Mooping:
Now I come to the next bit I’m a little unsure about which is ‘Limited Quantities’. Do ‘Limited Quantities’ packaging tie in with the ‘Transport Categories’?
Hi Mooping,
NO mate, the ADR Transport Categories are to do with the total load of dangerous goods on the vehicle when the dangerous goods are packaged in ‘normal’ packages such as Drums, Boxes, IBCs, jerricans etc.
The concept of Limited Quantities (LQs) is best thought of as the type of dangerous goods that one can quite legally buy in a retail shop, AND when packed in the form that you’d expect to see in a retail shop.
These are two completely different exemptions, and they’re used for completely different purposes.
Mooping:
I mean how are the different dangerous goods decided upon how to carry them and in what kind of packages?
Initially, this all comes from a customers enquiry to the factory that manufactures the dangerous goods.
Then the factory (the consignor) packages up the goods according to the customer’s order, provided that it’s legal under ADR.
This is one of the reasons for the ADR requirement for consignors and carriers both to have a qualified DGSA, whose job it is to monitor and advise the company on such things. (And plenty else besides!!)
Mooping:
My notes say that when goods are put into small packages which are then placed in overpacks or cartons then many ADR rules don’t apply?
The dangerous goods that can be bought by the public in a retail shop all have permitted LQ inner packaging sizes. Typically, these inner packaging sizes depend on the exact substance and vary between 100ml - 5L, which must be packaged into a fibreboard (=ADR’s word for cardboard) and an overall mass not exceeding 30kg. The only permitted variant is when a stretch-wrapped tray is used, such as the way that aerosols are carried. A stretch wrapped tray cannot exceed 20kg.
(I’ve only given you the sizes as a guideline, you won’t be asked for this kind of detail in the exam. 
)
Once the dangerous goods are packaged as LQs as I’ve described above, then we can carry that load under the rules that apply to LQs.
In this case, the driver only needs:
- Some ADR ‘awareness’ training that has been documented. (NOT an ADR licence, regardless of the amount carried.)
- A vehicle whose permitted GVW exceeds 12t is required to display an LQ placard (25cm X 25cm) on the front and rear of the vehicle.
LQ placard
Mooping:
What determines the size of the packages acceptable or does this tie in with the amounts in the ‘Transport Categories’.
As above, but there is no connection to Transport Categories.
Mooping:
I see there’s no exemption for LQ marking once the vehicle GVW exceeds 12 tonnes and the dangerous goods exceeds 8 tonnes.
Correct, but I added the red bit to avoid confusion.
The orange plates are only used when a load packaged in a ‘normal’ way (= NOT packaged as LQs ) exceeds the relevant Transport Category vehicle load limit.
Mooping:
Sorry if they are foolish questions but sometimes things aren’t clear because you try to over complicate or have overlooked something then it clicks when you get the answer from another source/angle. Thanks.
As long as that other source isn’t an RDC waiting room, then you’re in with a shout at getting a correct answer. 
The next question that you might not have thought of yet…
Q: What happens when a vehicle is already subject to orange plate rules, but some awkward sod sticks a few pallets of LQs on as well?
A: No action needs to be taken in regard to vehicle markings, just stick with the orange plates and crack on!!.
For the exam you’re taking, you need to understand the difference between the actions needed when carrying LQs, the actions needed when carrying at or below the relevant Transport Category load limit, and the actions needed when carrying a load which is subject to all ADR requirements, so I’d advise to read the bit in your book about the need for the driver to carry an ADR training certificate, fire extinguishers, IIW and PPE.
The CPC exam questions don’t go into detail about permitted package sizes or how a consignor chooses which packagings to use, because that’s the stuff of a DGSA exam and you’d need the two ADR books with you to answer that.
I hope this helps.
