Rail Commodity Restrictions

Restricted and Prohibited Commodities by Rail Vendor

  1. Freight likely to contaminate other freight or railway equipment.
  2. Live creatures, including livestock & poultry.
  3. House or building sections, modular, factory manufactured, with or without heating, air conditioner, plumbing, electrical wiring and fixtures, refrigerators, stove or cabinets installed.
  4. Used personal automobiles, motorcycles, motorboats and off-road vehicles are considered personal effects and only acceptable when the shipper or consignee performs the packing and unpacking of the container, and when battery terminals are disconnected and the fuel tank is drained. These items are prohibited in cross-border service. Used automobiles, motorcycles, motorboats and off-road vehicles are prohibited in cross-border services in all cases. For clarity purposes any automobiles, motorcycles, motorboats and off road vehicles not travelling from the point of production/assembly to the marketplace will be considered as used. The bill of lading must identify the shipment as “USED VEHICLE”, along with proper Standard Transportation Commodity Code (STCC). CN will not accept shipments using “Freight All Kinds” (FAK) commodity code (STCC 46-110-1- & 49-501-50) for product description.
  5. New automobiles in transit from the assembly lines to the marketplace with a maximum of 1/4 (one quarter) tank of fuel and their batteries remaining connected can be accepted and are allowed in crossborder service.
  6. Traffic, which due to its nature, cannot be transported in containers.
  7. Glass, window, plate or laminated – unless owners agree to transportation under owner’s risk of breakage.
  8. Coiled Metal Products – please see Item 4000 of CN 6800, supplements thereto and reissues thereof.Exceptions:
    This Policy does not apply to:
    a) Fiber optic cable, wire rope, electrical cable or similar commodities, as long as each individual unit does not exceed 14,000 lbs.
    b) Coiled metal (including unitized coil stacks) weighing less than 3,500 lbs.
  9. Scrap Metal and Metal Parts:
    a) Loose loading of any scrap metal is not accepted.
    b) Large metal scrap: material must be bundled and strapped with minimum 1 ¼” x 0.029” Steel Strap to keep product from breaking apart during transit.
    c) Product with fluids and contaminating materials, contained within or dripping from scrap bundles of packed scrap, will not be accepted.
    d) Small metal scrap material, must be packaged in bins or Gaylord type containers.
    e) All Product must be secured against lateral and lengthwise movement within the container.
    f) Guidelines and Rules are contained in the AAR Intermodal Loading Guide – Issued 2011 and Revisions thereto.
    g) If load procedures contained in the AAR Intermodal Loading Guide do not appear to provide you with understandable guidance, please contact the CN Damage Prevention and Freight Claims Department.
    h) The shipper will be held responsible for damages to containers from improperly prepared loads per the Applicable CN Tariff, not limited to, but including costs for vehicle damage, train and operational delays, and recovery costs.
    i) Containers provided by CN, which are contaminated by products loaded into same, which are not in compliance with the above noted rules, will results in Shipper responsibility for costs related to restoring the Container/Trailer to its original condition, per applicable CN tariff.
  10. Waste, municipal as described in Item 96137 of UFC – only acceptable in shipper-owned equipment.
  11. Animal feed, fishmeal, hides, skins – only acceptable in shipper-owned equipment.
  12. Bulk commodities – goods that are loose or in mass and must be shoveled, scooped or forked – only acceptable in shipper-owned equipment.
  13. Carbon blacks – only acceptable in shipper-owned equipment.
  14. Units using propane fuel or portable heaters will not be accepted for transit.
  15. Large stone blocks – Any block of material that exceeds 312.5 lbs of weight per square foot of floor contact must be loaded on and secured to an approved weight distribution device such as a “Holland Sled” or “Load N Roll Pallet” to distribute weight in the container. Product not exceeding 312.5 lbs per square foot may be loaded in containers and/or trailers and must be properly secured against lengthwise and crosswise movement. CN will not be responsible for chipping and/or cracking of material during transit. The product must not be loaded in intermodal units that are more than ten (10) years old – this is determined on the basis of the date of the shipment and the construction date of the intermodal unit. The maximum gross weight of the load must not exceed 75% of the intermodal unit’s rated capacity.
  16. Used batteries are prohibited.
  17. Asbestos is prohibited.
  18. Live, or fresh cut, plants and nursery stock – Prohibited for transborder shipments. For intra-Canada or intra-USA shipments, CN will not be liable for any deterioration or damage of lading, nor will CN be liable for market decline or deterioration resulting from delay. It is prohibited to load such nursery stock in CN dry or heated equipment. The product may be loaded in CN reefers provided that a standard operating procedure is mutually agreed upon related to proper loading, unloading and cleaning of the CN equipment.
  19. Articles of extraordinary value such as bank bills, coins, deeds, drafts, notes or valuable papers of any kind, jewelry, postage stamps or letters, precious metals or articles manufactured there from.
  20. Cores or assemblies, or fuel blanket assemblies, nuclear reactor, not irradiated, with non-irradiated fuel as described in Items 30815 and 30816 of UFC.
  21. Personal effects including household & second-hand goods (bric-à-brac) as well as settlers’ effects or relief goods are prohibited in cross-border service. CN will not be liable for any loss or damage to lading and contents of such commodities.
  22. All goods destined to the USA originating from countries embargoed by the USA, i.e., Cuba & Iraq.
  23. Firearms are prohibited.
  24. Ammunition is prohibited. Refer to item 6150.
  25. Used tires are prohibited in cross border service. Intra-US and intra-Canada shipments are permitted. When loaded in CN rail-owned equipment, the tires must be dry and free of contaminants