How Often Do You Need Recurrent Dangerous Goods Training?

US Department of Transportation requires recurrent training every three (3) years as well as IMDG;  ICAO/IATA requires it every two (2) years.  

This chart below gives a summary of the recurrent dangerous goods training requirements:

Mode of TransportLegal Basis for RecurrentCondition
49 CFR US DOT Ground3 yearsIf nothing (not, a, thing) has changed impacting an employee’s job function) has changed during the period.
49 CFR US DOT Air Shipping3 yearsSame as above
49 CFR US DOT Ocean Shipping3 yearsSame as above
IMDG Ocean Rules2 yearsSame as above
ICAO Air Shipping (IATA)2 yearsSame as above

Example: Employee uses DHL or FedEx to ship by air. If NOTHING has changed, the legal requirement is 3 years, however, the CARRIER can decide not to do business with you if you’re not trained within the 2-year period.  But from a legal standpoint, if there are no changes in the rules for every one of the three years – then you can go that amount of time and no more.