I'm getting my hazmat in march, and am fresh out of school. Does anyone have any recomendations of whom i work for? AM i stuck working OTR for 2 years, then i can get a hazmat job? Thanks

Some otr runs hazmat along with normal runs but if your looking for something local/regional--you can prolly find a tanker outfit that will hire you in your area. You can prolly google to find whats in your area.

Pain to get but worth it in the long run.

Check out Superior Carriers They will hire you if the Terminal manager recomends you.

This is true--fortunately I got mine before it got all crazy so i have a few more years to worry bout doin the fingerprinting stuff!

What makes it difficult to get a Hazmat Endorsement?

Whereas most of the other endorsement test answers are common sense, the hazardous materials test requires studying. At least, the driver must be familiar with the terms and definitions. The test is true/false, or multiple choice; and the driver can try to find the most reasonable answer. It gets tricky when one of the choices is: "All Of The Above".

Over the years of renewing my HM endorsement, I have marked my study materials to show what questions were on the test, and what questions I missed. I was always surprised that the test was so easy although studying for it is difficult.

Here is an example of a test question involving a shipment of "55 gallons of chlorine - inhalation hazard." To select the correct answer, you must know that "if the words INHALATION HAZARD are on the shipping paper or package, the rules require POISON placards. You must use POISON placards in addition to any others needed by the product's hazard class. Always show the hazard class placard and the POISON placard, even for small amounts."

Here is a test question pertaining to radioactive materials. What is the maximum transport index that can be loaded in a single vehicle? The answer is: The total transport index of all packages in a single vehicle must not exceed 50. How would you know that each transport index shows how long and how close you can load radioactive products to people, animals, or film if you did not study the book?

"All of the above" is not always the correct answer. I do not remember the choices, but the correct answer I missed was "The driver is responsible to find out about route and permit requirements." You would think that the carrier had some responsibility at that point. The carrier "must determine that the shipper met packaging and labeling requirements." I don't know how I missed that one except that the driver is the only witness to what the shipper has done. You can outsmart yourself on the hazardous materials test. When you go back to take the test again, they give you a different set of questions.

Since the 9/11 terror incident--you now have to do fingerprinting and background checks before you can even acquire your hazmat endorsement and some say this can take up to a few weeks to get. This is along with the normal hazmat tests you have to take. Good luck to you!

For me it was easy and pain free and I got my clearance papers in about 2 weeks after the finger printing. And your right about 9/11 that is why they do this. It also costs $94.00, well that is what I paid be safe out there!!

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WE ARE IN CONTROL OF OUR DESTINY!!!

Fortunately i haven't had to go through this headache yet but I am sure i will eventually!