How to get a hazmat endorsement (H and X)

What the H and X endorsements cover

• H (hazardous materials): required to drive a commercial motor vehicle carrying hazardous materials that must be placarded, or any amount of a select agent or toxin listed in 42 CFR part 73 (49 CFR 383.5 and 383.93).
• N (tank vehicle): a separate endorsement for tank vehicles. It takes its own knowledge test.
• X: the code a state puts on your CDL when you hold both the tank and hazmat endorsements (49 CFR 383.153). Tanker hazmat work, such as fuel, needs X. See how we dispatch tanker trucks.

When a load needs placards: most hazmat classes need placards in any amount. For materials in Table 2 of 49 CFR 172.504, placards aren't required when the vehicle carries less than 1,001 lb aggregate gross weight of them, unless it's bulk. That's why some small hazmat shipments move without an HME driver. The shipper decides the placards, and you check the shipping papers before you leave.

Who can get it

• A CDL or CLP holder. The HME goes on your CDL. You can't hold H on a learner's permit. Only P, S and N are allowed on a CLP.
• Immigration status: TSA requires you to be a U.S. national or citizen, a lawful permanent resident, or in one of the other categories listed in 49 CFR 1572.105, such as refugees, asylees and certain nonimmigrants with work authorization. Lawful permanent residents also give the state their USCIS number.
• No disqualifying offenses: TSA lists permanent and interim disqualifying crimes in 49 CFR 1572.103. Some interim ones only count within 7 years of conviction or 5 years of release. Waivers and appeals exist under 49 CFR part 1515.
• Age: you must be at least 21 to drive a CMV in interstate commerce (49 CFR 391.11). Some states set their own age rule for the HME, so check yours.

Step 1: ELDT hazmat theory training

Since February 7, 2022, anyone getting the H endorsement for the first time must first complete hazmat theory training from a provider listed on FMCSA's Training Provider Registry (TPR) (49 CFR 380.609 and 383.71(e)).

• Theory only: the H curriculum (Appendix E to part 380) has no behind-the-wheel part.
• No minimum hours: the provider must cover every topic, including shipping papers, placards, loading and segregation, tunnels and railroad crossings, bulk packages and emergency response.
• Passing score: at least 80% overall on the theory assessment (380.715).
• Online is allowed if a theory instructor prepares or delivers the content.
• The provider reports your completion to the TPR by midnight of the second business day. The state checks it before you can take the knowledge test.

Drivers who already had H before February 7, 2022 don't have to take ELDT for it.

Step 2: the TSA security threat assessment

A state can't issue, renew or transfer an HME until TSA finds you don't pose a security threat (49 CFR 383.141 and 1572.13). There are two ways to enroll, depending on your state:

• Agent states (most states and D.C.): you apply online or by phone with TSA's enrollment provider, pay the fee, then visit an enrollment center for fingerprints and identity documents. The TSA fee for a new or renewal HME is $85.25. It was $86.50 in TSA's last fee notice; the FBI fingerprint fee went down on January 1, 2025. If you already passed a comparable check, such as for a TWIC, TSA's comparable-check fee is $41.00 where the state allows it.
• Non-agent states: as of TSA's August 2024 notice, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin collect your information and fingerprints themselves. You pay TSA's fee ($57.25 standard, $31.00 reduced) plus the FBI fee and any state fee, through the state.

TSA says most applications are approved within 48 hours, but some take longer. You get a letter with the result. If TSA finds a problem, you can appeal or ask for a waiver, usually within 60 days. TSA doesn't refund fees.

Have a TWIC? Federal rules let a state issue the HME to someone who holds a valid TWIC without a new TSA check. States choose whether to allow it, so ask yours.

Step 3: knowledge test and state steps

1. Study the CDL manual's hazmat section. The test covers the hazmat table, shipping papers, marking, labeling, placards, loading, segregation, parking, routes, tunnels, railroad crossings and emergency response (49 CFR 383.121).
2. Take the hazmat knowledge test at your state licensing office after the TPR shows your ELDT. Add the tank (N) test if you want X.
3. Bring proof of citizenship or lawful permanent residency and the other documents your state asks for.
4. Wait for TSA's result, then go back to have the endorsement added and pay the state's license fee. State fees vary, so check your DMV's site.

The order of the TSA check and the test can vary by state. Starting the TSA check early saves time.

Renewal every 5 years

• Cycle: states must renew the HME at least every 5 years so you get a new TSA check at least that often (383.141(d)).
• Notice: your state must warn you at least 60 days before it expires. TSA's rule says to start the new check no later than 60 days before the expiration date (1572.13(b)).
• Test again: to keep H when you renew your CDL, you must pass the hazmat knowledge test again (383.71(d)).
• Delays: if TSA hasn't decided by the expiration date, your state may extend the HME for 90 days.
• Moving states: the new state doesn't require a new TSA check until your current one expires, but it can require the hazmat test or approved training taken within the last 2 years.

What a hazmat carrier needs

The endorsement is for the driver. If you run under your own authority, the company has its own requirements:

• PHMSA registration: carriers that haul placarded amounts of hazmat must register with PHMSA every registration year (July 1 to June 30) on Form F 5800.2 (49 CFR 107.601 and 107.608). The fee is $250 for a small business or $2,575 for others, plus a $25 processing fee (107.612). Keep the certificate or the registration number in the truck. An owner-operator leased to a registered carrier for 30 days or more is excepted.
• Insurance minimums (49 CFR 387.9), trucks of 10,001 lb GVWR or more:

  Cargo	Minimum
  Nonhazardous freight, for-hire interstate	$750,000
  Oil and most hazmat in any quantity, interstate	$1,000,000
  Hazardous substances in bulk (cargo tanks, portable tanks, hoppers), bulk Division 1.1 to 1.3 explosives, bulk 2.3 or 6.1 Zone A poisons, bulk 2.1 or 2.2 gases, highway route controlled Class 7	$5,000,000

  Vehicles under 10,001 lb hauling certain bulk explosives, Zone A poisons or highway route controlled radioactive material also need $5,000,000.
• Hazmat Safety Permit (HMSP): required for certain loads, such as more than 55 lb of Division 1.1 to 1.3 explosives, highway route controlled Class 7, some poison-by-inhalation loads and bulk liquefied natural gas (49 CFR 385.403). You need a Satisfactory safety rating to get one.
• Training and paperwork: every hazmat employee, including you, needs hazmat training at least every 3 years (172.704). Keep shipping papers within reach at the wheel, or in the driver's door pocket or on the seat when you step out (177.817). Some loads also need a written security plan (172.800).

Get quotes before you take your first hazmat load. See trucking insurance explained. Our compliance service can help with filings.

How the endorsement affects your loads

• More loads to choose from: many dry van and reefer loads include placarded freight such as paints, cleaning chemicals, batteries or aerosols. Without H you have to pass on them.
• Your carrier has to be set up too: brokers check that the carrier is registered for hazmat and has the right insurance, not only that the driver has H.
• More rules on the road: placards, shipping papers, hazmat routes, tunnel limits, parking and attendance rules, and stops at railroad crossings for some loads.
• Inspections: hazmat violations show up in their own CSA category. See CSA scores explained.

Tell your dispatcher which endorsements you hold and which hazmat classes you'll haul. Fleetorica's owner-operator dispatch is a percentage of the load's gross for semis. We check the load details against your endorsements and insurance before booking. Fleetorica is a dispatch service, not a broker or carrier.

Questions carriers ask