questions discussed under Q19 and Q30: an
explicit Yes/No release indicator, quantity as a point estimate or
range, and a dedicated unit-of-measure dropdown. A range may reduce
burden when a precise estimate is unavailable.
Q*41 also gives release duration its own field, replacing the
request within the current Part VI narrative instructions. Duration can
inform risk assessment and investigation of exposure affecting the
public, environment, transportation workers, and responders. PHMSA
solicits comment.
Section VI provides the Part 6 crosswalk.

G. New Form: Part 7--Radioactive Materials (RAM)

Part 7 (Q*42) retains Q29's RAM fields unchanged and groups them
separately so filers with non-RAM incidents can bypass them. Internal

[[Page 59846]]

review identified no need to revise the individual questions. PHMSA
solicits comment.

H. New Form: Part 8--Packaging Information

Part 8 reorganizes Q24-Q28. Section IV, Part III, explains the non-
bulk packaging categories and nurse-tank option in Q*43, consolidation
of construction-material fields, and other changes to existing
packaging questions.
Q*48 adds ``Does this Outer Packaging meet UN or DOT
specification?'' and requests the type of the most recent testing or
requalification and the test laboratory or provider. Specification
packaging is subject to applicable testing requirements in 49 CFR parts
178 and 180.\36\ Non-specification packaging does not have testing
prescribed under the HMR. The new fields give context to ``Last Test
Date,'' which otherwise leaves the test type and applicability unclear.
Approximately 75 percent of 2013-2022 reports involving tank cars
lacked a meaningful last-test date.\37\ Ambiguity may contribute to
missing responses. The new fields may add burden but could make sparse
testing information more useful. PHMSA solicits comment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

\36\ 49 CFR part 178 includes testing requirements for UN
performance-oriented packaging. See subpart M--Testing of Non-bulk
Packagings and Packages and subpart O--Testing of IBCs. Part 180
includes testing requirements for cylinders (subpart C), Cargo Tanks
(subpart E), Tank Cars (subpart F), and Portable Tanks (subpart G),
as well as additional testing requirements for IBCs (subpart D).
\37\ PHMSA, Hazardous Materials Incident Report Search Tool,
available at: <a href="https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat-program-management-data-and-statistics/data-operations/incident-statistics">https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat-program-management-data-and-statistics/data-operations/incident-statistics</a>. Query the
incident data by the following fields: Date of Incident = 01/01/2013
to 12/31/2022, Mode of Transportation = ``Rail''. Deduplicate the
resulting rows/records using the Report Number field, as a single
incident (each uniquely identified by the Report Number) can have
multiple records. Aggregate the number of distinct reports where the
variable, Cont1.Package.Last.Test.Date, is equal to ``0-00-00
00:00:00'' and divide the count by the number of distinct reports.
PHMSA found 3304 records with Cont1.Package.Last.Test.Date='0-00-00
00:00:00'' among 4424 distinct reports; 3304/4424 = 0.7468 or
approximately 75%.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Knowing what testing occurred, when, and by whom can support
failure investigations and safety advisories. PHMSA may need to examine
test results when packaging passes required tests but fails in service.
Testing addresses design and manufacture and, where required,
continuing qualification and maintenance. PHMSA specifies testing
standards and oversees providers; the additional information could
inform outreach, policy, regulations, testing practices, or program
oversight.
Q*53 adds a rail-only Non-Accident Release (NAR) cause-code
question. PHMSA understands that Appendix B of the Association of
American Railroads' Non-Accident Release Risk Index publication
specifies tank-car NAR cause codes.\38\ These releases warrant
attention because a derailment or collision does not explain the
packaging failure. PHMSA seeks comment on adding these codes and other
rail-only information.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

\38\ Association of American Railroads, Hazardous Materials
(BOE) Working Committee, The Non-Accident Relase Risk Index (NARRI)
Revision 6 (Oct. 23, 2002, updated Aug. 1, 2014), available at:
<a href="https://www.aar.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/AAR-2002-NARRI-BOE.pdf">https://www.aar.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/AAR-2002-NARRI-BOE.pdf</a>.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q*51 retains Q25's failure codes. Section IV explains the revised
structure, and section VI supplies the crosswalk.

