For the 21st century, a top strategic goal of the Department of Transportation (DOT) is to "Promote the public health and safety by working toward the elimination of transportation-related deaths, injuries, and property damage." Another strategic goal is to "Protect and enhance communities and the natural environment affected by transportation." Because of significant danger posed to the traveling public from the illegal shipment of hazardous materials (HazMat), the Office of Inspector General (OIG), the Department's criminal investigative element, has made its Hazardous Material Transportation Safety Program one of its highest investigative priorities.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is responsible for coordinating a national safety program for the transportation of HazMat by air, rail, highway and water. In addition to PHMSA, there are several other DOT Administrations involved in HazMat related matters including the Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration.

Most criminal violations of HazMat regulations involve falsification and misrepresentation of documentation used to identify products being shipped. Misrepresenting the actual, as opposed to the declared, product being shipped can jeopardize the safety of the traveling public. In combating this serious safety related problem, OIG Special Agents are working with FBI, EPA/CID, and other Federal and state officials to investigate these matters and report them to the Department of Justice for prosecution.