Containers and Vehicles Guide

This guide shows the kinds of containers and vehicles typically used to transport or store hazardous materials. Use this guide to:

  1. Learn about a container's contents. Because different kinds of containers typically carry certain kinds of substances, container type can be a clue to the kind of substance(s) it could be carrying. More definitive ways to identify a shipped hazardous material include the shipping documents that accompany the shipment, as well as markings, placards, and labels on containers.
  2. Find out where to look on a container for labels and placards, and how to read and interpret them.
  3. Check a tentative identification. Because shipping documents, placards, and labels sometimes contain errors, use multiple information sources—including container type—whenever you need to identify a shipped substance. For example, if a container's label indicates that it is a gas but the container is a type used to carry liquids, assume that the label may be in error, and check for additional information about the container's contents.

Get started by clicking on a container or vehicle below to find out what it might contain and where to look for markings, labels, placards, and shipping documents:

Sample Picture Topic
Example picture of an intermodal tank. Intermodal Tanks
Example pictures of drums and small, portable containers. Drums and Portable Containers
Example picture of a truck. Trucks
Example picture of a rail car. Rail Cars or Rail Tank Cars
Example picture of a fixed storage tank. Fixed Storage Tanks

See guide referencesSee guide references

This guide draws from the following sources of information:

  • Firefighter's Handbook: Essentials of Firefighting and Emergency Response. 2004. 2nd ed. Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning.
  • Lees, Frank P. 1996. Loss Prevention in the Process Industries. 2nd ed. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
  • Muller, Gerhardt. 1999. Intermodal Freight Transportation. 4th ed. Washington, D.C.: Eno Transportation Foundation and Intermodal Association of North America.
  • Noll, Gregory G., Hildebrand, Michael S., and Donahue, Michael L. 1995. Hazardous Materials Emergencies Involving Intermodal Containers: Guidelines and Procedures. Stillwater, OK: Fire Protection Publications, Oklahoma State University.
  • U.S. Fire Administration. No date. Collection of rail car graphics.