The hazardous materials endorsement is required to drive any vehicle that must be placarded, whether or not the trip crosses a state line. Without it, you may carry only hazardous materials in types or amounts that do not call for placards.
The MER and MEC are accepted only if they were completed within the past two years, which is also the longest a CDL medical certificate can stay valid, and the exam must be done by an examiner listed on the FMCSA National Registry.
In California, both vehicles described fall under Class C: one with two axles and a GVWR of up to 26,000 lbs., and one with three axles and a gross weight of up to 6,000 lbs. A housecar 40 feet long or shorter is covered as well.
The tank vehicle (N) endorsement is built around two figures: more than 119 gallons for an individual tank and 1,000 gallons for the combined capacity of the tanks. Both conditions must be met. The other pairs of numbers do not match either threshold.
Driving any bus built to carry 16 or more people, with the driver counted in that total, requires a CDL with the Passenger (P) endorsement.
Every CDL applicant must pass the general knowledge test, and anyone who will drive a bus must also pass the passenger transport test to earn the passenger (P) endorsement.
A tank vehicle (N) endorsement covers hauling liquids or gases in bulk tanks, and a hazardous materials (H) endorsement covers hazmat cargo, so a tanker carrying hazardous materials needs both. The two are often issued together as one combined X endorsement.
The tank endorsement depends on the form of the cargo: it covers vehicles that carry liquids or gases in tanks of the regulated size, whether or not the product is hazardous. Hazardous materials call for the separate HazMat endorsement, and passengers require the passenger endorsement.
Under federal rules, a first violation of an out-of-service order means losing the CDL for at least 180 days (up to 1 year). A second violation within ten years brings at least 2 years, and a third or more brings at least 3 years.
Driving a placarded hazardous materials load requires the HazMat endorsement, so without it you must turn the job down entirely and not move the load even a short distance. Taking off required placards is also illegal, and either shortcut can bring heavy fines, loss of your CDL and serious liability.
Earning the P endorsement means passing a knowledge test on general safe driving and on transporting riders safely. Hazardous materials and tank vehicles each have their own separate endorsement tests.
Every school bus driver must pass the CDL general knowledge test plus the endorsement tests for passengers (P) and for school buses (S). An air brake test is added only when the bus has air brakes.
A HazMat endorsement is required only when the vehicle must display placards. A small shipment that does not trigger placarding may be hauled without it, but keeping the trip inside one state or bringing along an endorsed driver does not replace the endorsement.
Every question in this set has its own page with the correct answer and an explanation.
