Is Hazmat worth the trouble? In my opinion: NO.

There's one on AZ 85 with no shoulder before it, 65 mph. If I'm going to "forget" a RxR crossing, it'd be one like this. It's more dangerous to stop on that kind of a road. Track warning lights: off. On approach you can see half a mile on each side there's nothing coming. Train horn heard? No. So do I stop on this fast road? I wouldn't. I'd just slow way down.

 

Most on a highway would be marked exempt.

 

I thought the same thing,as I don't work with a carrier who does alot of hazmat,and it's a pain sometimes,but it can get you out of a bad freight lane faster.

 

LTL is booming and the industry is hurting for skilled drivers that can handle 11+ hours of city traffic.

Not gonna get into the shortage issues at my barn since I already have two or three threads going in our LTL folder. Gonna keep my luggage out of here.

Most carriers picked up some kind of Amazon account, so we are busy. I can't think of a single LTL carrier that doesn't require the hazmat endorsement. We ship all kinds of flameable liquids, corrosives, and everything in between.

Not having the endorsement doesn't open new doors... It just limits your choices on carriers and may keep certain doors closed until you get it. My advice is get the stupid endorsement and renew it when your license expires and write off your losses on your taxes.

 

95% of what I haul is hazmat.
If the company is worth anything they pay you extra for hauling hazmat, especially tanker. Our dispatches are a little more forgiving time wise and if there is a problem a simple phone call takes care of things. No one likes cleaning up a hazmat wreck if you get my drift.

 

This is my experience. I still drive up and down US 24 to my place in Indiana and there is one there that has signs "EXEMPT CROSSING" and another in Indiana south of US 30, I think there is also a couple on US 30 but don't remember.

 

9/11 sealed the deal for me to never get the endorsement. I refuse to be fingerprinted for anything. Now that trusts require fingerprints, I'll be buying no more NFA tax stamps.

 

if you’re referring to the one up by 6 they pulled the tracks and paved over it last year.

 

What is the trouble part exactly?

Counting the money?

 

Thanks, but you know I was just down there and I swear they were still there. It is like going down a street where you live, you just drive and not notice changes.

If they pulled the tracks, that's even better, I will be going there next week, and I will have to pay attention to it.

God I hate getting old ... I will lose sleep over it now