A dangerous goods acceptance check that writes every finding on the Shipper's Declaration, with its DGR paragraph, before a qualified person signs
Every Shipper's Declaration checked against the current DGR before a person signs.
See one case, screen by screen ↓A dangerous goods acceptance check is the airline's check of a Shipper's Declaration, its air waybill and every package against the IATA DGR, the state and operator variations and, in the US, 49 CFR, before the consignment is accepted for flight. In Dangerous Goods Acceptance Check, seven AI agents run the full 34-question checklist, writing each result in the margin of the declaration with the rule that decides it, and testing the booking against the aircraft, while a qualified DG specialist decides and signs.
How to choose AI for airlines: a buyer's guide to agentic AI solutions →
Updated
A dangerous goods acceptance check starts with the Shipper's Declaration, which a trained acceptance specialist must check before the consignment flies: the UN number, proper shipping name, class and packing group against Table 4.2, the quantity against the packing instruction and the passenger or cargo-aircraft column, the statements, the signature, the state and operator variations and, in the US, 49 CFR. Then each box is inspected for its marks and labels, the DG acceptance checklist is completed and signed, and the NOTOC line is typed for the captain. Most declarations still arrive on paper, and the rules change every January.
The risk sits where the paperwork and the booking part ways. A declaration that correctly says Cargo Aircraft Only, booked on a passenger 787. One box of four with the plain Class 9 label instead of the lithium battery label. A 2026 state of charge statement nobody had added to the checklist yet. What slips through is the airline's violation, and what is caught late is freight offloaded and a shipper rejected at the counter.
Estimated split for one complex consignment at the acceptance counter, in minutes, by hand and with the solution.
Seven specialist agents check every declaration, booking and box against the DGR; a qualified specialist decides and signs.
Thursday, October 15, at the Corvane Cargo terminal at Chicago O'Hare. Bridgeline Forwarding lodges four boxes of lithium ion batteries from Lumora Energy Systems, bound for Frankfurt on AWB 4417 2210. Here is that lithium battery acceptance, screen by screen, in the working solution.
The agents have checked every consignment as it arrived. Dana's Today screen shows 38 consignments, 7 that need her and 27 already accepted, with the next DG cut-offs underneath. At the top: Lumora Energy Systems, UN 3480 booked on passenger flight CV 220, with box 3 wrongly labeled.
What the agents did today: “Caught UN 3480 booked on passenger flight CV 220 and planned the move to freighter CV 9004.”
Dana opens the Shipper's Declaration exactly as Bridgeline handed it over, scanned at counter 3. The declaration reader read 41 fields — the lowest confidence is the handwritten date, at 93%. The DGR checker ran 34 checks against the DGR 67th edition with Addendum 1, the variations agent applied the US variation and Corvane's CRV-02, and each result sits beside the field it is about: 31 pass, 2 fail, 1 for her.
Fails · check 22: “Booked on CV 220, a 787-9 passenger flight — UN 3480 Section IA is forbidden on passenger aircraft.”
Dana asks the agents, in her own words, why UN 3480 is forbidden on passenger aircraft. The answer quotes Table 4.2 — Forbidden in the passenger column — and packing instruction 965 Section IA, cargo aircraft only at 30% state of charge or less, each with its source. The cross-checker has already re-derived all 34 checks on its own and agrees, including both failures.
“The declaration is right; the booking is wrong.”
The passenger aircraft limit is Forbidden; on a cargo aircraft the limit is 35 kg G per box, and Lumora declared 9.8 kg G. The agent proposes CV 9004 tonight, a 777F departing 22:40: 18.4 t of main-deck space free, DG cut-off 19:40, position 31P allowed for Class 9, no segregation conflict with the UN 3268 and UN 1845 aboard, and CRV-02 met.
“The agent never rebooks on its own.”
Dana approves the move to CV 9004 and picks the reason code R-04, booking does not match the aircraft limitation. Only then is the consignment rebooked to position 31P, and Inés Calloway, the warehouse supervisor, and Bridgeline are told.
“Pick the reason for the record.”
The inspector works out what every box must carry — UN 3480 and its name, the addresses, the 4G specification mark, the Class 9 lithium battery label and Cargo Aircraft Only — and reads each counter photo. Box 3 has the plain Class 9 label. The NOTOC and notices agent drafts a relabel request to Tobias Wren at counter 3; Dana sends it, and the new photo of box 3 passes at 14:31.
