HAZMAT? How many of you have it.

I got my haz mat. Big waste of money

 

The company I work for wants it. They will pay the fees. We have a customer whom you never know if it's placarded until you get there. If you don't have it, you can't collect layover pay here!

I have mine. No extra pay for hazmat loads, though. Oh, well!

 

I went ahead and got the endorsement and background checks because I was sold on the 'you don't want to be sitting when you coulda been hauling a hazmat that was only thing available' routine.

And my second and third loads were hazmat loads so I thought 'cool this thing is coming in handy'. In the year I have been driving I've only pulled a handful of hazmat loads. Debatable whether the extra pay outweighed the $89 bucks spent for the fingerprints and background check.

 

It will make it easier for you down the road to have it though - it might not help at the beginning, but it will probably help you down the line to already have it.

 

1) help you get hired----depends on company

2) keeps you running----depends on company


i've had hazmat since i've had my licence. Ever since the new renewal/background check i've used it once in 4 yrs. And even that was optional---was not forced dispatch, had several load choices. The first renewal was $180. Not worth it.

The latest renewal was $91. i only renewed it again because i'm hardcore as far as possible new job possibilities----i want to have as many options available.


3) It seems like before EVERY company required hazmat. Now it seems no-one cares. Except ,of course, the companies that haul mostly hazmat.


4) The test seems to be getting harder; i just barely passed on the first try this last renewal So, if you do decide to get it read the manual thoroughly again and again, over and over, inside and out and sideways. Preferably one month before you go in to take the test.

 

I know nothing of the taxes side of this yet...

But would not the cost be considered a business expense?

Mikeeee

 

I keep it ,because you never know when it will be needed,especially with the job market these days.

 

I sent off for mine to get a job hauling fuel and stuff, but it was going to take to long so I took another job that gives you 60 days to get it. Then I moved. I'm not sure where the letter went or how to get it.

 

If you went to the post office to set up a forwarding address for your mail when you moved, it'll get to you as long as either the post office catches it before it gets delivered to send your way or the new residents at your old address return your mail to the post office for them to forward to you.

No forwarding address and it'll be returned to sender...in which case you won't get it. Or, if it was delivered to your old address and the new residents pitched it in the trash, again, you won't get it.

 

The following info comes from an article by Eric Miller in Transport Topics, 5/9/11, page 4, titled "Costly Fees, Red Tape Discourage Drivers From Getting Hazmat Credentials".

The number of drivers with Hazmat has declined by roughly 1.2 million since 2004. After having completed a full cycle of renewals, there are now 1.5 million hazmat drivers down from 2.7 million. Fewer than 1% of applicants were disqualified.

A House bill introduced last week will reduce multiple federal background checks and fees for truckers seeking security credentials for both seaports and hazardous materials. This bill will also remove the hazmat requirement for such materials as paint, hair spray or soda syrup.

Hazmat endorsement was a knowledge test prior to 9/11. It became a problem when they made it a knowledge test and a character test.