For purposes of this division, the following words and terms shall have the meaning ascribed to them in this section.
Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area.
Any location within Dallas County or Tarrant County, Texas.
Hazardous materials.
Any quantity, group, form, or class of material designated as hazardous material in any official publication of the Secretary of Transportation of the United States under the authority of 49 U.S.C.A., section 171, et seq., as amended, including any such publication issued after the effective date of this division.
Requiring placards.
The materials to be transported is hazardous and is in sufficient quantity to require placarding in accordance with the Department of Transportation Hazardous Materials Regulations (49 U.S.C.A., section 171, et seq., as amended), or in accordance with the Texas Transportation Code, as amended, or regulations promulgated under the authority of said code, as amended.
Transport.
To move any motor vehicle requiring placards upon any public thoroughfare or highway.
(1992 Code, sec. 10.501)
No person shall knowingly transport hazardous materials or knowingly cause hazardous materials to be transported upon any public street and highway within the corporate limits of the city, except upon the following:
(1) 
Those portions of Interstate Highway 20 and Interstate Highway 45 lying within the corporate limits of the city.
(2) 
That portion of any federal or state highway or public thoroughfare used to reach a destination or a point of departure by the most direct route within the corporate limits of the city.
(3) 
That portion of any federal or state highway or public thoroughfare within the corporate limits of the city used to reach a destination or point of departure by the most direct route within the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan area.
(1992 Code, sec. 10.502)
The operator of a vehicle used to transport hazardous materials requiring placards shall:
(1) 
Apply and display appropriate placards meeting U.S. Department of Transportation specifications; and
(2) 
Keep immediately accessible complete and adequate shipping papers for the hazardous materials being shipped, which papers must specify:
(A) 
Origin of the shipment;
(B) 
Destination or delivery point of the shipment;
(C) 
Proper shipping name;
(D) 
Hazard class;
(E) 
Proper identification number;
(F) 
Total quantity of material being shipped; and
(3) 
Before operation, inspect the vehicle and determine that:
(A) 
The brakes are in good working condition;
(B) 
The steering mechanism is in good working condition;
(C) 
The electrical wiring is well insulated and firmly secured;
(D) 
The required lights are operative;
(E) 
The vehicle is in a safe condition to transport hazardous materials;
(F) 
The fire extinguisher is fully charged and operational; and
(G) 
All emergency features on bulk transport carriers are installed and operative as outlined in U.S. Department of Transportation specifications and requirements.
(1992 Code, sec. 10.503)
It shall be presumed for purposes of prosecution under this division that a transporting vehicle contains hazardous materials if it bears a placard. It shall be a defense to prosecution under this division that the transporting vehicle was empty.
(1992 Code, sec. 10.504)
Both the fire department of the city and the police department are expressly authorized to enforce the provisions of this division.
(1992 Code, sec. 10.505)