Shipping by Rail in Bulk

Bulk rail shipment of compressed gases is authorized under DOT and TC regulations in containers of three major kinds singleunit tank cars multi-unit tank cars and Specification 107A tank cars. Adaptations of existing tank car specifications, and proposed specifications for new types of cars, must be approved by the Tank Car Committee of the Association of American Railroads (AAR). 

In the United States, federal regulations covering the interstate rail transportation of compressed gases are published in Title 49 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (49 

CFR) Parts 100-199. [1] DOT regulations require that compressed gases be shipped in containers manufactured to DOT specifications and maintained in accordance with DOT regulations. In Canada, containers in which compressed gases are shipped must comply with specifications and regulations of Transport Canada. [5] 

Shippers are strongly recommended to refer to the most current federal regulations for information. Sections of the regulations referenced in this Handbook may have changed since the date of publication. The most current issue of the AAR Specifications for Tank Cars should also be reviewed. [6] 

A typical compressed gas tank car specification is TC/DOT-105A300W. Each part of the specification number has some significance TC is the designation of the Transport Canada DOT is the U.S. Department of Transportation designation. These jurisdictions permit the use of their designations individually or together in the manner shown. The first number, 105 in the example, is the DOT class of the tank car. A Class 105 tank car is an insulated, pressure car. For Class 105, 112, and 114 tank cars, the letter following the car class will indicate whether or not the tank car has thermal (fire) protection or tank head puncture protection. The letter A, shown in the example, indicates the tank car has neither. The letter J indicates 

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