I. New Form: Part 9--Outcomes of the Incident

Part 9 carries forward Part IV's questions on hazardous-material
fatalities and injuries, other incident fatalities, transportation
closures, evacuations, crashes or derailments, and monetary damages
above $500. Section IV explains the individual changes.
Q31's emergency-response and cleanup content is divided between
Part 1 and Part 9.
Q*61 places environmental remediation and cleanup in Part 9.
Section IV's Q31 discussion explains the Yes/No question, the in-house
and other-cleanup choices, the request for contracted companies' names,
and the routing after each response.
Fire/EMS and Police response information moves to Q*5 in Part 1,
with new fields for department names to support follow-up. This
separates emergency response from environmental remediation.
Section VI maps the remaining Part 9 fields, including Q*60 to
current Q32.

J. New Form: Part 10--Description of Events and Actions Taken To
Prevent Recurrence

Part 10 combines the incident narrative and recurrence-prevention
fields from current Parts VI and VII, with the revised instructions
discussed in section IV. It also adds a separate feedback field:
``Please describe any issues you encountered while completing this
form. Please provide suggestions on how to improve the form or your
experience completing and submitting the report.''
Feedback collected during filing could inform continuing
improvements, including from filers unable to comment during formal
notice periods. PHMSA requests renewal of information collection 2137-
0039 every three years and may seek comments and OMB approval for
revisions more often. The feedback field would provide additional input
for those efforts. Suggestions may also be sent to
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#82d2eaeff1e3cac3d8cfc3d6cbc1d1c2e6edf6ace5edf4">[email&#160;protected]</a>.

VI. Crosswalk Between the Current Form and Proposed Form

This table shows the corresponding data elements of the current and
proposed form.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current form--
Data element description Current form--part question (Q) No. New form--part New form--question
No.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Report Type--Reason for the I.................. Q1................. 1 Q*1 and Q*2.
Report.
Report Type--Indication of I.................. Q2................. 1 Q*3.
whether the report is an initial
report.
Date of Incident................. II................. Q3................. 3 Q*11.
Time of Incident................. II................. Q4................. 3 Q*12.
NRC Report Number (if applicable) II................. Q5................. 1 Q*4.
Other Federal DOT Reports (if II................. Q6................. 1 Q*6.
applicable).
Location of Incident............. II................. Q7................. 3 Q*13.
Mode of Transportation........... II................. Q8................. 3 Q*14.
Transportation Phase............. II................. Q9................. 3 Q*16.
Carrier/Reporter (i.e., Name, II................. Q10................ 2 (and 5) Q*8 (and Q*31).
Address, DOT ID Number, and
Hazardous Materials Registration
Number).
Shipper/Offeror (i.e., Name, II................. Q11................ 5 Q*28.
Address, Shipping Paper Number,
and Hazardous Materials
Registration Number).
Origin........................... II................. Q12................ 5 Q*30.
Destination...................... II................. Q13................ 5 Q*32.

[[Page 59847]]

