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80 The following interview guideline materials were used for the projectâs interviews. The introductory information was identical. However, questionnaires were modified for each of the interviewed groups, depending on the information that was sought from that group. The groups consisted of: ⢠Questions for air, rail, ocean, and motor carriers contacted individually; ⢠Questions for motor carriers for whom questionnaires were distributed and collected by their trade association; ⢠General interview questions for associations, organizations, and agencies; and ⢠Questions for emergency responders. The material included here follows the same order. Interview Guideline for Evaluation of the Use of Electronic Shipping Papers for Hazardous Materials Shipments HMCRP Project 05 Use of Electronic Shipping Papers for Hazardous Materials Shipments â a Study for the Transportation Research Board Introduction Battelle is conducting a research study for the Transporta- tion Research Board of the National Academies to evaluate the use of electronic shipping papers for hazardous materials shipments. As you may know, carriers of hazardous materials must maintain paper shipping papers as part of the current regulatory framework stated in 49 CFR, Section 172. These shipping papers must be carried with the shipment for on- scene use by enforcement officials conducting inspections and by emergency response personnel at the scene of an accident or incident. This interview will provide the research team with insight into current hazmat shipment data man- agement throughout the supply chain. Responses by private companies will be treated as confi- dential by the project team and names will be not be pub- lished or identified with their responses without the expressed consent of the respondent. Interviewee information: Interview Date: Interviewee Name: Title: Organization: E-mail: Phone: Carrier Interview Questions Companyâs handling of hazardous materials 1. What types of hazardous materials do you transport, if any? 2. Describe the significance of hazardous materials as a segment of your business: Uses of electronic data sharing 3. Does your company receive electronic hazmat ship- ment information from shippers or other third parties (freight forwarders, third party logistics providers, interline carriers, etc.)? How does the availability of this information vary (by commodity type, size/type of customer, etc.)? Please explain. 4. For what percentage of your hazmat shipments do you receive electronic hazmat information? What types of data are typically contained in this information and what is the typical format (EDI/XML)? A P P E N D I X B Initial Research Interview Summary and Guideline
81 5. At what point in your operations does your company convert paper-based hazmat information (shipper bill of lading) to electronic (prior to pickup, at time of pickup, when the shipment is cross-docked/reaches a company facility, after delivery, etc.)? Please describe. 6. Does your company currently transmit hazmat ship- ment data to any regulatory or governmental agency (for example, the ACE manifest)? 7. Does your company currently transmit hazmat ship- ment data to any other entities (for example, customers, partner carriers)? 8. Describe your use of electronic manifests, including both hazmat and non-hazmat shipments: a. With which parties are they shared (shippers, for- warders, third party logistics providers, interline carriers, terminal operators, regulatory agencies, etc.)? b. Do they meet regulatory as well as commercial purposes? c. What are the means for sharing electronically (file transfer, portal access, etc.)? d. How is access protected? e. What are the primary commercial and regulatory benefits of sharing manifest data electronically? 9. Are you aware of any relevant activities or studies that your organization has been involved with? 10. Does your organization have a current position specifi- cally on electronic shipping papers or related to the more general use of electronic freight manifest information? 11. Describe the current process of processing (generating, filing, storing, and carrying) hard copy shipping papers: a. Attach, if you can, the total processing time or cost associated with their processing. b. The number of staff, or functions involved in pro- cessing shipping papers, and division of responsi- bilities for those staff. 12. Describe the costs that are associated with incorrect hard copy shipping papers, including the cost of re-filing. 13. Describe any costs associated with driver training, compliance monitoring, or oversight associated with their handling of hazmat shipping papers. 14. If carriers were allowed to maintain shipping papers electronically rather than the currently required printed copy: a. What benefits would you expect? b. What potential concerns would you have? c. Would these benefits and concerns vary by mode (highway, rail, air, or marine)? 15. Even if allowed, some carriers would continue to use hard copy paper shipping papers. Would the use of both kinds of shipping papers across the hazmat industry create any special concerns? 16. Would you envision specific issues or effects related to: a. Movement of hazardous materials b. Total transportation costs c. Safety and security d. Incident mitigation e. Preparedness of emergency response for incidents 17. How would you recommend electronic transfer of shipping paper information to enforcement officials or emergency responders be done (i.e., the technical aspects)? 18. What impediments do you see hindering the use of electronic shipping papers? 19. What specific actions would you recommend that might facilitate the implementation and use of elec- tronic shipping papers? 20. Are there any specific individuals that you recommend we speak with about this topic? Who among your con- stituency might be particularly knowledgeable? 21. Are there specific documents or reports we should make sure to incorporate into our research? Motor Carrier Questionnaire (Distributed and Collected by Trade Association) Introduction Battelle, a nonprofit research institute, is conducting a proj- ect for the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies to develop a road map for using electronic hazmat shipping papers to communicate between industry and the emergency response and enforcement communities. [Trade Association] is assisting Battelle by collecting insights from its members concerning current hazmat shipment data manage- ment throughout the supply chain. All responses to this questionnaire will be confidential. [Trade Association] and Battelle guarantee that the information collected will be used without carrier names. 1. What types of hazardous materials (hazmat) does your company typically transport? Is your company responsible for transporting hazmat across different freight modes? 2. Does your company receive or generate electronic hazmat shipment information? If yes, proceed to Q3. If no, proceed to Q4. 3. Who typically generates this electronic hazmat data [customer, freight forwarder, third party logistics provider (3PL), interline/partner carriers, etc.]? What percentage of your customers and/or supply chain partners provide electronic hazmat information?
