1,100+ Hazardous Material Violations Found in Surprise CVSA Blitz

CVSA Road Blitz Finds Over 1,100 Hazardous Material Violations

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) held its unannounced Hazardous Materials/Dangerous Goods (HM/DG) Road Blitz from June 9 to June 13, 2025. Inspectors in the United States and Canada focused on trucks carrying hazmat. In total, 4,629 inspections were completed during the five days.

Hazardous Material Inspections and Results

Inspectors issued 831 CVSA decals to vehicles that had no critical violations. At the same time, they recorded 1,169 violations. Out of these, 598 were serious enough to place vehicles out-of-service. Trucks with out-of-service violations were not allowed to continue until the problems were corrected.

The inspections covered a wide range of safety rules. Inspectors checked packaging, labeling, placarding, shipping papers, and securement. They also looked for hazardous material leaks, missing paperwork, and undeclared packages.

Hazmat Violations in the United States

In the U.S., inspectors found 561 violations. The most common problems were:

• Placarding issues: 192 between bulk and non-bulk packages
• Package marking problems: 126
• Missing emergency response information: 70
• No copy of PHMSA registration: 35
• Leaking packages: 18

Inspectors also found 16 undeclared hazardous material packages. An undeclared package means hazmat was shipped without the required labels or documents.

Violations in Canada

In Canada, inspectors found 608 violations. These included:

• Training certificate problems: 61, with 39 leading to out-of-service orders
• Large containment placarding issues: 37
• Large containment safety marking problems: 21
• Packaging violations across small and large containers: 14

Canadian inspectors also found two leaking packages. In addition, there were 32 violations involving emergency response assistance plans. Sixteen of those were out-of-service violations.

Hazardous Material Classes Inspected

Across both countries, inspectors reviewed 7,294 packages. These covered all nine hazardous material classes.

The largest group was Class 3. This includes flammable and combustible liquids such as gasoline, ethanol, and acetone. Inspectors checked 2,478 packages in this class.

Other major classes included:

• Gases (Class 2): 1,239 packages
• Corrosives (Class 8): 997 packages
• Miscellaneous Materials (Class 9): 601 packages

Smaller numbers were reported in explosives, flammable solids, oxidizers and peroxides, toxic substances, and radioactive materials.

Hazardous Material Securement and Leaks

Inspectors paid special attention to how hazmat cargo was loaded and secured. Securement rules are meant to prevent shifting, spills, or leaks.

During the blitz, inspectors found 20 leaking packages. Each was considered an out-of-service violation.

Purpose of the Hazardous Material Road Blitz

The goal of the HM/DG Road Blitz is to improve safety and compliance. The program removes unsafe vehicles from the road. It also recognizes drivers and carriers that follow the rules.

Forty-five jurisdictions took part this year. Ten Canadian provinces and 35 U.S. states participated. The effort was supported by the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and Transport Canada.

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