What the ADR transport document must contain
The ADR transport document, which DGAssistant issues for each road consignment, must state for every dangerous good the UN number, the proper shipping name, the label or classification code, the packing group where assigned and, for routes through tunnels with restrictions, the tunnel restriction code, in that fixed sequence, together with the number and description of the packages, the total quantity and the names and addresses of the consignor and the consignee. Waste, empties and certain classes add further entries to that core.
This guide is based on ADR 2025, compulsory since 1 July 2025, when the general transitional period of 1.6.1.1 ended. The rules sit in Chapter 5.4 (section 5.4.1 for the document, 5.4.3 for the instructions in writing and 5.4.4 for retention) and in 8.1.2 for what travels on board. Column numbers refer to Table A of Chapter 3.2.
The consignor supplies the carrier with the data and, where applicable, the documents (1.4.2.1.1 (b)); the carrier checks before departure that they have arrived and that the documentation is on board (1.4.2.2.1 (b)).
The data required by 5.4.1.1.1
Each dangerous good needs these items; letter (j) is reserved.
| Item | Data | How to enter it |
|---|---|---|
| (a) | UN number | Preceded by the letters "UN". |
| (b) | Proper shipping name | The part of the Column (2) entry in capitals. N.O.S. and generic entries with special provision 274 or 318 add the technical name in brackets. |
| (c) | Label or classification code | Label numbers from Column (5), with those after the first in brackets. Class 1: classification code from Column (3b), followed in brackets by any label other than 1, 1.4, 1.5 or 1.6. Class 7: "7". UN 3090, 3091, 3480, 3481, 3551, 3552, 3556, 3557 and 3558: "9". No label in Column (5): the class from Column (3a). |
| (d) | Packing group | Only where one is assigned. The prefix "PG" is optional. |
| (e) | Number and description of packages | A UN packaging code may supplement the description, never replace it. The inner packagings of a combination packaging need not be detailed. |
| (f) | Total quantity | One figure for each item with a different UN number, proper shipping name or packing group, as volume, gross mass or net mass as appropriate. |
| (g) | Consignor | Name and address. |
| (h) | Consignee | Name and address. With the agreement of the competent authorities, "Delivery Sale" if the consignees cannot be identified when the journey starts. |
| (i) | Declaration | Only if the terms of a special agreement require it. |
| (k) | Tunnel restriction code | On journeys through tunnels with restrictions: the Column (15) code in capitals and in brackets, or (-) if the goods have no restriction. |
The compulsory sequence: (a), (b), (c), (d), (k)
Most of the document can be laid out as suits your form, but not the description of the goods: items (a), (b), (c), (d) and (k) run consecutively and in that order, with nothing between them unless ADR itself provides for it. Capitals and lower case are a free choice, apart from the tunnel restriction code, and everything has to be legible (5.4.1.1.2).
Eight steel drums with 200 litres of acetone each make 1,600 L, far above the 333 L limit of 1.1.3.6.3 for its category. Under the full regime, the entry reads:
UN 1090 ACETONE, 3, II, (D/E), 8 steel drums (1A1), 1,600 L
Writing "UN 1090 ACETONE, 8 steel drums (1A1), 3, II, (D/E)" gives the same data and is still wrong, because the packages interrupt the sequence.
Now take ten fibreboard boxes (4G) holding 10 litres each, below that limit. The description does not change, but note 1 to item (f) adds the total quantity and the calculated value for each transport category. Acetone is in category 2, with a multiplier of 3 under 1.1.3.6.4, so the document shows 100 L and a calculated value of 300.
The table shows how items (b), (c) and (d) vary with the entry.
| Goods | What it shows | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Acetone | One label | UN 1090 ACETONE, 3, II, (D/E) |
| Methanol | Subsidiary hazard in brackets | UN 1230 METHANOL, 3 (6.1), II, (D/E) |
| Propane | Class 2, no packing group | UN 1978 PROPANE, 2.1, (B/D) |
| Chlorine | Two subsidiary hazards | UN 1017 CHLORINE, 2.3 (5.1, 8), (C/D) |
| Fireworks | Classification code | UN 0336 FIREWORKS, 1.4G, (E) |
| Lithium ion batteries | Class "9", not label 9A | UN 3480 LITHIUM ION BATTERIES, 9, (E) |
| Mixture under an N.O.S. entry | Technical name, no tunnel restriction | UN 3082 ENVIRONMENTALLY HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE, LIQUID, N.O.S. (diisobutyl phthalate), 9, III, (-) |
Each line keeps its own tunnel restriction code, although the most restrictive one on board governs the whole load of the transport unit (8.6.3.2). The code is only compulsory when the route includes a tunnel with restrictions, but a consignor who does not know the route when issuing the document loses nothing by printing it.
