How to Get a Hazmat Endorsement

The TSA background check, the training and the knowledge test for the H endorsement, with the fees and the federal rule for each.

Hazmat Practice Test · CDL Classes and Endorsements

Hazmat on the Road

The back of a tanker on a highway, with a hazmat placard and its ID number
Placards Placards on each side and end show what’s inside. Epolk, CC BY-SA 4.0
A tanker truck on a road in Alaska, below a pipeline crossing forested hills
Tankers A tanker carrying hazmat needs the H and N endorsements, or the X that combines them. Bureau of Land Management Alaska, public domain
A propane delivery truck parked at a gas station
Propane Propane is a flammable gas: delivering it is hazmat work. Infrogmation, CC BY-SA 4.0

Some photos cropped or edited.

Five Steps to Your H Endorsement

  1. Hold a CDL: The H endorsement goes on a CDL of any class.
  2. Pass TSA’s security threat assessment: Apply online or at an enrollment center, give your fingerprints and show proof of citizenship or immigration status. In Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin, start at your DMV.
  3. Finish the hazmat training: For your first H endorsement, theory training from a provider on FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry. There’s no driving part.
  4. Pass the hazmat knowledge test: 30 questions, and you need 24 right.
  5. Get the endorsement: Your state adds it once TSA finds no security threat. It lasts up to 5 years, then you renew the check.

Hazmat Practice Test

How much does the TSA check cost?

$88.25 from October 1, 2026, or $41 if you already hold a valid TWIC card. It isn’t refunded, and it’s good for five years. In the states where you apply at the DMV, ask there.

TSA, Hazmat Endorsement (checked November 1, 2026); 49 CFR 1572.405.

How long does the TSA check take?

TSA asks you to apply at least 60 days before you need it: some checks take over 45 days. When you renew, your state tells you at least 60 days before your H endorsement expires.

TSA, Hazmat Endorsement (checked November 1, 2026); 49 CFR 383.141(c).

Who can get a hazmat endorsement?

U.S. citizens and nationals, lawful permanent residents, refugees, people granted asylum, and people in some other lawful statuses with permission to work. A valid TWIC card counts as a passed check.

49 CFR 1572.105 and 383.141(b).

Which crimes disqualify you?

Some disqualify you for life, such as espionage, treason, terrorism, murder and crimes with explosives. Others disqualify you for 7 years after the conviction or 5 years after release from prison, such as felony weapons offenses, fraud, bribery, smuggling, drug dealing, arson, kidnapping and robbery.

Being wanted or under indictment for one of them disqualifies you until that ends. You can ask TSA for a waiver of some.

49 CFR 1572.103 and 1572.5(d).

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