Can i not get a hazmat endorsement with a CDL permit?

I am 64 years old. I am the son of a trucker and have been around truckers and trucking all my life. I don't think I have admitted this in TTR but most of what I have learned over the years has come from discussions some heated but respectful. I did not do so in this thread, but sometimes I will play devil's advocate to start a discussion. Not trolling, just wanting to get a better picture of a subject out. I will stay civil with satan himself as long as he stays the same. I did not really see anything @tscottme said as offensive, hopefully, he did not take my words the same.

There is something that people need to understand about title 49CFR. I have seen this with railroad regs too. Title 49 is where these agencies set up by Congress go to use their rule-making authority. The transportation laws are contained in 49 USC and the rules are part of 49 CFR. Anything that starts with 49USC is a law passed by Congress and signed into law by the President. 49CFR are the rules set by these agencies.

Here is a dirty little secret that most people don't know or understand. Take the 300 series rules. There might be 100 offices in the FMCSA offices that are putting proposed rules into the Federal Register. Sometimes these rules clash. This is why someone can go find a rule that might support them in a discussion and then have another person quote another rule from another place that seems to contradict that one. Then you have the problem of how the definitions are handled. My favorite one is what is a commercial vehicle? Well, that just depends on what rule we are discussing. If we are discussing part 383 then a CMV is anything over 26,001 that carries 16 people or has placards. 383.5. After reading this go take a gander at 390.5 and how it defines a CMV! It's NOT the same. This means the definition is different based on the subject.

This BS and crap like it is 90% of the genesis of discussions. Title 49 CFR is one of the most confusing places to be. I have seen safety critters from different carriers argue about these regs. That's how bad it is.

 

I didn't take anything Moose wrote as hostile or angry. My frustration would have been less if I remembered to put "What you say is right..." before focusing on my addition to the thread.