Proper Shipping Name of the II................. Q14................ 6 Q*34.
Material.
Technical Trade Name (if II................. Q15................ 6 Q*35.
applicable).
Hazard Class/Division............ II................. Q16................ 6 Q*36.
UN/NA Identification Number...... II................. Q17................ 6 Q*33.
Packing Group (if applicable).... II................. Q18................ 6 Q*37.
Quantity Released................ II................. Q19................ 6 Q*41.
Hazardous Waste (Yes/No) and EPA II................. Q20................ 6 Q*40.
Uniform Waste Manifest Number.
Toxic by Inhalation (Yes/No) and II................. Q21................ 6 Q*39.
Hazard Zone.
Special Permit (SP) or Approval II................. Q22................ 3 Q*18.
(Yes/No) and SP or Approval
Number.
Undeclared Hazardous Material.... II................. Q23................ 6 Q*38.
Packaging Type................... III................ Q24................ 8 Q*43.
Failure Codes.................... III................ Q25................ 8 Q*51.
Specification Packaging Markings. III................ Q26a............... 8 Q*48.
Non-Bulk, IBC, or Non- III................ Q26b............... 8 Q*44-Q*45 (and Q*50
Specification: Packaging Type, for inner
Material of Construction, Head packaging).
Type (drums).
Package Capacity and Quantity.... III................ Q27................ 8 Q*46, Q*49 (and
Q*50 for inner
packaging).
Packaging Manufacturer, Date of III................ Q28................ 8 Q*47.
Manufacture, and Serial Number.
Packaging Last Test Date......... III................ Q28................ 8 Q*48.
Material of Construction (if Tank III................ Q28................ 8 Q*45.
Car, CTMV, Portable Tank, or
Cylinder).
Design Pressure and Shell III................ Q28................ 8 Q*52.
Thickness (if Tank Car, CTMV, or
Portable Tank).
Head Thickness (if Tank Car, III................ Q28................ 8 Q*52.
CTMV).
Service Pressure (if Cylinder)... III................ Q28................ 8 Q*52.
Pressure Relief Valve or Device: III................ Q28................ 8 Q*52.
Type, Manufacturer, and Model.
Radioactive Materials............ III................ Q29................ 7 Q*42.
Result of Incident............... IV................. Q30................ 6 Q*41.
Emergency Response (Fire/EMS, IV................. Q31................ 9 Q*5, Q*61.
Police, and In-house/Other
Cleanup).
Damages.......................... IV................. Q32................ 9 Q*60.
Hazardous Materials Fatalities... IV................. Q33a............... 9 Q*54.
Non-Hazardous Materials IV................. Q33b............... 9 Q*55.
Fatalities.
Hazardous Materials Injuries..... IV................. Q34................ 9 Q*56.
Evacuation....................... IV................. Q35................ 9 Q*59.
Closure of Major Transportation IV................. Q36................ 9 Q*58.
Artery.
Crash or Derailment, Speed, IV................. Q37................ 9 Q*57.
Weather Conditions.
Passenger Aircraft............... V.................. Q38................ 4 Q*23.
Cargo Shipment or Passenger V.................. Q38................ 4 Q*24.
Baggage.
Description of Air Incident V.................. Q39................ 4 Q*20.
Location.
Hazardous Materials by Air V.................. Q40................ 4 Q*21.
Transportation Phases.
Description of Events and Package VI................. Not numbered/Free 10 Not numbered/Free
Failure. text. text.
Recommendations/Actions Taken to VII................ Not numbered/Free 10 Not numbered/Free
Prevent Recurrence. text. text.
Contact Information.............. VIII............... Not numbered....... 2 Q*7 (reporter) and
Q*29 (shipper).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

VII. Burden Estimates for Information Collection 2137-0039

A. Current Form--Burden Estimates

The following estimates come from the supporting statement for the
current information collection, 2137-0039.\39\ Supporting documents are
available through <a href="https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRASearch">https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRASearch</a> using
that number. Figures may be rounded for readability.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

\39\ OMB, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Information Collection Request Documents: Burden Calculations (June
22, 2023), available at: <a href="https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewDocument?ref_nbr=202306-2137-002">https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewDocument?ref_nbr=202306-2137-002</a>.

