Hazmat endorsement

What the H endorsement covers

H is the hazardous-materials code on a commercial driver’s license. 49 CFR 383.5 defines hazardous materials, for this licensing part, as any material designated hazardous under 49 U.S.C. 5103 that must be placarded under subpart F of 49 CFR part 172, or any quantity of a material listed as a select agent or toxin in 42 CFR part 73. A load that does not meet that definition is not an H load under this section.

Checked October 29, 2026: 49 CFR 383.5 and 49 CFR 383.93.

49 CFR 383.93 requires a specialized knowledge test for a vehicle used to transport those hazardous materials. It does not require a skills test for this endorsement. Passenger and school-bus endorsements are the ones that add a skills test. The state issues the endorsement only after the applicant passes the required tests.

49 CFR 383.153 prints H for hazardous materials. It prints X when the same CDL carries both the tank-vehicle endorsement and the hazardous-materials endorsement. X is that combination. It is not a substitute for either test. If the cargo is a liquid or gas in a qualifying tank and it is also hazardous material, read the tanker endorsement guide with this page.

The same letter X is used for something else on a commercial learner’s permit. 49 CFR 383.153 lists restriction X as “No cargo in CMV tank vehicle.” That restriction is not the combined endorsement. Read the code on the document you actually hold.

What the knowledge test has to cover

49 CFR 383.121 says the applicant must know the driver rules drawn from 49 CFR parts 171, 172, 173, 177, 178, and 397. The section groups that knowledge into hazardous materials regulations, handling, emergency equipment, emergency response, and other operating practices. The regulation list includes shipping papers, marking, labeling, placarding, packaging, loading and segregation, attendance, parking, routes, cargo tanks, and the existence of special requirements for Class 1.1 and 1.2 explosives.

49 CFR 383.135(a)(1) says a passing score on each knowledge test is at least 80 percent of the questions. That is the state test. It is separate from the training provider’s theory assessment, which has its own 80 percent rule below. This site’s hazmat practice set explains federal topics. It is not the state exam, and it does not issue an endorsement.

The state knowledge-test fee is not printed in the federal sections checked for this page, and it is not on the TSA fee list below. Ask the licensing agency. Do not copy another state’s charge. Texas DPS does not print a hazmat question count on the pages checked October 29, 2026. That note is on the Texas CDL practice test page.

Entry-level theory before a first H test

49 CFR 380.609(b) says a person seeking a passenger, school bus, or hazardous materials endorsement for the first time must complete the training for that endorsement from a provider on the Training Provider Registry. The section does not name the tank or double/triple endorsements. Already holding a CDL does not, by itself, remove that first-time H requirement.

Appendix E to 49 CFR part 380 is the hazardous-materials curriculum. It says there is no required minimum number of instruction hours for theory training, and the provider must cover every topic in the curriculum. The units include shipping papers and placards, loading and segregation, bulk packages and cargo-tank rollover prevention, emergency equipment, tunnels and railroad crossings, and hazardous materials safety permits. 49 CFR 380.715(a) says the provider must use written assessments and the trainee must score at least 80 percent on the theory assessment.

49 CFR 380.715(b) requires instructors to evaluate behind-the-wheel skills for the curricula in appendices A through D. Appendix E is not in that list. Do not buy a road-test package on the claim that federal H training requires one. Confirm the provider’s registered training type on the Training Provider Registry before you pay. The ELDT guide explains how to check a completion record. What that theory can cover online, and what it does not replace, is in the ELDT online-theory section.

49 CFR 383.93(a)(2) limits commercial learner’s permit endorsements to P, S, and N. H is not on that list. You need the underlying CDL class for the vehicle, then the H endorsement on the CDL. The class and the endorsement are different privileges. The endorsement overview compares the other letters.

TSA threat assessment and the fee on the page checked

49 CFR 383.141(b) says a state may not issue, renew, upgrade, or transfer a hazardous materials endorsement unless TSA has determined the person does not pose a security risk warranting denial, or the person holds a valid TWIC. TSA’s hazmat page, checked October 29, 2026, says you should apply if you have a state-issued CDL and you must transport materials that require placarding.

Fee source: TSA Hazardous Materials Endorsement, opened October 29, 2026. TSA cites the June 8, 2026 Federal Register notice (91 FR 34655) for the FBI record-check fee change. This page did not re-open that notice.

TSA lists the threat-assessment fee as:

• New and renewing applicant: $88.25.
• New and renewing applicant, reduced rate: $41.

The page says the fee is non-refundable and valid for five years. It says the FBI increased fingerprint-based and name-based criminal-history fees by $3 effective October 1, 2026, and that the HME application cost rose to $88.25 because TSA uses those checks. October 29, 2026 is after that effective date, so the page’s current figures are the ones above.

The reduced rate is not described as a discount in every state. TSA says a reduced-rate applicant must already have a valid TWIC and be licensed in a state that accepts the TWIC threat assessment for this process. Its page then limits the $41 rate by how much time is left on the TWIC:

• At least one year remaining: Arizona, California, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
• At least four years remaining: Alabama, Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Vermont.

TSA says applicants in those states, except Virginia, can confirm the reduced rate online during the application. The State of Virginia confirms the applicant’s eligibility online with TSA. The page’s headline also says a person who already holds a valid TWIC pays $41. The state lists above are the more specific instruction on the same page. If your state is not listed, ask TSA which rate applies. This guide does not extend the $41 rate past those lists.

Where you enroll also depends on the state. TSA says Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin applicants should use the state licensing agency for the application and fingerprints. Other applicants pre-enroll online or complete the process at an enrollment center. TSA recommends enrolling at least 60 days before you need the determination, and it says some processing times may exceed 45 days. TSA’s stated goal is a status within 60 days after enrollment information is received. It does not send an approval letter. It notifies the state, and the state issues the endorsement.

TSA says you may apply if you are a U.S. citizen, a lawful permanent resident, a naturalized citizen, or a nonimmigrant, asylee, or refugee in lawful status, and you have a CDL from a U.S. state. It also says the licensing state may set stricter citizenship or lawful-presence rules. The page says an applicant may be ineligible for incomplete or false information or for disqualifying criminal offenses. Those offenses are not listed on the page opened for this guide. TSA points to 49 CFR 1572 for the threat-assessment rule.

Renewal is a new threat assessment, not a copy of the old card

49 CFR 383.141(d) requires states to renew hazardous materials endorsements every 5 years or less, so the TSA screening happens at least that often. Paragraph (c) requires the state to notify the holder at least 60 days before the CDL or the endorsement expires. The notice must say the person should file a renewal as soon as possible, and not later than 30 days before the endorsement expires, in order to expedite screening. A person who does not complete the threat assessment may not be issued the endorsement.

TSA’s renewal answer says you generally renew every five years, some states review more often because the license cycle is shorter, and renewal requires new fingerprints. It also says the state may require a written test before it issues a new, renewed, or transferred endorsement. That is a state choice. This guide does not state which states retest.

A transfer is not automatically a new assessment. TSA says that if you already completed a threat assessment and your new state can issue an H endorsement that expires within five years of that assessment, you may not have to take a new one. Ask the new state. Do not assume the old endorsement travels.

Practice questions, and when the tank rules also apply

Use the hazmat practice set to review shipping papers, placards, loading, and emergency topics. Then use the state manual for the exam you will actually take. If the hazardous material is in a tank that meets the tank-vehicle definition, the N knowledge test still applies, and the CDL code for both privileges is X. Start with the tanker endorsement guide.