Our requirements and guidelines relating to the transport of Dangerous Goods are outlined in the Freightways Dangerous Goods policy and applies to all Freightways companies (i.e. New Zealand Couriers; Post Haste; Castle Parcels etc). 

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Freightways Limited - Dangerous Goods Policy

Freightways Limited (FRE) has devised the following policy to manage the handling and cartage of Dangerous Goods (DGs). The overriding objective is to ensure a commitment to legislative requirements with minimal disruption to customer’s expectations.

• The policy is set to work within the legislative requirements of the Land Transport Rule - Dangerous Goods 2005, the current International Air Transport Association (IATA) regulations and the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) regulations.
• All FRE brands and their management teams are committed to ensuring that all employees and contractors involved in processing and transporting DGs are competently trained in line with this policy.
• It is the responsibility of FRE employees and contractors to ensure that these requirements are met before any further handling or processing of DGs.

This policy is to be applied in conjunction with FRE Health and Safety Policy and with the guidelines set by Air Freight NZ Limited and its operating standards.

• FRE retains the right to amend this policy without prior notification and will ensure that any changes are effectively communicated.

FRE group companies will endeavour to assist their customers wherever possible to ensure that service levels are maintained at all times, however due to the compliance requirements for Dangerous Goods it is possible they may not meet our advertised service standards.

Conditions of acceptance

FRE has restricted itself to certain classes or divisions of DGs that do not require segregation during transport. Refer to Tables A and B to identify which DGs we accept and for any additional limitations or pre-approval requirements. 

• All DGs presented for transport must be properly identified, declared using Freightways Limited approved documents, clearly and correctly marked and labelled, and packed in approved packaging that is safe for transport. It is the shipper’s responsibility to meet these requirements.
• DG declaration forms for each consignment must be provided in duplicate.
• DGs that have a subsidiary risk will only be accepted with prior approval. Once approved they can only travel as Dangerous Goods in Limited Quantities with inner packaging and outer packaging limitations reduced to the most restrictive class. Refer Table B. Once approved, classes with a Subsidiary risk can only travel in the road network.
• The Shipper is responsible for ensuring all the legal requirements of the Land Transport Rule - Dangerous Goods 2005, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) regulations and the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) regulations and conditions set out in the Freightways Dangerous Goods Policy and Guide have been met.

Customers should be aware that Dangerous Goods may be returned to them if criteria of this policy are not met.

Accepted Dangerous Goods (DGs) – Other than Dangerous Goods in Limited Quantities (DGLQ)

Except for items that fall under the Dangerous Goods in Limited Quantities (DGLQ) as described in Table B, FRE has elected to restrict ourselves to the following classes or divisions of Dangerous Goods as described in Table A :

TABLE A 

* Will only be transported by road

Accepted Dangerous Goods in Limited Quantities (DGLQ)

• A FRE approved dangerous goods declaration form in duplicate must accompany all DGLQ packages/consignments with the letters DGLQ marked in the top right hand corner. There is no provision for Consumer Commodities and Small Packages.
• Each package must have the Dangerous Goods in Limited Quantities diamond/label on the package in accordance with the road/maritime mode (label 1), or air freight mode (label 2). 

Note: Label 2 will also cover road/maritime mode.

1. Standard DGLQ Label Road and Maritime
2. Standard DGLQ Label for Air Transport

Freightways has elected to restrict carriage to the following classes or divisions of Dangerous Goods that may be declared as DGLQ for transport by road or air as described in TABLE B, provided they meet the inner packaging limitations:

TABLE B

Note 1. Transported by road and within the island only

* Will only be transported by road

** For consignments destined within island the maximum quantity per package is 25kg.

*** Pre-approval Required.

Classes and Divisions of Class 1 Explosives, and Class 7 Radioactive Material are not accepted. For any other products or UN Numbers not listed in Table A or Table B, a Pre-Approval Application is required.

Special notes

Airfreight

The following classes will not be accepted for airfreight due to company air transport policy. DGs of class or division 2.1 (with the exception of UN 1950 Aerosols), 3.0, 4.1, 8.0, Class 9 Lithium Batteries as per Table A, any DGs with a Sub Risk or Dangerous Goods in Excepted Quantities cannot be presented for air transport.  These Dangerous Goods will be transported by road and may not meet the expected service standards offered. 

