Marking and placarding checks
Five things checked on the vehicle and on the load, what each one actually requires, against each. Written from loading bays, not from the regulation index.
| Checkpoint | What is required | The usual failure |
|---|---|---|
| Orange plate | Orange plate carrying the hazard identification number and the UN number | Wrong hazard number left on after a product change |
| Class label | Matching the class and any subsidiary hazard | Subsidiary hazard 5.1 or 6.1 missing |
| Transport document | Substance name, UN number, class, packing group | Description incomplete |
| Instructions in writing | In a language the driver actually reads | Only in the consignor's own language |
| Equipment | Extinguishers, wheel chock, eye rinse, personal protection | Extinguisher out of test date |
Why the orange plate is the first thing looked at
It is visible from the road. An inspector can read the hazard identification number and the UN number before the vehicle has stopped, and the two of them together say what is on board and how it behaves. Everything else needs the vehicle stationary and a document in hand.
The failure on that plate is almost never a missing plate. It is a plate left over from the previous product. A tank that ran 1830 sulphuric acid last week and 1789 hydrochloric acid this week needs a different number on the top half, and the number that stays behind is the one that gets recorded.
The failure that is not a marking failure
Instructions in writing must be in a language the driver actually reads. That is not the same as the language of the consignor, and it is not satisfied by the fact that a copy exists in the cab. A Polish driver on a German lane with Dutch instructions has instructions, and still has a finding.
We check it as part of booking rather than leaving it to the loading bay, because it is the one item on this list that cannot be fixed at the gate.
Frequently asked
What goes on the orange plate?
The hazard identification number on the top half and the UN number on the bottom half. A blank orange plate is used where the vehicle carries mixed packaged goods.
Whose responsibility is the marking?
It is shared. The consignor classifies and marks the packages, the carrier places the vehicle marking. In practice a finding stops the vehicle whoever caused it.
Do the instructions in writing have to be in the driver's language?
They have to be in a language the driver reads. That is the test, not the language of the consignor or the country of loading.
Related references
Take the data
Source
The checkpoints follow ADR chapters 5.2, 5.3, 5.4 and part 8 as recorded in our German reference dataset. The failure noted against each is our own operational observation from loading and is presented as that, not as a statistic. Nothing on this page is a legal statement and the official ADR text governs.
Cite this page
Vektor Group. ADR marking and placarding checks. 2026. https://vektorgroup.eu/adr-marking-checks
Want the marking checked before the vehicle loads?
Send the UN number and the loading point. We return what the vehicle and the paperwork have to carry before anything is booked.
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