[[Page 59848]]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total annual
Information collection Respondents Total annual Hours per burden hours
[A] responses [B] response [C] [B * C]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Telephone Notifications......................... 180 716 .08 57
Incident Reports-- Paper........................ 172 2,888 1.6 4,621
Incident Reports--Electronic.................... 166 19,720 .8 15,776
---------------------------------------------------------------
Total....................................... 518 23,324 (*) 20,454
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* The current estimates are 96 minutes (1.6 hours) for a paper report, 48 minutes (0.8 hours) for a HAZMATICS
submission (<a href="https://portal.phmsa.dot.gov">https://portal.phmsa.dot.gov</a>), and approximately 5 minutes (0.08 hour) for an NRC telephone
notification (1-800-424-8802).

Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden:
Affected Public: Shippers and carriers of hazardous materials.
Number of Respondents: 518.
Total Annual Responses: 23,324.
Total Annual Burden Hours: 20,454.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
This notice does not change the NRC telephone-notification
requirement or the information collected by telephone. When Sec.
171.15 applies, the person in physical possession of the material must
notify the NRC ``as soon as practicable but no later than 12 hours
after the occurrence of the incident.''
The proposed changes concern the written incident report, DOT Form
5800.1, under Sec. Sec. 171.15 and 171.16.

B. New Form--Burden Estimates

Under Executive Order 14192, PHMSA characterizes the proposed
revision as a net deregulatory action, reducing average filer burden
from 0.9 to 0.38 hours and saving industry approximately $400,000
annually.
The new form adds discrete fields but is designed to reduce
completion time by replacing vague, open-ended, or irrelevant questions
with specific choices and routing filers past inapplicable sections.
For example, for a lithium battery thermal runaway in a carry-on bag
aboard an aircraft, the current form requires irrelevant bill-of-lading
numbers, manifest details, or release quantities. The new form bypasses
those sections and asks three questions specific to battery incidents
on aircraft.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total annual
Information collection Respondents Total annual Hours per burden hours
[A] responses [B] response [C] [B * C]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Telephone Notifications......................... 180 716 0.08 57
Incident Reports (Electronic)................... 331 22,156 0.38 8,419
Incident Reports (Paper)........................ 7 452 1.6 723
---------------------------------------------------------------
Total....................................... 518 23,324 .............. 9,200
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden:
Affected Public: Shippers and carriers of hazardous materials.
Number of Respondents: 518.
Total Annual Responses: 23,324.
Total Annual Burden Hours: 9,200.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
PHMSA derived the 0.38-hour electronic-filing estimate from
internal SME testing with filers of varying technical expertise and
validated it against system log-session metadata. PHMSA considers it a
conservative upper-bound estimate because those metrics treat all
electronic submissions as manual web interactions, although large
entities with established incident databases transmit a substantial
share through automated XML batches without filing burden. PHMSA
retained the prior 1.6-hour paper-filing estimate without retesting
because only 2 percent of filers use paper. PHMSA expects that share to
continue declining and paper filings to have a nominal effect on
overall burden.
PHMSA invites comments on the proposed form and burden estimates
through the two-stage process described in the Overview and will revise
them as warranted before submitting the request to OMB.

VIII. Specific Questions and Topics for Public Comment

Review by DOT modal administrations, USCG, and OHMS staff
identified the following topics for public comment. Some questions are
repeated here to bring the requests together.
1. Carriers submit most reports because they typically possess the
material when an incident occurs. Shippers may know more about its
classification, packaging, and other shipment characteristics.
Communication between them may therefore improve report quality.
a. Should the hazardous materials carrier be required under the HMR
to notify the shipper when their shipment is involved in an incident?
In practice, do hazardous materials carriers regularly and voluntarily
notify the shipper that their shipment was involved in an incident?
Anecdotally, PHMSA staff have heard of shippers that are not aware of
incidents involving their shipment. How would the regulated industry
address this issue in a cost-effective manner?
b. The proposed form asks reporting carriers whether they notified
the shipper. PHMSA believes this may indicate whether the parties
worked together on the report. In your opinion, is this new question a
positive change?
c. In what ways can PHMSA encourage hazardous materials carriers
and shippers to work together to ensure that information about an
incident is accurate and complete?
2. UAS operations are increasing in number and complexity. Although
14 CFR 107.36 prohibits small UAS from carrying hazardous material,
operators may petition FAA for exemptions, including for medical-supply
delivery.\40\ Prohibited operations can still produce reportable
incidents, and HMR incident and discrepancy reporting requirements

