If you work in a transportation field that requires hazmat DOT (Department of Transportation) training, you are lucky enough to be able to access the courses you need through online programs. Your employer will decide to some extent what will be required in your training, but OSHA and the Department of Transportation do have requirements that first have to be met. Take a look at some of the topics that will be covered during an online DOT training course as a hazmat truck driver.
You will learn about general hazmat awareness.
As a truck driver who transports hazardous materials, you will likely be working with specific types of materials. However, your online DOT training course will still involve learning about various types of hazardous materials. A general awareness course will expose you to things like:
- How to recognize hazardous materials
- What materials are the most dangerous to transport and why
- What equipment is required to handle specific types of materials
- What makes a hazardous material dangerous to transport
- How to handle hazmat emergencies while en route
You will learn about your role in the hazmat field.
As a driver, your role in the hazardous material transportation field is perhaps one of the most important. Even though you will not usually be in direct contact with the hazardous material, you will be directly in charge of overseeing that it is properly handled while you are on the road. During your online training courses, you will learn about how vital your role is as a truck driver who handles hazardous materials. You will also learn about other roles within the hazmat field and how they can be part of your daily job practices. For instance, you may learn about:
- Packagers and handlers of hazmat materials
- Those who work at loading docks to load and unload materials
- Emergency response crew members who handle hazmat spills
You will learn about securely transporting hazardous materials.
When it is your job to transport hazardous materials, there are naturally going to be some security threats that you have to be alert to while you travel. For example, some types of hazardous materials are of interest to national terrorists. During your DOT training courses, you will learn about which materials can pose the biggest security threat and how you should ensure the materials are rightly protected while you are transporting them. You will further be exposed to how to recognize security threats while you carry a load of material.
For more DOT compliance help and information about what you'll learn, contact a company that offers DOT training.
Share