If you are transporting Dangerous Goods by Air, you must be IATA (International Air Transport Association) certified. 

Dangerous Goods Training

Shippers and freight handlers dealing with airfreight cargo must be trained and certified as per NZCAA requirements – Refer Civil Aviation Rule 92.  

As per PI 967 this includes any person preparing or offering Lithium cells or batteries for transport must receive adequate instruction on the requirements commensurate with their responsibilities. 

Shippers and freight handlers dealing with Road/Maritime cargo must be trained and certified as per NZS5433:2020 requirements outlined in Sections 12.1, 12.2, 12.3 and 12.4. 

Freightways retains the right to request training certifications from Shippers prior to acceptance of any Dangerous Goods shipments.

Packaging Requirements

Dangerous Goods for Air Transport must meet the Packing Instructions as per IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations. 

Dangerous Goods for Road Transport must meet the Packing Instructions as per Land Transport Rule - Dangerous Goods 2005, and as outlined in NZS5433 – Transport of Dangerous Goods on Land. 

Dangerous Goods packaged in satchels, envelopes or bubble bags are insufficient for the purposes of transport and will not be accepted. 

Marine Pollutant

The inner packaging limits for substances, materials or articles, which are identified as severe marine pollutants and which are permitted in limited quantities, shall not exceed 500ml for liquids or 500g for solids.

Carriage of Cryogenic Liquid Nitrogen Cylinders

There are two types of Cryogenic Liquid Nitrogen Cylinders: 

• Wet: These containers are not sealed and are not permitted to travel in any type of courier van in the Freightways network. 
  These containers use Liquid Nitrogen as a coolant and must remain upright and if leaking will displace oxygen from the surrounding environment, in particular in an enclosed space. Cryogenic Liquid Nitrogen Cylinders can be dropped off by customers as Depot To Depot provided the line haul vehicle transporting the item is a truck and not a van. Such items must be addressed “Depot Only” and receiver must collect. Airfreight Not Permitted. 
• Dry: Empty tanks or containers will be permitted as these do not pose a risk. 

Carriage of Dry Ice Consignments

1. If Dry Ice is sent as a consignment on its own, then all the criteria for this policy must be met.
2. If the Dry Ice is used as a refrigerant for DGs that require Dangerous Goods documentation (DGD), the quantity of Dry Ice used must be shown on the DGD and all the criteria for this policy must be met.
3. If the Dry Ice is used as a refrigerant of non-hazardous material, a DGD is not required, however all other requirements with respect to marking, labelling and packaging of this policy must be met.

Carriage of Infectious Substances Consignments

1. Infectious Substances are all now broken into Category A and Category B or Exempt patient specimens,
2. FEL will only transport Category B substances and Exempt patient specimens. These items do not require any documentation.  They must however be marked, labelled, presented as per Packing Instruction 650.

Pre-approval Required (as per Table A and B)

An Application for Pre-Approval or for an Exemption must be completed in full and submitted with substantiating documentation to the National Operations of your brand for consideration. Refer to  Application Form Pages 8 and 9 of the Dangerous Good Policy.

Lithium Batteries

Lithium Ion or Lithium Metal Batteries when shipped separately or shipped Packed in Equipment or Contained in Equipment represent unique risks during transportation, particularly when the battery’s canister has been damaged or in some circumstances where accidental short-circuits across battery terminals can occur. Rapid uncontrolled battery deterioration can cause a “thermal runaway” reaction which generally results in a fierce fire and sometimes even an explosion.  

Pre-Approval is required for all Lithium Battery products to determine if the battery can be shipped under any special provisions, or if they need to be fully declared and labelled as Class 9 Dangerous Goods. Customers must be adequately trained so we can be confident that compliance will be met. When batteries exceed the limits stated under Special Provision 188 they must be packaged according to Packing Instruction 903 of the NZS 5433 and the IMDG Code along with appropriate marking and labelling. Strong outer packaging is a legal requirement for sending Lithium batteries and there are no exceptions to this. 

Tracked Substances:

Some very hazardous substances must be tracked, recording what happens to them from when they were imported into New Zealand or manufactured, through their distribution and transport, to their final use or disposal. Tracked substances can only be transferred to competent persons.

Tracked Substances are not permitted and are excluded from acceptance.