Driver credentials
Getting the hazmat endorsement
The hazmat endorsement is the one CDL add-on with a federal security gate: TSA must clear you before any state may put the H on your license, the assessment is paid at enrollment, and the clearance repeats on a fixed cycle. Here is the process in order, the fees, and the offenses that disqualify, each cited to TSA or the regulation.
By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Jul 22, 2026
The security gate (49 CFR 383.141)
A state may not issue, renew, upgrade, or transfer a hazardous materials endorsement for a CDL unless TSA has determined the driver does not pose a security risk, or the driver holds a valid TWIC. States must set the HME renewal cycle at 5 years or less so every holder repeats the TSA security screening at least every 5 years.
The TSA fee is $85.25 at enrollment, or $41.00 for drivers who already hold a valid TWIC and are licensed in a state that accepts the TWIC assessment in its place. On top of the TSA fee, each state licensing agency charges its own endorsement and knowledge-test fees, and the eight state-run enrollment states set their own collection amounts. Those fees vary by state and are published by each licensing agency, so no single figure is recorded here; the state pages carry state-verified fees where available.
The process, step by step
If you are earlier in the sequence, get the CDL first; everything below assumes a license to attach the endorsement to.
- Hold a CDL, or get one first. The H endorsement attaches to a commercial driver license, so the CDL comes first. The endorsement can be added at initial issuance or to a license you already hold.
- Complete the required theory training. Drivers issued a CLP on or after February 7, 2022 who seek a first H endorsement must complete entry level driver training with a provider registered in FMCSA's Training Provider Registry before taking the hazmat knowledge test.
- Read the disqualifier lists before you pay. TSA screens against the criminal, immigration, and mental-capacity standards of its regulation. The permanent and interim offense lists below are the ones that stop an application, and the fee is paid at enrollment, before the determination.
- Enroll with TSA and pay the fee. Drivers pre-enroll online or complete the whole process at a TSA application center with identity documents and fingerprints. Drivers licensed in Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, or Wisconsin apply through their state driver licensing agency instead. TSA advises enrolling at least 60 days before the eligibility determination is needed and notes processing for some applicants may exceed 45 days.
- Pass the state hazmat knowledge test. The state licensing agency administers the hazmat knowledge test and will not issue, renew, upgrade, or transfer the endorsement until TSA has cleared you. Test order varies by state; some let you test while the TSA determination is pending, others require the clearance first.
- Renew on your state cycle. A state may not issue, renew, upgrade, or transfer a hazardous materials endorsement for a CDL unless TSA has determined the driver does not pose a security risk, or the driver holds a valid TWIC. States must set the HME renewal cycle at 5 years or less so every holder repeats the TSA security screening at least every 5 years.
The disqualifying offenses (49 CFR 1572.103)
An applicant is permanently disqualified if convicted, or found not guilty by reason of insanity, in a civilian or military jurisdiction, of any of these felonies:
- Espionage, or conspiracy to commit espionage
- Sedition, or conspiracy to commit sedition
- Treason, or conspiracy to commit treason
- A federal crime of terrorism as defined in 18 U.S.C. 2332b(g), or comparable state law, or conspiracy to commit it
- A crime involving a transportation security incident
- Improper transportation of a hazardous material under 49 U.S.C. 5124 or comparable state law
- Unlawful possession, use, sale, distribution, manufacture, purchase, receipt, transfer, shipping, transporting, import, export, storage of, or dealing in an explosive or explosive device
- Murder
- Threatening or maliciously conveying false information about delivering, placing, or detonating an explosive or other lethal device against a place of public use, government facility, public transportation system, or infrastructure facility
- A RICO violation (18 U.S.C. 1961 et seq., or comparable state law) where a predicate act is one of the crimes above
- Attempt to commit the first four crimes listed; conspiracy or attempt to commit the others
These felonies disqualify for a limited window: conviction (or a not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity finding) within seven years of the application, or release from incarceration for the crime within five years of it:
- Unlawful possession, use, sale, manufacture, purchase, distribution, receipt, transfer, shipping, transporting, delivery, import, export of, or dealing in a firearm or other weapon
- Extortion
- Dishonesty, fraud, or misrepresentation, including identity fraud (welfare fraud and passing bad checks excluded)
- Bribery
- Smuggling
- Immigration violations
- Distribution of, possession with intent to distribute, or importation of a controlled substance
- Arson
- Kidnapping or hostage taking
- Rape or aggravated sexual abuse
- Assault with intent to kill
- Robbery
- Fraudulent entry into a seaport
- A RICO violation other than one with a listed predicate act
- Conspiracy or attempt to commit any crime in this interim list
An applicant wanted or under indictment in any civilian or military jurisdiction for a listed felony is disqualified until the want or warrant is released or the indictment is dismissed. If the fingerprint check shows an arrest for a disqualifying crime with no disposition, the applicant has 60 days from TSA's notification to provide written proof the arrest did not end in a disqualifying conviction; otherwise TSA notifies the applicant and the state that the applicant is disqualified.
