DOT Adopted Reverse Logistics

PHMSA 03-31 reverse logistics final rule.pdf

On March 31, 2016 (81 FR 18527), the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) published a final ruling in the federal register to adopt regulatory amendments applicable to the reverse logistics shipments of certain hazardous materials by highway transportation. This final rule revises the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) to include a definition of “reverse logistics” and provides appropriate provisions for hazardous materials within the scope of this definition. This final rule also expands a previously existing exception for return shipments of used automobile batteries transported between a retail facility and a recycling center. The PHMSA incorporated recommendations from petitions for rulemaking and public comment into this rulemaking from both the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) published on July 5, 2012 [77 FR 39662] and the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) published on August 11, 2014 [79 FR 46748]. This final rule is effective on March 31, 2016.