The Agreement itself is short and simple. The key article is the second, which say that apart from some excessively dangerous goods, other dangerous goods may be carried internationally in road vehicles subject to compliance with:

– the conditions laid down in Annex A for the goods in question, in particular as regards their packaging and labelling; and

– the conditions laid down in Annex B, in particular as regards the construction, equipment and operation of the vehicle carrying the goods in question.

Annexes A and B have been regularly amended and updated since the entry into force of ADR. Consequently to the amendments that entered into force on 1 January 2023, a revised consolidated version has been published as document ECE/TRANS/326, Vol. I and II (ADR 2023).

This revised edition contains the amendments adopted in 2020, 2021 and 2022 by the Working Party on the Transport of Dangerous Goods and contained in  ECE/TRANS/WP.15/256 and Corrs 1-2 and ECE/TRANS/WP.15/256/Add.1 that entered into force on 1 January 2023.

The structure is consistent with that of the United Nations Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, Model Regulations, the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (of the International Maritime Organization), the Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air (of the International Civil Aviation Organization) and the Regulations concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Rail (of the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail). The lay-out is as follows:

Annex A: General provisions and provisions concerning dangerous articles and substances

Part 1 General provisions
Part 2 Classification
Part 3 Dangerous goods list, special provisions and exemptions related to limited and excepted quantities
Part 4 Packing and tank provisions
Part 5 Consignment procedures
Part 6 Requirements for the construction and testing of packagings, intermediate bulk containers (IBCs), large packagings, tanks and bulk containers
Part 7 Provisions concerning the conditions of carriage, loading, unloading and handling

Annex B: Provisions concerning transport equipment and transport operations

Part 8 Requirements for vehicle crews, equipment, operation and documentation
Part 9 Requirements concerning the construction and approval of vehicles