What must a dangerous goods transport document contain?

What does ADR require — and who is responsible?

Carriage of dangerous goods by road is governed by ADR (section 5.4.1). The consignor is responsible for the transport-document entries.

The rules for carrying dangerous goods by road come from ADR, the UNECE agreement, whose section 5.4.1 sets out what the transport document must contain. In the UK the same requirements are applied through the Carriage of Dangerous Goods regulations; see GOV.UK — Moving dangerous goods. The transport document describes the dangerous goods and must travel with the load so the driver, emergency services and authorities know exactly what is being carried.

The consignor is responsible for the entries on the transport document being accurate and complete — it is the consignor who classifies the goods and knows their properties. The driver and the carrier are responsible for making sure the document is present and travels with the goods for the whole journey.

Which entries are mandatory?

Nine entries. The first five — UN number, shipping name, class, packing group, tunnel code — in a fixed order.

Under ADR 5.4.1 the UN number, proper shipping name, hazard class, packing group and tunnel restriction code must be given in that sequence. The remaining entries may appear in any order.

How do you complete it — step by step?

Seven steps from the UN number to a complete, checked transport document.

1. 1Get the UN number for the goods from the consignor's details or the safety data sheet — never guess it.
2. 2Write the first five entries in the exact order: UN number, proper shipping name, hazard class, packing group, tunnel restriction code.
3. 3Add the number and description of packages and the total quantity of dangerous goods per UN number.
4. 4Enter the consignor's and consignee's names and addresses.
5. 5Add any additional entries required (e.g. "ENVIRONMENTALLY HAZARDOUS" for environmentally hazardous substances, or a note for carriage in limited quantities).
6. 6Check the entries against the package markings and labels — and that the UN number matches the class stated.
7. 7Make sure the document travels with the load and is accessible to the driver for the whole journey.

ADR transport document – template (checklist)

Free template to copy. The fields match the mandatory entries, in ADR order.

Common mistakes

These are the mistakes that most often stop a load at a roadside check.

• Wrong order of the first five entries — UN number, shipping name, class, packing group and tunnel code must be in that order.
• The UN number does not match the class stated (e.g. UN 1789 hydrochloric acid given as class 3 instead of class 8).
• Proper shipping name missing or wrong — a free-text description is not enough.
• Total quantity of dangerous goods missing or given in the wrong unit.
• The transport document does not match the package markings and labels.
• "ENVIRONMENTALLY HAZARDOUS" missing for substances that require the mark.
• The document is not available in the cab during carriage.

What a Tedrix pre-check looks like on a real document

The tool reads the consignment note and the ADR document and returns a green/yellow/red status with what must be fixed.

Below is the tool's actual output on a shipment of hydrochloric acid where the class has been entered wrongly. The deterministic UN check catches that UN 1789 is class 8 per the ADR list, not class 3 — so the status is red.

The example is constructed but shows the tool's real output fields. The UN ↔ class check is done deterministically against an ADR table — the model never invents a UN number or a class.

How Tedrix automates this

Tedrix's transport & ADR document check reads the consignment note/CMR and, for dangerous goods, the ADR transport document — and verifies that the mandatory entries are present, legible and consistent with each other before the vehicle moves. The UN number's class is looked up against an ADR table, so a mistyped class is caught. You get a green/yellow/red status and a list of what must be completed. The tool reads and checks — the driver and the carrier keep full responsibility and make the final call.

Frequently asked questions

What is an ADR transport document?

An ADR transport document, sometimes called a dangerous goods note or consignment note, is the document that must accompany a road shipment of dangerous goods. It describes the goods by UN number, proper shipping name, hazard class, packing group, number and description of packages, total quantity, and the consignor and consignee, so the driver, emergency services and authorities know exactly what is being carried.

What must a dangerous goods transport document contain?

It must contain the UN number (preceded by "UN"), the proper shipping name, the hazard class(es), the packing group and the tunnel restriction code — those five in that order — plus the number and description of packages, the total quantity of dangerous goods, and the consignor and consignee names and addresses. Some substances need additional entries, for example "ENVIRONMENTALLY HAZARDOUS".

Do the first five entries have to be in a set order?

Yes. Under ADR 5.4.1 the UN number, proper shipping name, hazard class, packing group and tunnel restriction code must appear in that exact sequence. The remaining entries — number and description of packages, total quantity, consignor and consignee — may appear in any order in the document.

Who is responsible for the transport document being correct?

The consignor is responsible for the information on the transport document being accurate and complete — it is the consignor who classifies the goods and knows their properties. The driver and the carrier must make sure the document is present and travels with the goods, but responsibility for the entries themselves rests with the consignor.

When is no transport document required for dangerous goods?

Under the ADR small-load exemptions (5.4.1 read with the limited-quantity and excepted-quantity provisions, and the 1.1.3.6 threshold), some carriage is relieved of parts of the paperwork. The consignor is still responsible for meeting the conditions. If you are unsure whether an exemption applies, assume the document is required and prepare it in full.

What is the tunnel restriction code and when is it shown?

The tunnel restriction code states which road tunnels the goods may pass through. It is shown in brackets as the fifth entry in the sequence, for example (D/E). Where a substance has no tunnel restriction, no code is shown. The code comes from the ADR dangerous-goods list for each UN number.

What language must the transport document be in?

The transport document must be drawn up in a language the consignor's country accepts, and additionally in English, French or German unless the countries concerned agree otherwise. In the UK, English is used. The proper shipping name must be the official ADR name, not a free-text description.

What happens if a mandatory entry is missing?

If a mandatory entry is missing, or it does not match the package markings and labels, the fault must be corrected before carriage starts. An incomplete or incorrect transport document can lead to the load being stopped at a roadside check and to enforcement action. Check the entries before the vehicle moves.

Related guides

• Automate the check of your transport documents
• All Tedrix guides