Special entries in 5.4.1.1
Some situations add fixed wording.
| Situation | Entry | ADR |
|---|---|---|
| Waste | "WASTE" before the name: "UN 1090 WASTE ACETONE, 3, II, (D/E)" | 5.4.1.1.3.1 |
| Waste of imprecisely known composition (2.1.3.5.5) | "WASTE IN ACCORDANCE WITH 2.1.3.5.5" after the description | 5.4.1.1.3.1 |
| Waste quantity that cannot be measured at loading | "QUANTITY ESTIMATED IN ACCORDANCE WITH 5.4.1.1.3.2"; not admitted, among other cases, under 1.1.3.6 | 5.4.1.1.3.2 |
| Salvage packaging or salvage pressure receptacle | "SALVAGE PACKAGING" or "SALVAGE PRESSURE RECEPTACLE" after the description | 5.4.1.1.5 |
| Empty, uncleaned means of containment | "EMPTY, UNCLEANED" or "RESIDUE, LAST CONTAINED" before or after the description, with no total quantity | 5.4.1.1.6.1 |
| Empty packagings, as an alternative | "EMPTY PACKAGING, 3 (6.1)" or, with several residues, "EMPTY PACKAGINGS, WITH RESIDUES OF 3, 8" | 5.4.1.1.6.2.1 |
| Empty tanks, vehicles and containers, as an alternative | "EMPTY TANK-VEHICLE, LAST LOAD: UN 1090 ACETONE, 3, II, (D/E)" | 5.4.1.1.6.2.2 |
| Empties returned to the consignor on the original document | Quantity struck out and replaced by "EMPTY, UNCLEANED RETURN" | 5.4.1.1.6.2.3 |
| Empties going to the nearest place for cleaning or repair | "Carriage in accordance with 4.3.2.4.3" (tanks) or "Carriage in accordance with 7.5.8.1" (vehicles and containers) | 5.4.1.1.6.3 |
| Transport chain with a sea or air leg | "Carriage in accordance with 1.1.4.2.1" | 5.4.1.1.7 |
| Liquid at 100 °C or above, or solid at 240 °C or above | "HOT", unless the name already conveys it | 5.4.1.1.14 |
| Stabilized substance or molten solid | "STABILIZED", "TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED" or "MOLTEN" added to the name | 5.4.1.1.15 and 5.4.1.1.23 |
| Environmentally hazardous substance | "ENVIRONMENTALLY HAZARDOUS" or "MARINE POLLUTANT/ENVIRONMENTALLY HAZARDOUS"; not for UN 3077, UN 3082 or the cases of 5.2.1.8.1 | 5.4.1.1.18 |
| Discarded empty packagings | "UN 3509 PACKAGINGS, DISCARDED, EMPTY, UNCLEANED (WITH RESIDUES OF 3, 8), 9", with no total quantity | 5.4.1.1.19 |
| Special provision 640 in ADR tanks | "Special provision 640X", with the letter from Column (6) | 5.4.1.1.21 and Chapter 3.3 |
The English text of 5.4.1.1.14 places "HOT" immediately before the proper shipping name, whereas the Spanish text places "A ALTA TEMPERATURA" immediately after it, a detail to watch in bilingual documents. The same section also covers waste with free asbestos (5.4.1.1.4), IBCs and tanks past their periodic test date (5.4.1.1.11), multi-compartment tanks (5.4.1.1.13), bulk containers (5.4.1.1.17) and classification on test data (5.4.1.1.20). Goods named in Table A that Part 2 leaves outside ADR may carry the optional statement "Not goods of Class ..." (5.4.1.5).
Additional data by class (5.4.1.2)
- Class 1: net explosive mass in kilograms, per UN number and in total, and, for fireworks of UN 0333 to 0337, the classification reference from the competent authority.
- Class 2: the composition of mixtures in tanks, the specific gas in brackets for UN 1012, and the end of the actual holding time for refrigerated liquefied gases in tank-containers or portable tanks.
- Classes 4.1 and 5.2: the control and emergency temperatures when the substance requires temperature control.
- Class 6.2: the name and telephone number of a responsible person.
- Class 7: the data of 5.4.1.2.5.1 (radionuclides, activity, category of package and transport index, among others), directly after the description, plus a statement of any action required of the carrier (5.4.1.2.5.2).
