UK ADR module revision

ADR Common Characteristics Module Guide

Study the properties and safety principles shared across ADR Classes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9, and see how the unit supports Group A and Group B training.

Practise Common Characteristics in the app Read the Common Characteristics guide

80 app questions3 practice topics

Module overview

What is the Common Characteristics module?

The Common Characteristics unit brings together the safety principles shared by the general dangerous-goods classes. It is not another hazard class and it does not create a blended bank of Group A or Group B questions. Instead, it helps drivers recognise recurring patterns: the need for sound containment, careful handling, segregation, protection from ignition and an appropriate response when a product escapes.

The unit also develops the physical-property knowledge used across several classes. Miscibility, specific gravity, volatility, flammability and asphyxiant behaviour can change where a spill or vapour travels and what risks it creates. Subsidiary hazards matter too, because a substance may present more than the primary danger shown by its class. PPE, antidote awareness and decontamination complete the link from recognising a hazard to protecting people.

Syllabus coverage

What you study in Common Characteristics

These themes group the official learning objectives into practical revision areas. Open the topic map below for the exact question-bank structure used by ADR Driver Pro.

Shared class hazards

The main dangers of Classes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9 and the precautions that recur across these substances and articles.

Containment and careful handling

Why correct packaging, closures, handling and load protection prevent a release, and how an apparently small defect can develop during transport.

Segregation and subsidiary hazards

Keeping incompatible goods apart, recognising that one product can present several hazards and assigning responsibilities during loading and carriage.

Physical properties and ignition

How miscibility, density, volatility, flammability and asphyxiation influence a release, with emphasis on avoiding overheating and ignition sources.

PPE and decontamination

Selecting appropriate protection, understanding its limitations and recognising when specialist decontamination or an antidote may be required.

Practice-topic map

Question-bank coverage

The app total counts unique questions in each canonical practice topic. The free column is the separate TopicsLite.plist subset available on this website.

Practice topic	In app	Free online
Hazards, physical properties and health effects	30	—
Containment, segregation and emergency control	30	—
PPE, antidotes and decontamination	20	—
Module total	80	—

Get the full Common Characteristics bank in the app All free ADR practice tests

Qualification context

How this module fits an ADR route

The UK route structure uses Common Characteristics with grouped class training. Group A covers Classes 2, 3, 6 and 8; Group B covers Classes 4, 5 and 9. In ADR Driver Pro those classes remain separate study sections so progress and explanations stay attached to the correct canonical module.

Drivers qualifying for one or a small number of individual classes may take those class modules directly instead. Your approved provider determines the correct combination for the qualification being taken.

Revision plan

How to study Common Characteristics

1Compare two classes at a time and write down the hazards they share and the controls that differ.
2Use simple spill and vapour scenarios to apply volatility, density and miscibility rather than learning definitions alone.
3Check both primary and subsidiary hazards whenever a marking or segregation question is presented.
4Treat PPE as the last line of defence and revise containment, distance and emergency communication alongside it.

Common questions

Common Characteristics FAQs

What is the ADR Common Characteristics module?

It teaches the hazards and precautions shared by Classes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9, including containment, segregation, subsidiary hazards, physical properties, ignition control, PPE and decontamination.

Which classes are in ADR Group A and Group B?

Group A contains Classes 2, 3, 6 and 8. Group B contains Classes 4, 5 and 9. Common Characteristics supports these grouped routes.

Is Common Characteristics a dangerous-goods class?

No. It is a training unit covering shared properties and controls. The individual ADR classes remain separate hazard classifications.

Revise Common Characteristics in ADR Driver Pro

Continue with all 80 Common Characteristics questions, flash cards, bookmarks and saved practice history in the app.