Hazardous Materials Transporters

Posted on Nov 12th, 2015

The Wicks Group attorneys have extensive experience in helping consumer product manufacturers, chemical manufacturers, airlines, and freight forwarders and transporters with matters related to hazardous materials transportation. We advise clients on appropriate compliance with hazardous materials regulations and also help them obtain exemptions and approvals from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). We also represents clients in proposed civil penalty cases before the FAA and PHMSA, nearly always achieving substantial reductions or eliminations of proposed fines. Our professionals also provide preventive guidance to the industry, regularly authoring hazardous materials transportation-related articles for prominent trade publications, as well as guidance to an industrial packaging manufacturer trade association.

Representative Experiences

  • Serving as general counsel for the Industrial Packaging Association of North America (IPANA), including advising on hazardous materials packaging and transportation, antitrust, and other association-related matters
  • Advising a billion-dollar US consumer products manufacturer on appropriate methods for aerial shipment of their products to domestic and international destinations, and achieving exemption from shipping paper requirements for a new product with characteristics that were not addressed in hazardous materials regulations
  • Securing elimination of a proposed civil penalty for a major US manufacturer that threatened to put the company out of business before an enforcement action was brought, and ensuring the company was not held to a standard to which no other industry member was being held
  • Successfully representing a major US air and ground express delivery company in US DOT administrative law hearings regarding the transport of hazardous material
  • Obtaining the necessary federal approvals for launching of a commercial spacecraft from Wallops Island
  • Obtaining a special permit for a major domestic products manufacturer despite a significant reorganization at PHMSA that had almost completely halted the approval of special permits
  • Identifying a creative and compliant method of shipping hazardous materials that also reduced the amounts of packaging material required for a large US construction products manufacturer
  • Advising more than 80 additional consumer product manufacturers, packagers, or shippers on US regulatory requirements regarding hazardous materials transportation, assisting them with obtaining regulatory approvals and exemptions, and representing them in proposed civil penalty cases – often achieving substantial reductions or elimination of proposed fines

Read more about our hazmat-related assistance to a major consumer products manufacturer here
Read more about our hazmat-related assistance to a commercial space flight company here
Read more about our assistance to IPANA here