HAZMAT Endorsement

Section 1978 of the TSA Modernization Act passed in October 2018 allows states to issue an HME on a state-issued CDL to a driver who holds a valid Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC®). This provision allows states to utilize the existing TWIC® to verify the completion of the TSA security threat assessment. TSA has approved an exemption from certain portions of the current regulations. This exemption relieves states from requiring an additional HME application from individuals, and relieves individuals from having to submit certain information and fees to receive a state issued HME if they hold a valid TWIC®. Per the approved exemption memo, the state must verify the validity of the TWIC® using methods prescribed by TSA prior to issuing the HME. The expiration date of any HME issued through this process will not extend past the expiration date of the relevant TWIC®. Check with your state for more details.

No. Applicants who apply for a TWIC do not have to pay the full price for the TWIC STA if they apply successful clearance results from their most recent HME STA, and as a result, the fee for the TWIC is reduced by $22.75. All TWIC applicants must pay the fees that cover the other components of the TWIC program, including enrollment and card issuance. Applicants are always offered the option to apply for a full-fee TWIC STA if they determine it is more cost effective to do so.

This rule applies only to drivers who hold a CDL issued by a state of the U.S. Generally, this would not include drivers from Canada and Mexico. There is a separate rule that addresses Canadian drivers hauling explosives into the U.S. Eventually, all drivers will have to meet threat assessment and eligibility standards that are comparable to the standards that now apply to Hazmat drivers in the U.S.

If you have completed a security threat assessment and you are transferring your HME to a new state, you may not have to go through a new threat assessment for the transfer, provided your new state can issue you an HME that expires within five years of your last assessment.

Generally, you must renew your HME every five years, although some states may require more frequent reviews based on shorter license cycles. You will be required to submit new fingerprints at the time of renewal of the endorsement. Per state requirements, you may be required to satisfactorily complete written competency tests as a prerequisite to the issuance of a new, renewed, or transferred HME.

Please contact the Vital Records department in the state you were born.

The HME will be issued with the same expiration date as the individual’s TWIC STA. Therefore, individuals should consider the expiration date of their current TWIC STA to determine if it is cost effective to apply for a comparable HME STA.

You are eligible to pay a reduced fee if you hold a TWIC security threat assessment at least one year remaining before expiration in the following states:

(Arizona, California, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming)

In addition, you are eligible to pay a reduced fee if you hold a TWIC security threat assessment at least four years remaining before expiration in the following states:

(Alabama, Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Vermont)

Applicants in all States above, except Virginia, can confirm their eligibility online with TSA during the HME STA application process here. The State of Virginia will confirm the eligibility of applicants online with TSA.

TSA’s goal is to provide you with a response within 30-45 days of receiving the information you provided at enrollment. This may take longer if there was difficulty capturing your fingerprints during enrollment.

If cleared, you will receive notification by untracked first-class mail. Your letter of clearance is for informational purposes only and should not be required for proof of clearance from an employer or state. TSA sends official notification to your state of license only, and your state reflects your clearance result when it issues you a CDL with HME. Please check with your state as to what it may require you to do once you receive notification from TSA.

If TSA finds potentially disqualifying information, TSA will send you a letter with instructions on how to proceed.

The legal interpretation of the phrase “field of transportation” as it relates to fees covering the cost of vetting services can be found on the Federal Register as Docket ID TSA-2016-0001.

The rule is 49 CFR 1572. On May 5, 2003, TSA published the rule to secure the transportation of hazardous materials (hazmat), including explosives, by requiring threat assessments for all individuals who apply for, renew, or transfer a Hazardous Materials Endorsement (HME) on their commercial driver’s license (CDL). On January 25, 2007, TSA modified this rule to include additional disqualifiers and appeal mechanisms.

According to fee statute (6 U.S.C. 469(a)), the field of transportation includes any individual, activity, entity, facility, owner or operator that is subject to regulation by TSA, the Department of Transportation or the U.S. Coast Guard. This also includes individuals applying for trusted traveler programs, such as TSA PreCheck®.