Hazardous Materials Transportation Act
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![Illegal dumping in an area just off the New Jersey Turnpike.](/Images/godic/202501/17/DESPITE_WARNING_SIGNS,_ILLEGAL_DUMPING_CONTINUES_IN_THIS_AREA_JUST_OFF_THE_NEW_JERSEY_TURNPIKE_FACING_MANHATTAN...._-_NARA_-_5497672501.jpg")
![An example of shipping papers under the HMTA.](/Images/godic/202501/17/HMTA_Shipping_Papers2502.gif")
![Labels and placards for hazardous materials transportation.](/Images/godic/202501/17/Transportation_Placards2502.jpg")
The Hazardous Materials Transportation Act (HMTA), enacted in 1975, is the principal federal law in the United States regulating the transportation of hazardous materials. Its purpose is to "protect against the risks to life, property, and the environment that are inherent in the transportation of hazardous material in intrastate, interstate, and foreign commerce" under the authority of the United States Secretary of Transportation.