The Ministry of Transport of Russia, the competent authority for the implementation in the Russian Federation of the provisions of the European Agreement on the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR) has decided to extend the validity of certificates related to dangerous goods transportation. This decision was made in connection with the emerging epidemiological situation, as well as taking into account the provisions of multilateral agreement M324 to ADR.
As a result, all training certificates issued to drivers transporting dangerous goods, that expire from 1 March to 1 November 2020, will continue to be valid until November 30. These certificates will be extended for five years if the driver provides confirmation of retraining and passes the exam in accordance with the provisions of ADR before 1 December 2020. A new validity period begins on the expiration date of the certificate, which must be renewed.
Similarly, until 30 November 2020 the validity period of certificates of professional training of safety advisers (consultants) involved into dangerous goods transportation was extended. A further extension of the validity of such certificates for a period of five years is also possible if the holders of such certificates pass the exam in accordance with the provisions of ADR until 1 December 2020.
As at May 2020, 32 states, including Russia, are already fulfilling the requirements of the M324 multilateral agreement. This means that carriers with expired documents have the opportunity to continue transporting dangerous goods not only through the territory of their country, but also through all the countries participating in this multilateral agreement. Given the current epidemiological situation, this measure creates the necessary conditions for the comfortable work of drivers and does not require a personal appeal to the regulatory authorities to reissue these documents.