DGAC's 30 Greatest Accomplishments
This year the Dangerous Goods Advisory Council is turning 30 and we've pulled out all of the stops in our year-long celebration.
Please stay tuned to this section on the website, where for the next 30 weeks we will be highlighting special achievements and
moments in our history. Members may make additional suggestions online here.
Please direct any feedback to our online form.
#9 Bridging the Border for Better Understanding
In October 2004, DGAC spanned the US-Mexico border by offering the first-ever Seminar on Cross Border Transportation of Dangerous Goods. Held in San Antonio, Texas on October 25-26 and attended by 108 industry personnel, the seminar sought to shine a light on many of the issues facing cross-border transportation and assist in communication that would eventually resolve these problems.
Despite sharing the same continent and a common border nearly 2,000 miles long, the regulatory structures in the United States and
Mexico differ greatly and in trans-border commerce this can cause issues.
Learn about La Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT).
On the US side, there was very little information available about Mexican regulations—the majority of the industry didn't
understand the differences between the Mexican NORMAS and the 49 CFR. Despite the development of the GHS on the
international scale, it was unclear how the Mexican government adopted these UN recommendations into their own regulations,
or even which federal agencies had regulatory enforcement authority.
Among the pressing issues were the persistent delays in cross-border transportation. Mexican carriers were not
permitted to operate in the United States beyond the commercial zone and there were marked differences in the transfer
of information for hazmat transport via rail between US and Mexican railroads. Add to that the customs issues and
differing security requirements, and the cause for hosting such a workshop became crystal clear.
DGAC Member and Shell Chemical representative Chuck McHugh chaired the DGAC committee that developed the seminar.
With assistance from Shane Kelley of DOT, they formed an extensive program featuring speakers from industry and government
on both sides of the border. Click here to view the program.
The seminar was well attended and very well-received. "I think the major accomplishment was that it opened a dialogue
among US and Mexican industry," said McHugh. "It answered a lot of the questions with respect to the regulatory processes
in Mexico and highlighted a number of problems that continue to affect cross-border trade."
In the years since the workshop, DGAC has made several efforts to hold another cross border conference. Attendees overwhelmingly
asked for another seminar in the future, in part to expand on what they learned in 2004.
"One of the issues that was raised was the need for training in the HMR/NORMAs in Mexico," said McHugh. "It was hoped that a
second conference in 2007 would begin to take that issue apart to see what was available and what could be done."
To date, issues such as regime changes in Mexico and lack of response from SCT have thwarted DGAC's attempts.
Government agencies in both countries can have difficulty getting authorization to participate in a seminar in another country.
DGAC hopes to have success again offering such an event in the future, so stay tuned.
