CLEANUP and remediation expense following hazardous materials spills continues to impact the tank truck industry, said Raymond Allen of XL Environmental. He added that federal agencies are considering adding more products to the hazmat classification.
“This could cause your disposal costs to skyrocket,” he said.
One of the increasing costs lies with fees imposed by emergency responder units that handle the incidents. They may submit extensive and expensive bills for their services, he said.
Carriers should be sure that the entity submitting the bill is authorized by state statute and then review each item listed on the invoice to assure accuracy.
“Sometimes they go way beyond this (collecting authority) and are effectively engaging in fund raising,” he added.
Carriers should examine per-hour charges and collections submitted by third parties, which are paid on the percentage collected.