ADR is the name of the European treaty regarding dangerous goods. The treaty contains regulations for traffic regarding packaging, securing of loads, and labelling of dangerous goods. ADR is an abbreviation for “Accord européen relatif au Transport international des marchandises dangereuses par route”, which translates as “The European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road.”
The Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR) was done at Geneva on 30 September 1957 under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, and it entered into force on 29 January 1968. The Agreement itself was amended by the Protocol amending article 14 (3) done at New York on 21 August 1975, which entered into force on 19 April 1985.
The Agreement itself is short and simple. The key article is the second, which say that apart from some excessively dangerous goods, other Dangerous Goods may be carried internationally in road vehicles subject to compliance with:
– the conditions laid down in Annex A for the goods in question, in particular as regards their packaging and labelling; and
– the conditions laid down in Annex B, in particular as regards the construction, equipment and operation of the vehicle carrying the goods in question. The structure is consistent with that of the United Nations Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, Model Regulations, the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (of the International Maritime Organization), the Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air (of the International Civil Aviation Organization) and the Regulations concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Rail (of the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail). Disclaimer
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