When the document is lighter or not required
- 1.1.3.6 exemption. The document stays, because 1.1.3.6.2 keeps 8.1.2.1 (a) in force. What falls away are the instructions in writing, since it excludes section 5.4.3.
- Limited quantities. Section 5.4.1 is not among the provisions that 3.4.1 leaves in force. Instead, the consignor informs the carrier of the total gross mass before carriage and in a traceable form (3.4.12).
- Excepted quantities. 3.5.1.1 does not leave Chapter 5.4 in force either. If a document accompanies the goods, at least one must carry the statement "Dangerous Goods in Excepted Quantities" and the number of packages (3.5.6).
Language and format
An international consignment leaving Germany can carry its document in German alone, while one leaving Spain also needs English, French or German. The rule in 5.4.1.4.1 starts from the official language of the forwarding country and requires one of those three to be added when it is not already one of them, unless road carriage tariffs or agreements between the countries concerned provide otherwise.
- Existing documents. The data may form part of the document of another mode, or of a transport or cargo handling document already in use, if the sequence of 5.4.1.1.1 is kept (5.4.1.4.1 and 5.4.1.4.2).
- Several transport units. If the load does not fit on one, you need at least as many documents or copies as units, and goods that 7.5.2 forbids loading together need separate documents (5.4.1.4.2).
- Several consignees. Their names, addresses and delivered quantities may appear in other documents on board (5.4.1.4.1).
- Electronic format. Electronic data processing or electronic data interchange may replace paper if evidential value and availability during carriage are at least equivalent (5.4.0.2), and the consignor must be able to supply the information on paper (5.4.0.3).
Where it travels and how long it is kept
Its place is the driver's cab of the transport unit. Under 8.1.2.1, the cab holds the documents for all the dangerous goods on board, the instructions in writing and photo identification for each crew member. Where ADR requires them, the certificate of approval of 9.1.3, the training certificate of the driver and the copy of the competent authority approval go there as well (8.1.2.2).
The consignor and the carrier each keep a copy for at least three months, and whoever stores it electronically has to be able to print it (5.4.4).
Transport document and instructions in writing
Both travel in the cab, which is why they get confused, but they answer different questions: the first says what is being carried and the second says what the crew must do if something goes wrong.
| Aspect | Transport document (5.4.1) | Instructions in writing (5.4.3) |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Identifies the goods, quantities and parties of the consignment | Guides the crew in an accident or emergency |
| Provided by | The consignor, to the carrier | The carrier, to the vehicle crew |
| Content | Specific to each consignment | Fixed four-page model, not a form to fill in |
| Language | Official language of the forwarding country and, if needed, English, French or German | Languages that each crew member can read and understand |
| Under 1.1.3.6 | Still required | Not required |
The model itself links them: its actions include keeping the transport documents ready for the emergency services.
Frequent errors
- Placing packages or quantities inside the description, which breaks the sequence.
- Writing only the class when there is a subsidiary hazard: "3" instead of "3 (6.1)" for UN 1230.
- Omitting the technical name on an entry with special provision 274, or using a trade name, which 3.1.2.8.1.1 rules out.
- Adding items with a different UN number, proper shipping name or packing group into one total.
- Keeping a total quantity on empties when 5.4.1.1.6.1 or 5.4.1.1.6.2.2 removes it.
- Believing that 1.1.3.6 removes the document, or applying it without stating the total quantity and the calculated value.
- Issuing an international document without English, French or German when the language of the forwarding country is another.
- Adding the environmental entry to UN 3077 or UN 3082, or leaving it out for other substances that meet 2.2.9.1.10.
- Carrying the document outside the driver's cab.
How DGAssistant resolves it
DGAssistant creates the ADR transport document from the consignors, consignees, carriers and products in your database: you select the consignee, choose the goods and enter the quantities, and the application writes the entry in the order and with the wording that section 5.4.1 requires. Waste and empty uncleaned packagings, vehicles and tanks come out with the wording of 5.4.1.1.3 and 5.4.1.1.6. When the consignment stays below the limit, the document carries the 1.1.3.6 wording with the exact total of points, and it also shows the most restrictive tunnel restriction code of the goods on board.
The document is exported to PDF, Excel and Word, can be sent by email from the application and stays filed with the consignment, so the copy you have to keep is where you will look for it. The same consignment produces the package marking and the checklist for the loading operation, whose language is independent of that of the transport document.
The free ADR 2025 transport document template (Excel) has every box in its place, and the ADR 2025 instructions in writing (PDF) are the four-page model of 5.4.3, which you can also share with your carriers and customers from the document manager. The ADR video tutorial shows the process, and the ADR section of the manual explains step by step how to create the consignment and issue the document.