At a railroad crossing, what must a driver of a placarded hazmat vehicle do?

Federal regulations require placarded hazmat vehicles to stop at every railroad crossing within 50 feet of but no closer than 15 feet to the nearest rail. The driver must look and listen for approaching trains, open the driver's window if practical, and proceed only when sure no train is approaching from either direction. The vehicle must not shift gears while crossing the tracks (avoid the risk of stalling on the tracks). This rule applies to all railroad crossings — those with active warning devices, those with passive crossbucks, and those without controls. The risk: a stalled or struck hazmat vehicle on tracks can result in a derailment plus a hazmat spill, a catastrophic combination. There are limited exceptions for streetcar tracks, abandoned tracks marked as such, and certain other situations.