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Happy Holidays from The Compliance Center!

By December 10, 2025Holiday

Happy Holidays from The Compliance Center!

As 2025 draws to a close, the ICC team would like to extend our warmest wishes to you and your loved ones for a joyful holiday season and a prosperous New Year!

We hope this time of year brings you the opportunity to pause, recharge, and celebrate with those who matter most. Whether it’s quality time with family, festive gatherings with colleagues, or simply a well-deserved break, may your holidays be filled with happiness and renewed energy for the year ahead.

We would also like to thank our customers, partners, and vendors for their continued trust and collaboration throughout 2025. Your dedication to safety and regulatory compliance motivates us to continuously enhance the tools, training, and expertise we deliver. We’re excited to support your compliance journey with even more innovations and insights in 2026!

A Look Back at 2025: Regulatory Highlights & Top Reads

As the year wraps up, we’re reflecting on the compliance topics that sparked the most conversation and engagement across our Help Center. From transportation regulations to workplace safety updates, these were the resources that mattered most to you.

We’ve rounded up two key lists for you to explore:

Top 5 Articles Published in 2025 — this year’s most-read and talked-about new content.

  • What’s New in the IMDG Code Amendment 42-24?
    The latest IMDG Code update, set to become fully mandatory on January 1, 2026, introduces targeted enhancements, including new entries for sodium-ion batteries, updated rules for battery-powered vehicles, revised carbon-shipments requirements, and expanded limited-quantity options for certain compressed gases. This article walks you through the key changes now coming into force so you can finalize compliance updates ahead of the 2026 deadline.
  • Executive Order 14294 Impacts the HazMat Industry
    A new federal directive reduces criminal exposure for hazmat shippers by narrowing prosecutions to cases involving clear intent or significant harm, while increasing transparency around criminally enforceable regulations. This article outlines how the order reshapes enforcement priorities, strengthens civil penalty pathways, and requires agencies like PHMSA to provide clearer standards and annual reporting to help industry stakeholders navigate their compliance obligations.
  • Lithium Battery Mark Exceptions
    Small lithium batteries often qualify for exceptions that eliminate the need for the lithium battery mark, particularly when shipping button cells or equipment containing only a few cells or batteries. This article breaks down when these exemptions apply across 49 CFR, TDG, IATA, and IMDG so you can right-size your marking strategy while staying fully compliant.
  • USPS Issues Final Rule
    New USPS requirements mandate stronger rigid packaging for dangerous goods, updated strength thresholds by weight category, and expanded use of padded or poly bags for equipment containing lithium batteries. This article highlights the changes shippers should have in place as the industry moves toward the 2027 compliance deadline for updated lithium battery marks and tighter packaging standards.
  • Lithium Battery vs. Lithium Cell: What’s the Difference?
    Lithium cells are single electrochemical units, while lithium batteries combine multiple cells to deliver higher power—an essential distinction when determining energy limits and regulatory requirements. This article breaks down how these differences affect classification, small-battery exceptions, and compliance obligations across major dangerous goods regulations.

Overall Top 5 Most-Read Articles — timeless resources that continue to guide compliance professionals everywhere.

  • Segregating Dangerous Goods under the IMDG Code
    Segregation of dangerous goods can be a complex process, with many regulations offering different requirements. One of the most complicated is the IMDG code. This article unpacks the complex system for marine shipments to help you understand how to safely and properly segregate dangerous goods.
  • What to Do if Your Lithium Battery Catches Fire?
    Lithium batteries are used in several devices, which means that many people need to know how to transport them safely. This article covers why lithium batteries catch fire, the warning signs to catch, and what to do if a battery catches fire on your watch.
  • UN Packaging Codes
    UN packaging codes identify the type and material of dangerous goods packaging, covering common options like fibreboard boxes and plastic jerricans as well as less familiar ones such as metal boxes and multiwall paper bags. This article explains where these codes appear in major regulations and how they help ensure you choose the right compliant packaging.
  • Is a Placard Required?
    Placards are a complicated area of hazardous material regulation. Read this article for a breakdown of the regulations for placards to help you better understand when and how to use them.
  • What are Excepted Quantities?
    This article demystifies the concept of shipping small quantities of hazardous goods with less stringent regulations, explaining how it simplifies the process while still ensuring safety in transportation.

Take a moment to revisit these highlights and ensure you’re ready to step confidently into 2026. You can explore all of them in our Help Center.

Stay Connected with ICC

We’re committed to keeping you informed, prepared, and empowered year-round.

Here’s how you can stay connected:

Coming Soon: ICC’s Top Impactful HazMat Developments of 2025

Start the new year with insight and confidence.

Stay tuned for our Top Impactful HazMat Developments of 2025 Guide, launching in January 2026 — your go-to resource for the most impactful regulatory changes, updates, and trends shaping the year ahead.

Please note our holiday hours:

December 24th: Closing at 1:00 pm local time
December 25th & 26th: Closed
December 31st: closing at 1:00 pm local time
January 1st & 2nd: Closed

All offices will resume normal operating hours on Monday, January 5th, 2026.

From all of us at The Compliance Center — thank you for being part of our community in 2025. We wish you a safe, joyful, and successful 2026!

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