Dangerous goods by road, explained

Most people asking for an “ADR courier” do not need a placarded vehicle. They need someone to read the safety data sheet and tell them which of three routes their consignment travels under. These pages explain the framework so you can work it out before you pick up the phone.

What we carry

We carry dangerous goods that fall under Limited Quantity, Excepted Quantity or the ADR 1.1.3.6 threshold today. For a placarded full-ADR load we will tell you so and help you find a carrier who holds the certificate, rather than take the job and work it out later.

Guides

Do I need an ADR courier?
Often not.
Lithium batteries
Lithium batteries are Class 9 dangerous goods.
Class 3 — flammable liquids
Class 3 covers liquids that give off flammable vapour — paint, thinners, solvents, printing ink, many adhesives and alcohol-based products.
Class 8 — corrosives
Class 8 covers substances that attack skin and metal — acids, alkalis, battery electrolyte, descalers and many industrial cleaning chemicals.
Class 2 — gases
Class 2 covers compressed, liquefied and dissolved gases, split into flammable, non-flammable and toxic divisions.
Class 9 — miscellaneous
Class 9 is the catch-all for substances that present a hazard in transport but do not fit the other eight classes.
Limited Quantities
Limited Quantity is the provision in ADR chapter 3.4 that lets dangerous goods packed in small inner containers, inside a suitable outer package, travel without a placarded vehicle or a vocationally certificated driver.

The nine ADR classes

Every regulated substance sits in one of these. Section 14 of the safety data sheet tells you which.

ClassWhat it coversTypical courier items
1ExplosivesFireworks, Airbag inflators, Blasting supplies
2GasesAerosols, Compressed gas cylinders, Refrigerant gas, Fire extinguishers
3Flammable liquidsPaint and thinners, Solvents, Printing ink, Adhesives, Alcohol-based products
4Flammable solids and reactive substancesMatches, Metal powders, Calcium carbide
5Oxidising substances and organic peroxidesPool chemicals, Hydrogen peroxide, Fertiliser, Resin hardeners
6Toxic and infectious substancesPesticides, Laboratory reagents, Clinical samples
7Radioactive materialMedical isotopes, Industrial gauges
8CorrosivesBattery acid, Industrial cleaning chemicals, Sodium hydroxide, Descalers
9Miscellaneous dangerous substancesLithium batteries, Environmentally hazardous substances, Dry ice, Asbestos waste

Not sure which applies?

Send the UN number, the packing group and the quantity per package. We will tell you in writing which route it travels under before anything is collected — including when the answer is that you need a carrier who holds a certificate we do not.

0113 547 4411