Hazmat question - placards ripped, need replacements

Technically, you're right. I wouldn't just sit there though, I'd drive to the next truck stop and get the placards. Always carry 2" clear tape to repair those paper placards. When your unloaded and the trailer is clean, keep the old placards in case this happens again.
I know, I know, you shouldn't drive with damaged placards, but I just wouldn't discover they're damaged until I got to that truckstop to get new ones.

 

Thats why you put them on right when you load, and always ask for a spare. At least we dont' get handed those old cardboard/paper placards most of the time like we used to. (which would fall apart as soon as you hit rain.)
Even with those I used to carry a cheap can of clear spray varnish and coat them pretty good when in the placard holder, which stiffen them up a little and keep them from blowin out, (taped, also)
A can of white (Or whatever color the trailer is) spray paint is also handy for covering up the adhesive placard some idiot put on the trailer, usually next to an empty placard holder, that you can't peel off easily.
I don't know if it's the shipper or driver doing it, but I have run into too many trailers with adhesive placards left on empty trailers in drop and hook situations.


If the placard is the right hazard class, but maybe with the wrong UN number, I have taped white paper over the numbers and used a black marker to wirite in the correct number.

 

you're not losing money, its not physically costing you money, you're just not making money


go to home Depot/Lowes/or even Walmart and get some of those mailbox numbers and put them on a blank placard (the appropriate one, of course). they are a good temporary fix

the numbers just so happened to be the exact same size as the space in the placard. weird how that works!

 

Hopefully this is a lesson learned, always get spares, carry clear tape, does your trailer have the placard holders on them? If so, pick up 4 wire hangers, pull down from the bottom center of hanger, to make the square shape, and after you put the placard in slide the wire hanger in over the placard, this will help keep the placard from tarring

 

You always ask the shipper for one or two more. Usually they are more than happy to give them to you. Then always keep the spare ones if you don't use them. Most carries will only haul the same kind of Hazmat over and over again with the occasional odd ball one.I know this doesn't help you when picking up at the terminal. Its also hard to apply tape when its cold. When ever I hauled it. Step one was to clean the area around the placement. Step two apply tape. Clear tape. They do not like duct tape, electrical tape or anything that hides a part of the placard. Before pulling the trailer anywhere. The place I worked for for a while would always ask if we had extra placards before pulling the load. They kept the most common ones that driver would hand in at the terminal. You can make homemade ones in a pinch if you have the stuff to do it. Yea I know thats rare if its not the color white. The also must match the real ones down to color, numbers, and size.
Ok now what to do. Take all the good ones assuming you have enough. Place them on the nose, the side that faces the scale, and on the rear. Ya might squeeze by the scale because they might not be able to see the far side of the trailer. Of course they may have a camera on that side?
If they pull you in explain the situation. Risky yes. They may shut you down with or with out a ticket, then again they may just give you a warning, and of course you may pull it off.
Another risky way. Just buy any four placards that match and are as close as possible to the correct ones and slap them on there just to get past the scale and replace with correct ones as soon as possible.The chances of them looking at your paper work on a standard pull through of a scale is real low. All you gotta then to worry about is getting in a accident or a road side inspection. Or you can just pull all of them off and pretend its not Hazmat. Having the wrong ones maybe less of an offense if you don't have them. As long as you don't have any visible truck problems and not over weight the chance of being pulled in to look at your paper work is low.
Then again you could leave the truck stop, go away from the scale with the bad ones, and go around the scale in some fashion.

Now I'm not advocating you break the law. I repeat I'm not telling you to do that. Just a couple of real world solutions that may or may not work. The lesson you learned as a new driver is this. You're on your own. There are going to be times that you have to figure it out. Most companies have a limited ability to help you. Sad fact of life is sooner or later you're going to have to do something rather fishy to get the job done. The difference is which company has a really bad habit of doing it than one that doesn't.
Now for the hard bitter truth. They may just let you sit there until you get desperate enough to try one of things I just posted. Don't think they don't have the financial resources to do that.
Do what you feel is correct for you. Stick with it if you must. Good luck in whatever you choose to do. Again I can't stress this enough I'm not telling you to break the law.

 

Oh, and by the way the real ugly truth is they may leave you stranded until you do something illegal knowing full well that you are doing it, and if you get caught they most likely will fire you. Welcome to the real world of trucking. Send in a macro that your going to go without placards. Bet you they don't answer that statement back. If they do it better say NO sit there until we get you some. If you don't get an answer you're screwed.