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American Trucking Associations has petitioned federal regulators to issue a new rule to clarify that hazardous material packages should normally be inspected at the point of loading or unloading, and not during roadside inspections.

ATA’s petition, if adopted by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, would permit roadside inspections only if agents had a suspicion that hazmat was not packaged correctly and created a safety hazard.

ATA said its proposed revision, filed earlier this month, would “improve the safety and efficiency of motor carrier operations.”

In letters to motor carriers, PHMSA already has indicated that roadside inspections are a “critical law enforcement tool,” but also have implied that inspections should be most often conducted at the point when a shipment is loaded or unloaded.