Shipping documents (Canada)

Scope

All carriers must include shipping documents when transporting dangerous goods. A shipping document and an electronic copy of it are both shipping records.

Regulatory citations

• None

Key definitions

• None

Summary of requirements

Refer to Part III of the TDG Regulations for all documentation requirements.

Documentation is prepared by the consignor before the carrier takes possession of the dangerous goods and the dangerous goods are in transport. The documentation must be kept in specific locations while the dangerous goods are in transport.

When documentation is required to be kept, it may be in the form of a shipping record, that is, on paper or in electronic form.

Part III — Documentation. When information required by Part III — Documentation is recorded on paper, that paper becomes the shipping document. A shipping document may be in any form, including a waste manifest or a company-designed form, as long as it contains all the information required by Part III — Documentation.

When information required by Part III — Documentation is recorded electronically, the resulting document is an electronic copy of a shipping document.

The term “master” is used in Part III — Documentation and is not defined in Part I — Coming into Force, Repeal, Interpretation, General Provisions and Special Cases, but is defined in the “Canada Shipping Act.”