How to get a hazmat endorsement on your CDL

The hazardous materials endorsement, the H on a CDL, is the only endorsement that needs a federal security check as well as a knowledge test. It opens fuel, chemical and gas hauling, which tend to pay more than dry freight, and it is the one endorsement with an expiry date of its own. Here is the order of events.

1. Check you are eligible

• You need a CDL, or a CLP and a CDL application in progress; the H endorsement itself is added to the CDL, not the permit.
• You must be 21 to carry hazmat across state lines. A few states allow intrastate hazmat at 18 to 20, most do not.
• You must be a US citizen, national, lawful permanent resident or hold one of the other immigration statuses the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) accepts.
• Certain criminal convictions disqualify you permanently or for seven years, and you must not be on a terrorism watch list or have been found mentally incompetent by a court.

2. Complete the training course

Since 7 February 2022, anyone adding a hazmat endorsement for the first time must complete the hazmat theory course of entry-level driver training (ELDT) with a provider on FMCSA's Training Provider Registry, before taking the knowledge test. It is classroom or online only; there is no behind-the-wheel part for hazmat. The provider records your completion in the registry and the state checks it before letting you test. The ELDT guide explains the registry.

3. Apply for the TSA security threat assessment

Apply online through TSA's enrolment system or at an enrolment centre, then attend an appointment to be fingerprinted and show your documents. TSA checks criminal history, immigration status and intelligence databases. The fee is set by TSA and is around $85 for a new assessment; drivers with a valid TWIC card pay less. Results commonly take a few weeks and can take longer, so start this first. Some states require the TSA approval before you can take the test; others let you test first and add the endorsement when the clearance arrives.

4. Pass the hazmat knowledge test

The hazmat test has 30 questions, you need 24 right, and it is written from Section 9 of the CDL manual. It covers:

• The hazard classes and the nine placard categories, and which classes may not be loaded together.
• Shipping papers: what they must say, where they must be kept in the cab, and the emergency response information that travels with them.
• Placarding: when the vehicle needs placards, the 1,001-pound rule for many classes, and the "any amount" rule for the most dangerous ones.
• Loading and unloading: no smoking, chocking wheels, the rules for explosives, compressed gases and poisons, and keeping the engine off while fuelling.
• Driving and parking: where you may stop with explosives, the 300-foot rule for parking near fires and buildings, railroad crossings, tunnels and bridges.
• Emergencies: what to do at a spill or fire, who to call and what to tell them.

Many states give the hazmat test in English only even where other tests have translations. Check your state page.

5. Pay the fee and get the endorsement

Once the state has your passed test and TSA's approval, you pay the endorsement fee and get a new CDL with the H. Drivers who also hold the tank endorsement get the X code, which stands for both.

Renewal

The H endorsement expires with the TSA assessment, five years after it was issued. To keep it you repeat the TSA assessment, and in most states you retake the hazmat knowledge test, before the endorsement expires. Letting it lapse means starting from the beginning, so most drivers begin the renewal several months out.