Guide to Shipping Dangerous Goods

Dangerous Goods shipments may be subject to additional charges.

Transportation of Dangerous Goods is a risk when they are not correctly packed or handled. If the goods are hidden, declared incorrectly, left completely undeclared, packed or labeled incorrectly, health and safety is compromised.

Did you know that food flavoring, perfumes, chemicals and electronic equipment can be classed as Dangerous Goods? If you are thinking of sending such commodities, be it for personal or commercial use; please check first with a Dangerous Goods Expert at DHL Express. If in doubt, refer to the Material Safety Data Sheet from the manufacturer to determine if the product can indeed be forwarded as regular cargo. In this case DHL Express requires shippers to declare the shipment as "Not Restricted" or "not restricted as per special provision A..." on the waybill and/or invoice.

If you would like to ship via DHL Express, it is essential that you contact a Dangerous Goods expert. With a wide experience of transporting all types of Dangerous Goods, DHL Express is perfectly placed to offer you professional advice.
Contact your local Dangerous Goods expert

The shipper is responsible for declaring, packaging and labeling Dangerous Goods. DHL Express will accept Dangerous Goods but with certain restrictions for the different products & services offered and only under certain conditions.

Avoid the risk of harm to others and avoid fines from authorities by ensuring your shipment does not contain any hazardous material. Some items may be considered as dangerous when they are not (i.e. chemicals), so you can avoid your shipment being delayed or stopped by adding the words "Not Restricted" to your documentation, when this applies.

You can contact your DHL Sales Representative or the International Dangerous Goods Hotline for assistance with required processes. You may also choose to complete the forms required for the commodity you wish to ship and email them to the Dangerous Goods department.
Contact your local Dangerous Goods expert

Based on the commodity that you seek approval for, the required approval forms are as follows:

When shipping with DHL Express, the transport of dangerous goods commodities is determined by transportation regulations, company policy and the ability to send specific products in allowable quantities to specific countries.

The country lists provide an overview of capabilities for each country that DHL Express can provide specific dangerous goods service to. If a specific country is not on the list, there are no capabilities to send the specific dangerous goods to that location through the express network. If a county is not on the list you can contact the International Dangerous Goods Hotline for information on other options.

The commodity list provides an overview of the products that can be sent through the DHL Express network. The list provides a breakdown of acceptable commodities for the regions serviced as well as allowable quantities. This list is sorted by UN number. If a product is not on the list you can contact the International Dangerous Goods Hotline with questions. Instructions on how to read the table are also provided.

DHL Express provides a copy of the Shippers Declaration form along with instructions.

Registration is required by the US Department of Transportation for transporters of dangerous goods. DHL Express provides a copy of the Hazardous Materials Certificate of Registration.

Our department of well trained Dangerous Goods experts have developed an IATA program to meet the training needs of our customers.

Course content is based on the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Dangerous Goods Regulations. The Initial seminar is a 2-day comprehensive course providing a complete review of the dangerous goods general awareness requirements as outlined in 49 CFR 172.704(a)(1) and IATA DGR 1.5.2.2(a). Our Recurrent seminar is a 1-day program covering the same training material as our 2-day course, but at a more advanced pace. It is designed for experienced shippers who have previously attended and successfully completed an initial training course for shippers within the last two years. Customers will find these seminars competitively priced and a convenient way to satisfy training mandates under domestic law (49 CFR) and international (ICAO).

Shippers offering dangerous goods for air transportation that include full-carriage, dry ice, biological substances, excepted quantities, and lithium batteries are candidates for these courses. The courses cover fundamentals and important terms associated with dangerous goods: identification, classification, packaging, marking, labeling and documentation in accordance with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Dangerous Goods Regulations.

Both initial and recurrent courses will be offered across the United States during the year. Unless specifically stated otherwise, the seminars are from 8:00am to 5:00pm local time.

When circumstances make attending a scheduled course a challenge, having the training provided at your facility or a selected site may be an option for you. “We can’t wait until a scheduled course is near”, “the course has already been provided in our area”, and “numerous people from our business need to attend” are situations that have made on-site training a choice by shippers.

Providing a custom seminar is just that…custom. Multiple factors are investigated and narrowed to determine what the final program will be. Curriculum, facility, course materials, time, and amenities are examples. As such, the course fee is based on your needs and related training factors.

Scheduled Seminars – There are training seminars scheduled across the United States. And at each location there will be a 1-day recurrent course and a 2-day initial course. The fees for each course are:

• Initial seminar: $595.00/person ($545.00/person if 3 or more people from the same business register for the same seminar location)
• Recurrent seminar: $295.00/person ($275.00/person if 3 or more people from the same business register for the same seminar location)

In addition to lunch and refreshments each day, the following course materials are provided for each participant to retain:

• Current IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations manual
• Course participant book
• Certificate of Completion (issued to participants who successfully pass the course exam)
• Class supplies

Custom On-Site Seminars – When circumstances make attending a scheduled course a challenge, having the training provided at your facility or a selected site may be an option for you. Obviously the smaller the group, the higher per person cost. We will analyze your needs and wants, and provide a quote for a class to address your details. Then you can compare the cost per person of a scheduled class to that of a custom on-site seminar to decide which you will select.

To obtain a custom on-site seminar quote, click here.

Registration – Registering for a scheduled seminar is simple. Download and complete the registration form (below). Provide all requested information, as this will allow processing your registration request as quickly and accurately as possible. Return the form via the method of your choice. Once the request is processed, a confirmation will be sent to the Registration Contact listed on the form.

If DHL has any questions or information to share about your registration or your selected course, we will contact the person listed as the Registration Contact.

Payment Options – DHL has made available four options for your convenience in completing the payment portion of the registration process. Download the registration form (below) to review the payment method options listed. Select the method you prefer, provide all requested information, and follow the payment process instructions shown. For credit card payment, scan and e-mail the form to trudy.stullenberger@dhl.com.

If there is a payment method you would like to use that is not shown on the registration form, please forward your payment method request to the DHL International Dangerous Goods Hotline. Your request will be reviewed and you will be advised if your request can be honored.

Does everyone get a certificate?

Every participant will have the opportunity to earn a certificate, but attendance in the class does not guarantee receiving a Certificate of Completion. The reputation and integrity of a business and each participant are represented with a certificate. DHL will not jeopardize those qualities by issuing a certificate if the minimum score was not achieved.

Is the seminar offered in any language other than English?

At this time the seminars are only provided in English.

Is it required that my business ship with DHL to attend training?

DHL welcomes shippers that may not use DHL as their primary transportation choice to participate in a seminar.

Is it required that someone from my business attend the DHL course to ship dangerous goods with DHL?

DHL strives to provide our customers ease of doing business with us, and one way is to accept IATA DGR based training from other training organizations. Although not required to attend a DHL course, participants can receive DHL shipping program specifics while obtaining the required training certificate.

For any questions or required support regarding “DHL International Dangerous Goods Training for Customers”, contact the DHL International Dangerous Goods Hotline at:

1-866-817-3794 (Option 2) or dangerousgoods@dhl.com

The DHL IDG Hotline is available Monday through Friday from 7:00am to 11:00pm EST.
NOTE: Hours are subject to change and national holiday schedules.