“Leakage and damage stay a person's check.”
Dana inspects the four boxes herself and records no damage, no leakage, smell or heat. The acceptance checklist — the non-radioactive checklist for the DGR 67th edition — is pre-filled and cited, 34 of 34. She signs acceptance for CV 9004; the sign-off confirms her DG training is current to March 18, 2027.
“Only a person with current DG acceptance training can sign. Agents never accept.”
The Lumora line joins the CV 9004 NOTOC with no retyping: UN 3480, Lithium ion batteries, class 9, 4 packages, 39.2 kg, position 31P, cargo aircraft only, drill code 12FZ. Consignments not yet signed stay off it. Dana releases it to the flight deck tablet, and Capt. Robert Lyle acknowledges it at 14:41.
“DG cut-off 19:40. Anything not signed by then is offloaded and its shipper told.”
On Arcwell Medical's UN 2814 infectious substance for Tokyo, the DGR checker passed the itemized list because the declaration says it is enclosed. The cross-checker disagrees: packing instruction 620 requires it between the secondary and outer packaging, and the photos cannot show the inside. The consignment stops, and Dana can open the box, ask Meridian Courier to confirm or send it to Marcus Bell.
“We disagree on one; neither of us decides it.”
The audit trail lists every agent step and every human decision in order, with reason codes. One click exports the evidence pack for AWB 4417 2210: the declaration as received, the air waybill and booking history, the five counter photos, the signed checklist, the decisions and the released NOTOC, kept for 375 days.
The same consignment, seen by the four people who carry it — what their shift looked like, and what it looks like now.
Seven specialist agents check every declaration, booking and box against the DGR; a qualified specialist decides and signs.
Reads the Shipper's Declaration (paper scan or electronic), the air waybill and the booking; returns every field with its place on the page and a confidence, and matches the signatory against the shipper's trained signatories.
Runs the 34-question acceptance checklist against the current DGR edition: Table 4.2, packing instructions, special provisions, quantities, statements and signature, with the radioactive or dry ice checklist where it applies.
Applies the US variations and 49 CFR, the variations of the other states on the route, and Corvane's own operator variations, and says which one applied.
Tests every line against the booked aircraft, passenger or cargo aircraft only, and proposes flights that can carry it, with space, DG cut-off, position and segregation checked.
Works out the marks and labels this consignment needs and reads them in each counter photo, box by box, saying which are present, missing or wrong.
Without reading the other agents' conclusions, re-derives every check from the sources and compares; any difference stops the consignment and goes to a person with both readings and the passages.
Builds the NOTOC from signed consignments and the load plan, with positions and drill codes, and drafts rejection reports with reason codes and requests to forwarders.
Decide every finding, sign every acceptance. The agents propose; a named person decides.
Beside every declaration, Dana can ask why a check failed or tell the agents what to do next. Every answer points to its source, and nothing is sent until she approves.
Why is UN 3480 forbidden on passenger aircraft?
Because lithium ion batteries shipped on their own can overheat and burn, and a passenger aircraft's lower hold has no way to contain such a fire. Table 4.2 lists UN 3480 as Forbidden on passenger aircraft; packing instruction 965 Section IA allows cargo aircraft only, at 30% state of charge or less.
What does the 30% state of charge rule say?
For UN 3480 shipped alone, packing instruction 965 requires a state of charge of 30% or less. Since January 1, 2026 the same applies to UN 3481 batteries over 2.7 Wh packed with equipment. Lumora's declaration states it; Kestrel Drone Works' does not.
Ask Bridgeline to relabel box 3
I drafted the request to Tobias Wren at counter 3: replace the plain Class 9 label on box 3 with the Class 9 lithium battery label. Send it?
Which forwarders make the most declaration errors this month?
Keystone Air Logistics: 84.6% right first time, mostly quantity above the passenger limit. Bridgeline Forwarding: 91.2%, mostly the 2026 state of charge statement. Meridian Courier: 97.1%. I drafted pre-check notes for the first two; they go when you approve.
13 screens from the working solution, on its sample data. Pick one to see it large.
