Frequently Asked Questions
SAFE HAVENS in ARIZONA
QUESTION: We operate a petroleum transport company out of Arizona and are looking at sending our fuel trucks up to Salt Lake City, UT. Since this is such a long haul and we don't have sleepers on our trucks, my drivers would need a Safe Haven where they could park possibly loaded fuel trucks for the night and get motel rooms nearby.
I was just wondering if you know where and/or how we can get this information - can ATA point me to a resource that could help? We would be more comfortable knowing what we can do before sending our drivers out.
ANSWER: The regulation you're looking for regarding the Safe Haven issue is FMCSR Part 397.5. If you are hauling fuel or gasoline, you are probably in the Table 2 HazMat and not class A or B explosives. Therefore, you may or may not need to park in an approved Safe Haven.
Section 397.5(d)(3) describes a Safe Haven as "...an area specifically approved in writing by local, State, or Federal governmental authorities for the parking of unattended vehicles containing Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 materials.
Do guidelines exist for establishing approval criteria for Safe Havens? Is there a national list of approved Safe Havens available to the public?
ATA passes on the following: The FHWA believes the Safe Haven concept is becoming increasingly obsolete due to readily available alternatives for providing "attendance at all times" for vehicles laden with explosives. The FHWA is aware of two documents that may be used as resources for establishing approval criteria for Safe Havens. The first document, Construction& Maintenance Procedure Recommendations for Proposed Federal Guidelines of Safe Havens for Vehicles Carrying Class A or Class B Explosives (1985) contains design, construction, and maintenance guidelines.
The second document, Recommended National Criteria for the Establishment & Operation of Safe Havens (1990) contains recommended national uniform criteria for approval of Safe Havens and an inventory of all State-approved Safe Havens in existence at the time of the report.
These documents may be used both as resources for establishing guidelines for Safe Haven design and construction, and as source documents for finding other materials that may be used toward the same purpose. Both documents are available to the public through the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Technical Information Service (NTIS), Springfield, Virginia 22161 at 703.487.4650. You can also access the NTIS publications database here.
To address questions or comments to the FAQ service, please call John Backowski at 602.850.6002 or email him at jbackowski@aztrucking.com
Thank you and have a safe day!