ADR (Road Transport of Dangerous Goods)
The European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road — sets packaging, labelling, vehicle, driver-training and documentation requirements for hazardous road freight.
On this page · 6 sections
How does ADR (Road Transport of Dangerous Goods) apply to your shop floor?
Pick your industry and scale — Ask V5 rewrites the definition in your context, gives a worked example, and shows what V5 does on day one.
01What it is
The European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road — sets packaging, labelling, vehicle, driver-training and documentation requirements for hazardous road freight. The discipline matters because dangerous-goods incidents are catastrophic — fires, explosions, toxic releases, environmental damage — and regulators respond with personal liability for senior staff, suspension of licences and criminal prosecution. A warehouse that runs ADR Road Transport well treats hazardous-goods handling as an engineered control: classified inventory, validated storage areas, trained operators, segregation matrices enforced in WMS, and a documented emergency response plan rehearsed at least annually.
- Every SKU is classified by UN number and class — not by free-text 'hazardous yes/no'.
- Storage areas are designed and licensed for the classes they hold.
- Segregation matrices are enforced at putaway — not policed by walking the aisles.
- Documents (SDS, transport papers) are version-controlled and accessible at the gate.
- Emergency response is rehearsed — not just written.
02Typical operational flow
| Stage | Activity | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Classify | UN number + class | UN Model Regs |
| Pack | Approved packaging code | UN PG I/II/III |
| Label | GHS pictogram, UN# placard | GHS / ADR 5.2 |
| Store | Segregated location | IMDG seg table |
| Transport | ADR/IMDG/IATA papers | ADR/IMDG/IATA |
| Incident | Emergency plan | DGSA / TREM |
| Report | Annual DGSA report | ADR 1.8.3.3 |
03Execution and controls
- Maintain a master DG list per SKU with UN#, class, packing group and SDS version.
- Configure WMS to enforce segregation at putaway — block incompatible class combinations.
- Bund all liquid chemical storage to at least 110% of largest container.
- Train operators against the modes they handle — ADR Awareness or Full ADR as appropriate.
- Rehearse the emergency response with the local fire service at least annually.
04Common mistakes
- Free-text 'hazardous' flag with no UN# or class — segregation cannot be enforced.
- SDS folder out of date — operators reference the wrong hazard data in an incident.
- Bunds undersized or shared between incompatible chemicals.
- Operators trained once at induction and never refreshed.
- No DGSA appointed despite ADR thresholds being exceeded.
05Cross-industry examples
- Pharma — controlled drugs plus flammable solvents in dedicated DG zones.
- Agricultural chemicals — pesticide storage under FIFRA / EU REACH controls.
- Lithium batteries — UN 3480 / 3481 with specific packaging, labelling and air-mode bans.
- Aerosols — flammable gas storage requires fire-rated cages and vapour control.
- Petrochemical distribution — bulk DG storage under COMAH / Seveso III.
06How V5 Ultimate handles ADR Road Transport
Frequently asked questions
Q.What is a UN number?+
A four-digit identifier (e.g. UN 1203 petrol, UN 3480 lithium-ion batteries) that drives all downstream classification and labelling decisions.
Q.When is a DGSA required?+
Under ADR 1.8.3, any undertaking that consigns or carries dangerous goods above defined thresholds in Europe must appoint a qualified DGSA.
Q.Do small quantities escape the rules?+
Limited Quantities (LQ) and Excepted Quantities (EQ) exemptions apply, but the SKU must still be classified and the LQ/EQ marking applied.
Q.How often does the IATA DGR change?+
Annually — the new edition is published each January and operators must update procedures and training accordingly.
Q.Are GHS labels enough for transport?+
No — GHS covers workplace and supply labelling; transport labels (ADR/IMDG/IATA placards and UN# marks) are separate and required additionally.
Primary sources
Further reading
Want to see how ADR (Road Transport of Dangerous Goods) could fit into your own records and workflows? Explore the related V5 pages or talk to our team about what applies to your operation.