Hazmat cert cutoff date?

I just wondering if there is a time frame from when you go and get fingerprinted for the TSA until the time you actually go and take your hazmat test for a new certification. I got my fingerprints done in the end of september 2013, got my letter from the TSA saying I am eligible to haul hazmat the second week of october 2013 but I never actually went and took the hazmat test at my dmv for various reasons, and I haven't had a driving job yet but I'm currently waiting on my criminal background check from a company I really like but they require me to have at least got fingerprinted for hazmat endorsement before orientation and then they give you 120 days to obtain it after being hired. The recruiter said she wasn't sure if there was a timeframe from when you get your TSA approval letter, to the time you get your endorsement or else you have to pay the entire fingerprinting fee over again, which was like $100.

I live in Maryland by the way if that helps.

 

Well I couldn't do it the same day I got fingerprinted because you have to wait a few weeks until you get the letter from the TSA saying you're eligible or not. By the time I got the letter I got a non-driving job which had me very busy up until about a few weeks ago. I put driving and getting the hazmat endorsement on the back burner at the time

 

Well I called the TSA dept that deals with Hazmats for CDLs. They told me you have at least 6 months to go and get your endorsement, but stated it varies from state to state. Lady told me some states you have 2 years so she told me to call my local DMV. They just closed so I'll just go talk to them in person first thing in the morning.

 

In Maryland you can't take the tests without getting fingerprinted first, and then you have to wait 2+ weeks to get the letter from TSA before you can go and take your test. I really hope I don't have to renew my fingerprints because the closest dmv that does them in MD from me is a little more than an hour away and I'm tight on cash at the moment. My local dmv doesn't do the for some unknown reason.

 

Yeah Maryland is always a hassle no matter what you're trying to do honestly. I live in western Maryland and the closest MVA that would do the fingerprinting was the one in Glen Burnie near Frederick. The one in LaVale Maryland, which I'm only a few minutes away from doesn't do fingerprinting, but that's where I'm going in the morning to ask. I got my fingers crossed, hopefully don't need to get re-fingerprinted and pay the fees again.


The company got all my background info back, gave me a phone interview and told me what their road test consists of, and they scheduled me for orientation this wednesday in Williamsport MD. They guy giving the phone interview didn't even know if there was a cutoff date for the fingerprint thing, so maybe I messed up not doing the test when I got the TSA letter, oh well. Apparently their road test consists of everything, a complete pre-trip ( brake test, pull test ), hookup and drop a trailer, a short drive out on the road, and finally backing into a dock. He kept telling me not to hit any curbs as they consider that an auto fail, they must send a lot of people home for bumping curbs. Kind of nervous now since I have no experience, I haven't driven truck since I graduated truck driving school back in June. I drove a dumptruck here and there at a company my brother works, but no tractor trailer driving since June.