The thresholds, variations, roles and alerts every consignment is checked against are settings. A change is proposed to the cargo safety manager and takes effect when he approves.
| Setting | Default | Choose from |
|---|---|---|
| Ask a person to confirm a field read below | 90% | Step up or down |
| Lowest counter photo resolution | 8 MP | Step up or down |
| DG cut-off before departure | 3 h | Step up or down |
| Agent disagreements always go to a person | Always on | Locked on |
| Check DG training before anyone signs | On | On · Off |
| Corvane operator variations | CRV-01 to CRV-05 applied | Each variation on or off, with its effective date (CRV-06 proposed for Nov 1, 2026) |
| A decision has waited | 15 minutes | To the owner, then the shift lead after 30 minutes |
| A NOTOC is not released before departure | 60 minutes | To load control and the duty manager |
Every figure is labelled: a target the solution is built to, an estimate, a typical published result, or a proven one.
“demo” = seen in the working solution, on its sample data · “target” = the design goal, measured in the live solution · “estimated” = our estimate of where a complex consignment's minutes go · “typical” = published figures (IATA DG Digital launch, March 2026 — 4.5% of DG shipments rejected; 14 CFR 13.301 — up to $102,348 per hazardous materials violation). IATA DGR 67th edition and Addendum 1, 49 CFR 172.604, 175.30 and 175.33 are named as context only. Corvane Airways, Corvane Cargo, the shippers, forwarders, flights, waybills and people named on this page are fictional — characters and sample data in the working solution.
A dangerous goods acceptance check is the airline's check of a Shipper's Declaration, its air waybill and every package against the IATA DGR, the state and operator variations and, in the US, 49 CFR, before the consignment is accepted for flight. In Dangerous Goods Acceptance Check, seven AI agents run the full 34-question checklist, writing each result in the margin of the declaration with the rule that decides it, and testing the booking against the aircraft, while a qualified DG specialist decides and signs.
The declaration itself — shipper and consignee, air waybill number, aircraft limitation, airports, shipment type, signature, name, place and date — then the goods against Table 4.2 and the packing instruction, the required statements, the operator variations and finally the packages: specification mark, UN number and proper shipping name, addresses, hazard and handling labels, and no damage or leakage. In the solution every answer is pre-filled and cited, and the person confirms the inspection and signs.
No. Table 4.2 lists UN 3480 as Forbidden on passenger aircraft, so lithium ion batteries shipped on their own go cargo aircraft only, and under packing instruction 965 at a state of charge of 30% or less. When the aircraft and routing agent finds one booked on a passenger flight, it fails the check and proposes a freighter with space, cut-off and position checked, for the specialist to approve.
The package mark inspector works out the marks and labels this consignment needs and reads them in each counter photo, box by box — for example a plain Class 9 label where the Class 9 lithium battery label is required. It drafts the relabel request for the specialist to send and reads the new photo. Damage and leakage are always confirmed by the specialist's own inspection, the check 49 CFR 175.30 asks of the operator before loading.
The NOTOC and notices agent builds it only from signed consignments and the load plan: UN number, proper shipping name, class, packages, net quantity, position, cargo aircraft only and drill code. Consignments not yet signed stay off it. A person releases it to the flight deck tablet, and the captain's acknowledgment is recorded.
The edition in force is named on every check — DGR 67th edition with Addendum 1 in the working solution. When a rule changes, the agents re-check the open consignments it touches; for the 2026 state of charge rule they re-checked 6 open UN 3481 consignments and found one missing the statement. Operator variations are settings with effective dates, changed only with the cargo safety manager's approval.
The DG acceptance specialist signs, and only while their DG training is current in the training records. The agents never accept, reject, rebook or release a NOTOC: the specialist approves, edits or rejects each finding with a reason code and inspects the packages, and when two agents disagree, a person decides.
The Agentic Solution Engine builds and deploys it from your requirements and documents — your DG manual and variations, checklist templates and a sample of past declarations — and it goes live once every quality gate has passed. In the working solution, station setup ends with a test run: 50 past consignments, 50 of 50 matching their signed checklists.
Spot quotes in minutes, priced to the rule and the space on the flight.
1-min demoAir Cargo Revenue ManagementEvery kilo sold at what it is worth, with the reason on every published rate.
1-min demoAir Waybill Data ValidationEvery waybill right before acceptance: fewer holds, and the bill matches the freight.
1-min demoWe'll run Dangerous Goods Acceptance Check on a sample of your own past Shipper's Declarations, bookings and counter photos.