[[Page 59849]]

apply to UAS operators as to other air operators. The proposed form
includes a UAS question (Q*19) for consideration.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

\40\ FAA-2021-0050-0001. Available at: <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/FAA-2021-0050-0001">https://www.regulations.gov/document/FAA-2021-0050-0001</a>. Pursuant to 14 CFR
part 11, Zipline International Inc. (``Zipline,'' ``we,'' or ``us'')
respectfully submits this petition requesting a limited exemption
from 14 CFR 107.36 to enable it to carry hazardous materials in
support of the development of a cold storage container capable of
transporting the COVID-19 vaccine by our unmanned aircraft system .
. .
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

a. Should the DOT Form 5800.1 include question(s) about whether a
hazardous materials incident involved UAS? Why or why not?
b. If yes, what other information about UAS incidents (e.g., method
of delivery) should be included on DOT Form 5800.1?
3. In addition to UAS, autonomous or remotely operated vehicles may
be used in the future to transport certain hazardous materials in other
modes of transportation.
a. Should the hazardous materials incident report form indicate
whether a hazardous materials shipment involved an autonomous vehicle
or remotely operated vehicle? Why or why not?
b. If yes, what information should be collected with respect to
autonomous or remotely operated vehicles involved in a hazardous
materials incident?
4. As reflected in the incident data, incidents involving lithium
batteries have increased in recent years. They continue to pose
heightened safety risks in commercial hazardous materials
transportation.
a. What fields should be added to the DOT Form 5800.1 to understand
better the nature and consequences of transportation incidents
involving lithium batteries?
b. What are the benefits of adding the fields and the burden or
costs of filling them out? Do benefits outweigh the costs?
c. Will this new information be reasonably available to the
hazardous materials carrier, who is typically the responsible party for
reporting the incident?
d. Is this data already collected elsewhere, by a different
organization as part of a different data collection?
e. Is PHMSA's DOT Form 5800.1 the best instrument for collecting
this new information about lithium battery transportation incidents?
5. What questions, fields, or choices on the current form should be
revised or clarified? In your opinion, which revisions or
clarifications should be the highest priority to address? Which changes
are simply editorial in nature?
6. What questions, fields, or choices on the current form should be
removed? Why? What is the trade-off involved in their removal? This
trade-off weighs the benefit of the data currently collected versus the
burden or cost of collection.
7. What questions, fields, or choices should be added to the form?
Why? What is the benefit of adding them? What will be the added burden
or cost to collect this new information, especially to filers of DOT
Form 5800.1?
8. PHMSA estimates 96 minutes (1.6 hours) for both the current and
proposed PDF forms, compared with 48 minutes (0.8 hours) for current
electronic filing and 22.8 minutes (0.38 hours) for the proposed
electronic version.
a. Are PHMSA's preliminary estimates reasonable for the new form?
b. What specific changes to the new form are most burdensome?
c. What specific changes to the new form save the most time and
relieve the most burden?
d. In your opinion, how long will it take on average to fill out
and submit the new PDF form?
9. The PDF demonstrates the proposed collection changes; HAZMATICS
and XML reporting would also be updated to reflect them.
a. What challenges have you faced in reporting incidents using the
HAZMATICS portal? What improvements do you recommend for this portal?
b. What challenges have you faced in reporting incidents via XML
data submission? What improvements do you recommend for XML data
submission?

Issued in Washington, DC, on September 17, 2026, under
authority delegated in 49 CFR 1.97.
William Quade,
Associate Administrator of Hazardous Materials Safety, Pipeline and
Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
[FR Doc. 2026-19276 Filed 9-18-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P

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