Altor guide · 2026-09-12

The one business day pre-check: what is in the report

The acceptance desk at the cargo terminal does not grade intent. It grades the Shipper's Declaration against the current list, then against the box. IATA DGR 9.1.3 is that walk. 49 CFR 175.30 is the US air acceptance rule next to it. When a line fails, the freight stays. The discrepancy report starts a rebook nobody put on the production calendar. Most shops treat a second look as a forwarder's glance, or as a PDF sent after the truck has already left. That is not a check. A one business day pre-check is a written finding on each line, with the section cited, before the carrier sees the paper.

What the regulation actually requires

The regulation does not require a consultant. It requires a declaration that is true.

49 CFR 173.22 places classification, description, packaging, marks, and labels on the offeror. 49 CFR Part 172 Subpart C, and 49 CFR 172.202 in particular, is the shipping paper. For air, IATA DGR 8.1 is how the Shipper's Declaration is completed, and IATA DGR 8.1.6.9 is the nature and quantity of dangerous goods block. 49 CFR 172.204 is the shipper's certification. IATA DGR 8.1.6.12 is the matching block on the air form. For air, 49 CFR 172.204(c)(3) adds that all applicable air transport requirements have been met. 49 CFR 173.27 is the US aircraft packaging and quantity rule. 49 CFR 172.604 is the 24 hour emergency telephone number.

The operator will run IATA DGR 9.1.3 in that order. If the UN number, proper shipping name, class, packing group, packing instruction, quantity, marks, and aircraft type do not agree with the current IATA DGR Section 4.2 list, the freight parks.

A pre-check is that same walk, written down, before tender. It is not a certification. It is not a signed declaration. It is a report that tells you whether this paper will survive the desk.

The report opens with a verdict: ACCEPT LIKELY, REJECTION LIKELY, or CANNOT ASSESS, plus one sentence of plain summary.

Then each declaration line. PASS, FIX, or FAIL. What you declared versus what the current list shows for that UN number: class, packing group, packing instruction, quantity limit, passenger or cargo column, and any state variation the extract lists. A citation for the finding. The exact change, if any.

A worked example from the current list. UN 1090 Acetone is Class 3, packing group II. Passenger aircraft: packing instruction 353 at 5 L, limited quantity Y341 at 1 L. Cargo aircraft: packing instruction 364 at 60 L. A line that writes packing group III, packing instruction 355, and 10 L on a passenger booking will not survive IATA DGR 9.1.3. The report should say FAIL, cite the list plus 49 CFR 172.202 and 49 CFR 173.27, and tell you to change the packing group to II, use packing instruction 353, and reduce the net quantity to 5 L or less, or use the cargo instruction if the flight is cargo only.

A second line on the same form can still pass. UN 3481 Lithium ion batteries packed with equipment, Class 9, packing instruction 966. Passenger maximum 5 kg. Cargo maximum 35 kg. Packed with equipment is packing instruction 966. Contained in equipment is packing instruction 967, same mass limits. Writing 967 on a packed with line is a FIX. UN 3480 Lithium ion batteries are forbidden on passenger aircraft. A passenger tick on that entry is REJECTION LIKELY before anyone weighs the box.

After the lines, cross document checks. Does the aircraft type on the form match the booking. Is a 24 hour emergency telephone number visible per 49 CFR 172.604. Do the marks described on the paper match what the packages would have to show.

Then anomalies. Mixed classes on one declaration. A state variation such as US 3 on the UN 3481 extract. A Q value the engine cannot finish without the current segregation table. Things a practitioner would question even when the line cells look legal.

The report ends with a scope statement. Advisory. Not the signed declaration. Not a certification. The shipper of record remains responsible for the declaration they sign.

The mistake people make

They send Section 14 of the SDS and call it a declaration. The acceptance desk does not accept a safety data sheet. They ask a forwarder if it looks fine and treat the answer as a finding. They expect the report to become the signature block. They confuse a pre-check of an existing form, $95, with DGD creation, from $175. They send an unreadable scan, or a form with the aircraft type blank, then wonder why the verdict is CANNOT ASSESS. They wait until the freight is already at the cargo terminal. That is rejection recovery, not a pre-check. What to do after a rejection sits at https://altor.consulting/rejected.html.

How to fix it

Finish the Shipper's Declaration first. Lock UN number, packing group, packing instruction, net quantity, and passenger or cargo from the booking. Include destination and operator if you have them, so variations can be checked. Send that completed form, not a draft with empty lines.

When the report comes back, read the verdict, then every line. Open the cited section. Make the exact change. Walk the paper against the box in the same order IATA DGR 9.1.3 will. Then sign under 49 CFR 172.204 and IATA DGR 8.1.6.12. You keep the pen.

Typical turnaround is one business day from payment. Do not tender until you can stand behind every line.

Altor pre-checks completed Dangerous Goods Declarations line by line against the current regulations and returns a written report, with every finding cited, within one business day. You keep the pen. altor.consulting

Catch the rejection before the carrier does

Send your completed declaration before you tender it. A line by line advisory report comes back within 24 hours, every finding cited. $95 flat, one click, and you keep the pen.

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