ADR Agreement
The ADR Agreement, the Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road, is the UNECE treaty that sets classification, packaging, labeling, documentation, vehicle and driver rules for hazardous goods moving by road between its parties.
What it requires
Signed in Geneva on September 30, 1957 and in force since January 29, 1968, ADR is updated every two years. ADR 2025 has applied since January 1, 2025 and became mandatory on July 1, 2025 after a six-month transition. It requires correct classification and UN numbers, approved packaging, marks and labels, transport documents, placarded vehicles, ADR driver training certificates, and a dangerous goods safety adviser for most consignors and carriers. EU Directive 2008/68/EC applies ADR to domestic road transport in EU states. Penalties are set nationally.
Why it matters
ADR decides how fulfillment operators in Europe can ship products like perfume, aerosols and lithium batteries by road. Most e-commerce hazmat moves as limited or excepted quantities with lighter requirements, but those still need correct marks and packaging. For example, a warehouse in Germany shipping boxes of nail polish must keep within limited quantity packaging limits and apply the limited quantity mark, or its carrier may refuse the parcels. Larger shipments trigger full ADR rules, including trained drivers and a safety adviser.
Related laws
- IMDG Code1965, mandatory since 2004 · IMO code for shipping dangerous goods by sea
- IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR)1956, 67th edition 2026 · Airline manual for shipping dangerous goods by air
- UN Model Regulations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods1956, 24th revised edition 2025 · UN template for dangerous goods rules in all modes
Sources
- ADR 2025, UNECE unece.org
- Dangerous goods transport update (ADR 2025), Mensura mensura.be
Not legal advice.