Regulatory framework
ADR: dangerous goods by road
The agreement governing international carriage of dangerous goods by road, how its nine parts fit together, and what it asks of an operator.
Last reviewed 2026-08-28
Read this as orientation, not as authority
This page summarises a regulatory position for planning purposes. It may contain errors or omissions, it is not legal, safety or regulatory advice, and the underlying rules are amended on cycles of their own. Nothing here states what hansa express holds or is approved for. Confirm the current requirement with the competent authority, or ask us about your actual consignment, before you act on it.
What ADR is
ADR is the Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road, adopted in Geneva in 1957 under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and in force since 1968. Its substance sits in two annexes: Annex A on the goods, their classification, packaging, marking and documentation, and Annex B on the vehicle, its equipment, its crew and how the transport operation is run.
Its reach is wider than the name suggests. Contracting parties extend well beyond western Europe into the Caucasus, Central Asia and North Africa, and within the European Union Directive 2008/68/EC applies the same technical annexes to purely domestic road movements. For most operators in Europe, ADR is therefore not an international-only rulebook — it is the road rulebook.
The annexes are revised on a two-year cycle in step with the UN Model Regulations, with a consolidated edition published for each odd-numbered year. Editions overlap in practice: a transitional period normally allows the previous edition to be used for part of the year, which is why a shipment should be planned against a stated edition rather than against “the current rules”.
The nine parts
- Part 1 — general provisions, definitions, exemptions and the duties of the parties involved, including the safety adviser requirement.
- Part 2 — classification: how a substance or article is assigned to a class, and for Class 1 to a division and compatibility group.
- Part 3 — the dangerous goods list (Table A), special provisions, and the limited and excepted quantity provisions.
- Part 4 — packing and tank provisions: which packing instruction applies to which entry.
- Part 5 — consignment procedures: marking and labelling of packages, placarding of units, and the transport document.
- Part 6 — construction and testing of packagings, IBCs, large packagings and tanks.
- Part 7 — conditions of carriage, loading, unloading and handling, including mixed loading and supervision.
- Part 8 — vehicle crews, equipment, operation and documentation, including driver training and what is carried in the cab.
- Part 9 — construction and approval of vehicles, including the EX/II and EX/III types used for explosives.
Tunnel restriction codes
Each entry in Table A carries a tunnel restriction code from A to E. A is unrestricted; E is the most restricted. Contracting parties assign their tunnels to the same categories, and the pairing of the two decides whether a given consignment may use a given tunnel.
This is the provision that most often reshapes a European routing. A load that is straightforward on open road can find the shortest path through the Alps or under an estuary closed to it, and the viable route materially longer, subject to a time-of-day restriction, or dependent on an escort. For Class 1 in particular, the tunnel code belongs in the planning stage rather than at the portal.
What ADR requires of the operator
- A dangerous goods safety adviser. Undertakings whose activities include the carriage of dangerous goods, or the related packing, loading or unloading, must appoint one under Chapter 1.8.3, holding a valid certificate for the modes and classes concerned.
- Trained drivers. Drivers of units carrying dangerous goods above the relevant thresholds must hold an ADR training certificate, with separate specialisation for explosives and for tanks, renewed periodically.
- Approved vehicles. Explosives above defined quantities require EX/II or EX/III vehicles with a valid certificate of approval; tanks and certain other cargo require FL or AT types.
- Correct marking on the unit. Orange plates front and rear, hazard placards where required, and the marking removed or covered when the unit no longer carries the goods.
- Documentation and equipment in the cab. The transport document, written instructions in a language each crew member can read, and the equipment set required by Chapter 8.1.5.
- Security provisions. Chapter 1.10 imposes security obligations, and high-consequence dangerous goods — which includes much of Class 1 — attract a security plan requirement.
Partial exemption, and why explosives rarely benefit
Chapter 1.1.3.6 provides a partial exemption for quantities carried per transport unit below defined thresholds, widely known as the 1000-point rule. Every entry belongs to a transport category from 0 to 4, each with a multiplier, and a consignment whose total stays within the threshold is relieved of a substantial part of the requirements — placarding, the approved-vehicle requirement and the driver certificate among them.
For explosives this relief is largely theoretical. Much of Class 1 sits in transport category 0, where the exempt quantity is zero: there is no small load. Division 1.4S is the notable exception, sitting in the most permissive category, which is a further reason 1.4S consignments move on services that will take no other explosive classification.
Planning on the assumption that a shipment is “small enough to be exempt” is therefore a mistake in this class specifically. Check the transport category for the actual entry before designing around it.
Common questions
Does ADR apply to domestic transport as well as international?
Formally ADR governs international carriage. In practice, within the European Union, Directive 2008/68/EC applies the same technical annexes to domestic road carriage, so the operational answer in most European countries is yes. Outside the EU, contracting parties commonly apply it domestically too, but that is a national decision and should be checked for the specific country.
What is the difference between EX/II and EX/III vehicles?
Both are vehicle types approved under Part 9 for carrying explosives. EX/III is the more demanding specification, with a closed and insulated load compartment and additional protection, and is required for larger quantities and more sensitive classifications. EX/II covers lower quantities under less onerous construction requirements. Which one a consignment needs follows from its classification and net explosive quantity.
How often does ADR change, and does the old edition stop applying at once?
The annexes are revised every two years, with a consolidated edition for each odd-numbered year. A transitional period normally allows the previous edition to still be used, so two editions can be validly in use at the same time. Agree with your carrier which edition a shipment is being planned and documented against.
Is a safety adviser needed for occasional shipping?
The obligation attaches to undertakings whose activities include carriage of dangerous goods or the associated packing, loading or unloading, and limited exemptions exist for undertakings operating only below certain thresholds. Occasional shipping does not automatically remove the requirement. Settle this with a competent authority or an adviser rather than inferring it from shipment frequency.
Sources and verification
Planning a movement like this?
Send the cargo, the two ends of the lane and the date. If we cannot move it ourselves we will tell you who can — same day.