North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Land Transportation Standards Sub-Committee (LTSS), Hazardous Materials Land Transportation Standards Working Group (LTSS, Group 5)

The Hazardous Materials Land Transportation Standards Working Group, Group 5 of the NAFTA Land Transportation Standards Sub-Committee is responsible for implementing a work program for making compatible the relevant hazardous materials standards within the United States, Canada and Mexico using as their basis the UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods. Group 5 is one of four groups established under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Land Transportation Standards Sub-Committee (LTSS) in response to Annex 913.5.a-1 of the NAFTA. Under NAFTA, hazardous materials regulations were to be harmonized by January 1, 2000.

PHMSA's International Standards Coordinator has been working with Mexican and Canadian government officials to harmonize hazardous materials transportation requirements through its participation in LTSS Group 5. To date, considerable progress has been made in harmonizing the hazardous materials standards (regulations) in each of the NAFTA countries. A guiding principle for U.S. participation in Group 5 has been that the level of safety provided by the U.S. Hazardous Materials Regulations should not be compromised in the harmonization process. Group 5's primary focus over the past two years has been to harmonize the hazardous materials regulations of the NAFTA partners.