The investigator sits down and asks for the transportation security plan. They want the written book, not a stack of class certificates. If you haul propane in a bobtail, that ask is already in the federal rule.
This page is for the person who runs safety or operations at a propane company. It is not for homeowners and it is not for vendors.
Does a DOT audit require a written hazmat security plan?
If you offer or haul propane in a cargo tank that holds more than 792 gallons (3,000 liters) in that one tank, yes. You need a written transportation security plan. That is the live rule in 49 CFR 172.800(b). A bobtail is a cargo tank motor vehicle. The rule names that kind of tank as a single packaging.
If you are cylinder-only and never hit that bulk line, say so. You may not owe this book. 792 gallons is the security-plan trigger. Placards are a different rule. Confirm the current text at 49 CFR 172.800. See also Do I need a DOT hazmat security plan?
Is the hazmat training file the same as the security plan?
No. The training file and the security plan sit next to each other. They are not the same document.
49 CFR 172.704(a)(4) is security-awareness training for every hazmat employee, within 90 days of hire. 172.704(a)(5) is in-depth security training. It applies only if you must keep a security plan, and only to employees who handle the covered material, perform a regulated function, or implement the plan.
172.704(c)(2) puts both blocks on a three-year clock. In-depth security training is also due within 90 days after a revised plan goes in. Those dates live in the employee training record. They do not replace the plan.
The plan is the written book under 49 CFR 172.800 and 172.802. 172.802(d) says you keep a copy at or through the principal place of business and make it available, on request, to an authorized official of DOT or DHS.
What has to be in the written plan under 49 CFR 172.802?
49 CFR 172.802(a) says the plan must include an assessment of transportation security risks, including site-specific risks. At a minimum it must include personnel security, unauthorized access, and en route security.
Personnel security is who you put on the truck. Unauthorized access is who can reach the keys and the bulk. En route security is how the load stays under your control between the plant and the customer tank. 172.802(b) also requires the senior management official responsible for the plan, identified by job title; security duties for each position or department that carries the plan; and a plan for training hazmat employees under 172.704(a)(4) and (a)(5).
The plan has to match this plant, these trucks, these keys, and these routes. If the sentences could sit on any propane letterhead in the country, they are not finished. Read 49 CFR 172.802 and what a DOT hazmat security plan is.
How often must the written security plan be reviewed?
49 CFR 172.802(c) says the plan, including the risk assessment, must be in writing and must be reviewed at least annually and revised and/or updated as necessary to reflect changing circumstances.
The section does not use the words signed or dated. Operators still keep a dated copy so they can show when the last review happened. An old plan that still lists a yard you sold or a manager who retired is not a current program.
What does the investigator actually put a hand on?
A loss-control representative and a state inspector want paper you can put in their hand. Written procedures. A hazmat security plan if you haul bulk propane. Training records. An SDS binder. Tank, cylinder, driver, and truck files. We write the Policies and Procedures manual, the DOT hazmat security plan, and the SDS / HazCom binder. The rest stay in your shop. See what an auditor asks a propane dealer for.
What to check before anyone sits down
1. Confirm whether you haul propane in a cargo tank over 792 gallons. If yes, you owe a written plan.
2. Put your hand on the current plan. If you cannot, that is the first gap.
3. Read the last review date. An undated stack from years ago is not a current plan.
4. Check whether the plan still names this yard, this manager, and these trucks.
5. Pull one hazmat employee training file and confirm you could produce the plan this morning without a hunt.
Who writes the plan, and who keeps the training file?
Propane Safety Pro writes the DOT hazmat security plan from one intake form. Annual review dates and training completions stay in your file. We do not train the crew or keep the sign-in sheets.
You fill one intake form about your plant, trucks, keys, gates, hiring practice, and routes. We write the plan from our fixed template to your operation. You get a print-ready plan. We do not inspect the yard.
The policies and procedures manual is the day-to-day book. The security plan is the access-and-route book. They get asked for together. See the Policies and Procedures manual, Security Plans (DOT/DHS), and how to choose propane safety manuals. Ask for redacted sample pages if you want the shape first.
Call 610-228-0887 and ask for the intake form. Or use the contact page. We sell to people who run the trucks. We do not sell to homeowners. There is no public price on this site.
This page is general information for propane marketers. It is not legal advice. Confirm the current Code of Federal Regulations, your state rules, and your insurer list. Last reviewed: September 21, 2026.