The endorsement is the driver half
An H on your license lets you drive placarded loads; it does not authorize a company to haul them. The business side stacks separately: operating authority, the PHMSA registration, hazmat insurance minimums, and the safety permit for the highest-risk materials, all covered in the hazmat carrier hub. If you are still weighing whether hazmat freight fits your operation at all, the quick definition lives in the glossary, and the equipment question starts at CDL vs non-CDL trucking.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the hazmat endorsement cost?
- The TSA security threat assessment costs $85.25 at enrollment, or $41.00 for drivers who already hold a valid TWIC and are licensed in a state that accepts the TWIC assessment. On top of the TSA fee, each state licensing agency charges its own endorsement and knowledge-test fees, and the eight state-run enrollment states set their own collection amounts. Those fees vary by state and are published by each licensing agency, so no single figure is recorded here; the state pages carry state-verified fees where available.
How long does the TSA background check take?
- Drivers pre-enroll online or complete the whole process at a TSA application center with identity documents and fingerprints. Drivers licensed in Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, or Wisconsin apply through their state driver licensing agency instead. TSA advises enrolling at least 60 days before the eligibility determination is needed and notes processing for some applicants may exceed 45 days.
What disqualifies you from a hazmat endorsement?
- Permanently: espionage, or conspiracy to commit espionage; sedition, or conspiracy to commit sedition; treason, or conspiracy to commit treason; a federal crime of terrorism as defined in 18 u.s.c. 2332b(g), or comparable state law, or conspiracy to commit it, and the other permanent offenses listed on this page. For a window of years: the interim offenses, disqualifying if the conviction was within seven years of the application or release from incarceration was within five. An applicant wanted or under indictment in any civilian or military jurisdiction for a listed felony is disqualified until the want or warrant is released or the indictment is dismissed.
How long is the hazmat endorsement good for?
- A state may not issue, renew, upgrade, or transfer a hazardous materials endorsement for a CDL unless TSA has determined the driver does not pose a security risk, or the driver holds a valid TWIC. States must set the HME renewal cycle at 5 years or less so every holder repeats the TSA security screening at least every 5 years. The TSA assessment itself is paid at enrollment and is valid for five years.
Do I need the H endorsement to start a hazmat trucking company?
- You need it to drive placarded loads yourself. The company side is separate: carrier registration, the PHMSA hazmat registration, higher insurance minimums, and for the highest-risk materials an FMCSA safety permit. The carrier hub covers that stack.
Sources
Primary statutes and official agency pages this guide relies on. Laws and fees change, so confirm against the current source before you act.
- 49 CFR 383.141, hazardous materials endorsement security screening (General) · Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), FMCSA regulations, U.S. DOT
- HAZMAT Endorsement Threat Assessment Program · Transportation Security Administration (TSA), U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- 49 CFR 1572.103 - Disqualifying criminal offenses (TSA security threat assessments) · eCFR (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations)
- Drivers (CDL classes, endorsements, and restrictions) · Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), U.S. DOT
Haul Handbook publishes educational information about trucking registration and compliance requirements. This is not legal, financial, or tax advice. Rules, fees, and deadlines change; confirm with the agency before you file or pay.