Doesnt pulling Hazmat loads require a lot more work?

haz-mat is somthing that you have to pay for annually. there are roads you have to be on/cant be on,they are marked"no hazmat". they will placard your truck in 4 spots, back of trailer, front of trailer and both sides. it will take a few weeks befor you get permission to take hte test. until TSA clears you for hazmat you cant take hte test.

 

Yes you have to stop at railroad crossings. You also have to stay on hazmat routes around many of the larger cities. You need to check your tires every time you stop for heat, something I did anyway. Tunnels, depends on the tunnel and what you are hauling. A few states require hazmat loads to stop at weigh stations if open, Ohio is one.

Keep the BOL within easy reach when driving, and on the drivers seat when parked, and you are away from the truck.

Make sure you placards stay in place.

I pulled general frieght hazmat, ie no explosives and no nuclear waste, and tankers, no more work than a load without the hazmat labels.

 

the shipper is required to give you the placards, they do not put them on for you, that is your responsibility.

 

Really? Here when our license is about to expire (every 5 years) we have to re-take the hazmat test and get finger-printed. If you are paying yearly for your hazmat, then I suggest moving to a state that does it every few years instead.

 

The term "Hazmat" alone, normally instills a little apprehension to nearly all drivers new to hauling hazmat.
Hazmat loads can range from just a load of car batteries (Class 8, Corrosive) up to the significantly more dangerous materials.

Along with what the previous posters have said, my advice would be... once you study & pass your endorsement, realize that only teaches you the bare basics.
Once you start hauling loads, even tho the shipper is responsible for all proper paperwork & labeling, you have the ultimate responsibility to make sure that everything is proper, legal, and conforms to the regulations.

Additional studying is needed, so you can be 100% confident, for each hazmat material you haul, that you placard it correctly, and load/transport it correctly.

 

Yeah, I don't know how/where this "yearly" rumor is ever true. Since the Feds dictate the Risk Assessment process, I can't understand why any state wouldn't want a HazMat endorsement to be annual; would drive the BMV folks just crazy.

My Risk Assessment expires in the Fall of 2019, my CDL expires Spring 2018. I've met the "It's an annual renewal" folks here in former employer's breakroom, so I have no idea where it might be true.

Hauling gasoline to service stations is HazMat, but from what I've heard, the biggest challenge isn't hauling the gasoline, it's dealing with owners/managers that insist on ordering a load that "should fit by the time you arrive".

 

See if your state is like MI, I have to get my background check done first, before I can even take the written test. This may just be a national requirement but I’m not sure.