HazMat Endorsement (H): TSA Threat Assessment, ELDT Theory, and the Knowledge Test

The H endorsement sequence, step by step

You need H to drive a vehicle carrying hazardous materials that require placards, or any amount of a listed select agent or toxin (49 CFR 383.5). The endorsement goes on a CDL, never on a learner's permit. For a first-time applicant, the federal steps line up like this:

Federal rules do not require step 4 to wait for step 3. Because TSA's step takes the longest, start it while you are still in training.

The HazMat course has no behind-the-wheel portion. Unlike Class A and B training, it is also not subject to the rule that theory and driving training be finished within one year (380.603(c)(3)). Drivers who held H before February 7, 2022, do not need the course for that endorsement (380.603(b)).

The TSA security threat assessment and its fee

As checked on October 28, 2026, TSA's HazMat endorsement page says:

• Fee: $88.25 for new and renewing applicants, after the FBI raised its background check fees by $3 effective October 1, 2026. A reduced $41.00 rate applies if you already hold a valid TWIC and your state accepts the TWIC threat assessment under TSA's reciprocity process. The fee is nonrefundable and the assessment is valid for five years. This is the fee a 2027 applicant should plan for unless TSA announces another change.
• Timing: enroll at least 60 days before you need a decision. TSA reports high demand and says some applicants may wait more than 45 days. TSA does not send an approval letter: it notifies your state, and the state gives you the result when it issues the CDL with H.
• Where to apply: pre-enroll online or do everything in person at an enrollment center. Residents of Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin should instead go to their state driver licensing agency for application and fingerprinting information.
• Eligibility: TSA lists the citizenship and immigration categories that may apply and tells you to check whether your state sets stricter rules. False or incomplete information and disqualifying criminal offenses can make you ineligible.

A lawful permanent resident applying for H must also give the state a USCIS alien registration number (383.71(b)(8)).

What the H knowledge test covers

Every CDL applicant already sees basic hazardous materials topics on the General Knowledge test: what counts as a hazardous material, the hazard classes, labeling and placarding, and the need for special training (383.111(a)(18)). The H test goes much deeper. Federal rules list four groups of topics (383.121), drawn from 49 CFR Parts 171, 172, 173, 177, 178, and 397:

1. The regulations: the hazardous materials table, shipping papers, marking, labeling, placarding, packaging, definitions, accident reporting, and rules for tunnels and railroad crossings.
2. Handling: forbidden materials, loading and unloading, keeping incompatible cargo apart, hazardous materials on buses, attending the vehicle, parking, routes, cargo tanks, and safe havens.
3. Emergency equipment: protecting the public, fires, loading and unloading precautions, and tank vehicle equipment.
4. Emergency response: different kinds of crashes, driving near a fire, smoking rules, and the special requirements for Class 1.1 and 1.2 explosives.

The ELDT HazMat theory course covers the same ground and adds fueling, tire checks, route planning, and hazardous materials safety permits. The number of questions is set by the state. As checked on October 28, 2026, Washington's H test has 30 questions with 24 needed to pass.

This page gives an overview only. Learn the hazard classes, placard tables, and segregation rules from your state's CDL manual chapter on hazardous materials and the regulations it cites. Full CDL prep planned for launch includes 206 Hazardous Materials questions with an explanation for every answer.

The endorsement is not the only hazmat training rule. Once you haul hazardous materials, your employer must also train you as a hazmat employee, with recurrent training at least once every three years (49 CFR 172.704(c)(2)). Washington's guide makes the same point in its hazardous materials chapter.

Renewing H: a TSA check and the knowledge test again

The H cycle can be shorter than your CDL's. A CDL may be valid for up to eight years (383.73(b)(9)), but states must renew H every five years or less so that every holder goes through TSA's assessment again (383.141(d)). TSA adds that some states require more frequent reviews because of shorter license cycles.

At renewal, federal rules require three things:

• A new TSA assessment. Your state must notify you at least 60 days before H expires. File the renewal as soon as possible, and no later than 30 days before expiration (383.141(c)).
• The H knowledge test again (383.71(d)(3) and 383.73(d)(4)).
• A clean Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse check. Since November 18, 2024, a state may not renew a CDL or H endorsement for a driver listed as prohibited (383.73(d)(9)).

Here is how those dates fall for Andre, a fictional driver whose H endorsement expires on May 15, 2032:

The practical lesson: enroll with TSA when the state's notice arrives, not when the federal deadline does. Because the renewal includes the knowledge test again, the 70 HazMat flashcards planned for launch are one way to refresh the rules first.

Moving to another state with a HazMat endorsement

To keep H when you transfer your CDL, you must meet TSA's requirements (383.71(c)(3)). TSA says you may not need a new threat assessment if your new state can issue an H that expires within five years of your last completed one. The new state must also confirm that you passed the H test within the two years before the transfer, or completed a third-party hazardous materials test or training that the state accepts as equivalent (383.73(c)(4)). States can be stricter, so ask the new state's licensing agency before you move.

What a learner's permit does not allow

H is not one of the three endorsements allowed on a CLP, and a CLP holder may not drive a CMV that is transporting hazardous materials at all (383.25(a)(5)(iv) and (a)(6)). A CLP with the tank (N) endorsement allows only an empty tank, purged of any hazardous residue. Hazardous materials hauling therefore waits until your CDL carries H. If the load is also in a tank, the license shows X, as the tank vehicle guide explains.

For where H fits among the other codes, see the CDL endorsements overview. For the training registry and who else needs ELDT, see the ELDT guide. Passy's free CDL practice questions do not include HazMat endorsement items, while full CDL prep planned for launch tracks your accuracy on each test, HazMat included.