82 4. Does your company currently provide/receive advance notice of shipment delivery/availability to (circle all as needed) customers, interline/partner carriers, freight forwarders, or 3PLs? Does this include hazmat information? Is this information provided electronically? Please describe. 5. Does your company currently transmit hazmat ship- ment tracking data to any regulatory or governmental agency (for example, the ACE manifest)? 6. At what point in your operations does your com- pany typically capture hazmat information (prior to pickup, when the shipment is cross-docked/reaches a company facility, after delivery, etc.)? Please describe. 7. Does your company generate an ETA for delivery? Is this information transmitted to customers or other companies? If so, how? 8. How does your company track shipments through your distribution network? What types of technologies are typically used (in-cab communication systems, trailer tracking, warehouse management systems, RFID, etc.)? 9. Does your company track hazmat versus non-hazmat shipments differently? Are there different tracking pro- cedures for different types of hazmat? 10. Do your drivers update advance shipment notification information or pickup or delivery information via an in-cab communication system? 11. What are the greatest impediments to tracking hazmat shipments through your distribution network from the point of pickup to final delivery? 12. Does your company have short- or long-term plans to improve shipment tracking? If so, what types of tech- nologies is your company considering? 13. What benefits/efficiencies could your company gain with improved, real-time, electronic hazmat shipment information? General Interview Questions for Associations, Organizations, and Agencies Battelle is conducting a research study for the Transporta- tion Research Board of the National Academies to evaluate the use of electronic shipping papers for hazardous materials shipments. As you may know, carriers of hazardous materi- als must maintain paper shipping papers as part of the cur- rent regulatory framework. These shipping papers must be carried with the shipment for on-scene use by enforcement officials conducting inspections and by emergency response personnel at the scene of an accident or incident. Iâd like to get some insight into how your organization is involved with or interested in electronic data sharing and how it might relate to hazardous materials shipping papers. Ongoing or recent activities 1. Describe any electronic sharing of shipment data by your organization or its members. a. Include roles and responsibilities for the parties involved. b. What specific data elements are shared? What technologies, communications, and access restrictions are required? c. What are the specific benefits to you or your mem- bers from this data sharing? 2. Are you aware of any relevant activities or studies that your organization has been involved with? 3. Does your organization have a current position spe- cifically on electronic shipping papers or related to the more general use of electronic freight manifest information? Issues and concerns 4. If carriers were allowed to maintain shipping papers electronically rather than the currently required printed copy: a. What benefits would you expect? b. What potential concerns would you have? c. Would these benefits and concerns vary by mode (highway, rail, air, or marine)? 5. Even if allowed, some carriers would continue to use paper shipping papers. Would the use of both kinds of shipping papers across the hazmat industry create any special concerns? 6. Would you envision specific issues or effects related to: a. Movement of hazardous materials b. Total transportation costs c. Safety and security d. Incident mitigation e. Preparedness of emergency response for incidents Implementation and operation 7. How would you recommend electronic transfer of shipping paper information to enforcement officials or emer gency responders be done (i.e., the technical aspects)? 8. What impediments do you see hindering the use of electronic shipping papers? 9. What specific actions would you recommend that might facilitate the implementation and use of elec- tronic shipping papers.
83 Follow-up 10. Are there any specific individuals that you rec- ommend that I speak with about this topic? Who among your constituency might be particularly knowledgeable? 11. Are there specific documents or reports we should make sure to incorporate into our research? Interview Questions for Emergency Responders 1. What shipment information is important to you when responding to a (potential) hazardous materi- als incident? 2. Describe your current process for obtaining that information. 3. In cases where the shipping paper is not available or is inaccessible, what do you do to obtain material infor- mation and how does the delay in getting that infor- mation affect your response? 4. If carriers were allowed to maintain shipping papers electronically rather than with the currently required printed copy: a. What benefits would you expect the emergency response community to receive? b. What potential concerns would you have? c. Would these benefits and concerns vary by mode (highway, rail, air, marine)? 5. Even if allowed, some carriers would continue to use paper shipping papers. Would the use of both kinds of shipping papers across the hazmat industry create any special concerns? 6. What would you need to know when responding to a scene about which type of shipping paper was in use? 7. What communication equipment do you have for use in the field (and what would you consider to be available to the typical responder)? (i.e., two answers for each): a. Equipment/devices i. Laptop ii. PDA or mobile phone iii. Other equipment b. Which of these devices has wireless Internet connectivity? Given your current operational environment, do you have any preferences for how you would like to receive shipping paper information electronically?
