14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung received a special Hazardous Material permit from the US Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, according to Fierce Wireless, which allows the South Korean company to transport 137,000 unopened Galaxy Note 7 smartphones.
The phones will be transported from retail locations back to Samsung. There are some limitations to the permit, though, as Samsung isn’t allowed to fly the devices and must use a "quantity-limited, thermally insulated outer package designed to contain fire or smoke." FAA regulations prevent air cargo shipments of recalled or defective lithium battery-powered devices.
“PHMSA will coordinate enforcement activities with CPSC [Consumer Product Safety Commission] to ensure the recalled devices are appropriately handled based on the regulations and any Special Permit(s) issued,” stated a PHMSA representative.
Samsung was granted two permits to transport Galaxy Note 7 units
Samsung has been granted two permits to transport the potentially hazardous devices. The first was received on September 7 and the agency stated that Samsung intended to use an existing Special Permit issued to Americase Inc. to facilitate the transport of defective devices to the manufacturer.
The second permit was issued on September 15 and stated that 137,000 Note 7 devices would be transported from retail locations to Samsung facilities via truck, rail and cargo vessel.
This is just a small part of the 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7 smartphones that need to be transported back to Samsung locations. Some analysts have said that the whole recall process could cost Samsung up to $2 billion and consumer trust. The South Korean company announced the recall on September 2 and sales were halted around the world on the same day.
Sales have recently resumed in South Korea and at major US carriers. Faulty batteries were the cause of the recall and Samsung said that the issue was solved in replaced units. However, the CPSC is currently investigating a recent incident in which a Galaxy Note 7 smartphone started popping and smoking on an airplane, causing all passengers to be evacuated.