How to Get a Hazmat Endorsement in Arizona: Training, Testing, and TSA

To get a HazMat endorsement in Arizona, you need to complete a federally registered hazardous materials training course, pass the HazMat knowledge test at an MVD office, and clear a TSA security threat assessment. The TSA review alone can take up to 45 days, so plan on roughly two months from your first training session to seeing the “H” printed on your CDL.

Who Can Apply

You must be at least 21, hold a valid Arizona commercial driver license, and be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. Arizona will not add the endorsement to a CDL permit; you need the full license first.¹ You’ll prove citizenship or lawful status during the TSA step using documents like a current U.S. passport or a combination such as your driver license and birth certificate.²

Criminal History That Disqualifies You

Federal law bars Arizona from issuing a HazMat endorsement to anyone the Secretary of Homeland Security flags as a security risk.³ The TSA checks your record against two lists of disqualifying offenses. Review these before you pay for training and testing.

Permanent Disqualifiers

A conviction for any of these offenses blocks the endorsement for life, no matter how long ago it occurred:⁴

Espionage, sedition, or treason
A federal crime of terrorism or comparable state offense
A crime involving a transportation security incident
Illegally transporting hazardous materials
Any explosives-related offense, including possession, manufacturing, or distribution
Murder
Making a bomb threat against a public facility, government building, or transportation system
Certain RICO violations connected to any of the offenses above
Attempting or conspiring to commit any of the offenses above

Interim Disqualifiers

The following felonies disqualify you only if you were convicted within the past seven years or released from incarceration within the past five:⁵

Firearms or weapons offenses
Extortion
Fraud, identity fraud, or misrepresentation (welfare fraud and bad checks don’t count)
Bribery
Smuggling
Immigration violations
Drug distribution or possession with intent to distribute
Arson
Kidnapping or hostage taking
Rape or aggravated sexual abuse
Assault with intent to kill
Robbery
Conspiring or attempting to commit any of the offenses above

Once enough time has passed, interim offenses no longer block you.

Step 1: Complete the Required Training

Every first-time HazMat applicant must finish a hazardous materials training course before taking the knowledge test.⁶ The provider must be listed on the FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry, and Arizona’s MVD identifies this as the first step in the process.¹

There is no minimum number of classroom hours; the provider just has to cover every required topic, including shipping papers, placarding, loading and segregation, emergency reporting, tunnel and railroad crossing rules, and passenger-vehicle restrictions.⁶ After you finish, the provider has until midnight of the second business day to submit your completion record to the FMCSA registry.⁷ Log in and confirm it posted. Arizona’s MVD checks the registry before testing you.

Step 2: Pass the Knowledge Test at the MVD

You take the HazMat knowledge test at an Arizona MVD office.¹ Questions come from the hazardous materials section of Arizona’s CDL Manual, covering placarding, safe handling, transportation rules, and emergency response.⁸ Study the manual directly rather than relying only on third-party practice tests.

A fresh knowledge test is required every time you renew your CDL, add the H to an existing license, or transfer an out-of-state CDL to Arizona while keeping the endorsement.⁹ You can’t skip the retest at renewal.

Step 3: Clear the TSA Security Threat Assessment

After passing the knowledge test, apply for the TSA threat assessment. This is where most of the cost sits and where the clock runs longest. Arizona’s MVD will not print the endorsement on your license until the TSA clears you.¹

You’ll schedule an appointment at a TSA enrollment center, present identification, and have your fingerprints taken. The fee is $85.25 for new and renewing applicants, with a reduced rate of $41.00 for eligible applicants. Payment is by credit card, money order, company check, or cashier’s check, and the fee is nonrefundable and covers five years.²

Processing can take up to 45 days.¹ You can still drive on your CDL for non-HazMat work during the wait. If you’ve already completed your road and skills tests, Arizona will issue your CDL without the HazMat endorsement so you can use it in the meantime.

Step 4: Return to the MVD for the Endorsement

When the TSA approves you, you’ll get a confirmation email. Bring it to an Arizona MVD office, where staff verify the result and add the H to your CDL.¹ You’ll complete a CDL application if you haven’t already and pay any remaining MVD fees.

Expect two MVD visits total: one for the knowledge test and one after TSA clearance. Bring your CDL, proof of identity and legal status, and the TSA approval email to that second appointment.

Renewal and Expiration

Your TSA threat assessment is valid for up to five years from the date of approval, and the MVD will notify you 60 days before it expires.¹ The TSA expiration date and your CDL expiration date almost never line up, so you’re tracking two separate deadlines. If your TSA clearance lapses, you lose the endorsement even if your CDL is still valid.

Renewal means another $85.25 TSA fee, a fresh round of fingerprinting, and a new knowledge test at the MVD.²⁹ Start weeks before your expiration date so TSA processing doesn’t create a gap.

If You Drive a Tank Vehicle

The standard HazMat endorsement prints as “H” and covers hazardous loads in non-tank vehicles.¹⁰ If you haul hazardous materials in a tank, you need the “X” endorsement, which combines HazMat (H) and tanker (N). Getting the X means passing both the HazMat knowledge test and a separate tanker test. The TSA background check works the same way for either one.

1
Arizona Department of Transportation. Getting Your Commercial Driver License (CDL)
2
Transportation Security Administration. HAZMAT Endorsement
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 5103a – Limitation on Issuance of Hazmat Licenses
4
eCFR. 49 CFR 1572.103 – Disqualifying Criminal Offenses
5
eCFR. 49 CFR Part 1572 – Credentialing and Security Threat Assessments
6
eCFR. 49 CFR Part 380 – Special Training Requirements
7
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Training Provider Registry
8
Arizona Department of Transportation. Arizona Commercial Driver License Hazardous Materials Manual
9
Arizona Department of Transportation. Do I Have to Take the HazMat Test Every Three Years
10
eCFR. 49 CFR 383.93 – Endorsements