What does 49 CFR 173.5a (Oilfield service vehicles, mechanical displacement meter provers, and roadway striping vehicles exceptions) require?

Short answer

49 CFR 173.5a requires oilfield service vehicles, mechanical displacement meter provers, and roadway striping vehicles to meet specific exceptions to the hazardous materials regulations. For oilfield service vehicles, the cargo tank must contain only residual amounts of a flammable liquid, and the vehicle must meet certain design and testing requirements. For mechanical displacement meter provers, the device must be externally visually inspected once a year and pressure tested every 5 years. For roadway striping vehicles, only authorized materials may be transported, and the cargo tank must not be filled beyond a certain capacity.

The rule says

"The cargo tank and equipment contains only residual amounts (i.e., it is emptied so far as practicable) of a flammable liquid alone or in combination with water" (49 CFR 173.5a(a)(1))

"Each meter prover must be externally visually inspected once a year." (49 CFR 173.5a(a)(3)(i))

"Each meter prover must be pressure tested once every 5 years at not less than 75% of design pressure." (49 CFR 173.5a(a)(3)(ii))

"Only the hazardous materials listed in the table 1 to this paragraph (c)(1) may be transported in roadway striping vehicles." (49 CFR 173.5a(c)(1))

In plain English

These exceptions allow certain vehicles to operate under less stringent regulations, but still require them to meet specific safety standards. For example, oilfield service vehicles must ensure that their cargo tanks are empty or nearly empty, and that they meet certain design and testing requirements. Mechanical displacement meter provers must be regularly inspected and tested to ensure they are safe to use. Roadway striping vehicles, on the other hand, are limited in the types of materials they can transport and must not overfill their cargo tanks. These requirements are in place to prevent accidents and ensure the safe transportation of hazardous materials.

What to do

• Ensure that oilfield service vehicles meet the design and testing requirements outlined in 49 CFR 173.5a.
• Regularly inspect and test mechanical displacement meter provers according to the schedule outlined in 49 CFR 173.5a.
• Verify that roadway striping vehicles only transport authorized materials and do not exceed the specified cargo tank capacity.
• Keep records of inspections, tests, and maintenance performed on these vehicles and devices.