How to Get a HazMat Endorsement in Wisconsin: ELDT, TSA, and DMV Steps

To get a Hazmat endorsement in Wisconsin, you need a valid Wisconsin CDL, an FMCSA-registered Entry-Level Driver Training course on hazmat theory, a passing score on the state’s 30-question written test, a cleared TSA security threat assessment, and a final visit to a DMV customer service center. Plan on roughly $245 in combined fees and anywhere from a few weeks to about three months, with the TSA background check driving most of the wait.

Before You Start

You must already hold a Wisconsin CDL. The Hazmat endorsement cannot be added to an out-of-state license at a Wisconsin DMV, and if you’ve moved here from another state, federal rules give you 30 days to transfer your CDL once you establish residency.¹

Age matters too. Wisconsin issues CDLs to intrastate drivers as young as 18, but federal law requires you to be 21 to run a commercial vehicle across state lines, and the same floor applies to most hazmat transport.²

Your driving record and medical status both need to be in order. Certain traffic convictions or a history of suspended commercial privileges can disqualify you. Hazmat drivers almost always fall into a tier that requires a federal Medical Examiner’s Certificate, and if your Med card lapses, the DMV downgrades your CDL and your Hazmat endorsement goes offline with it.³ Submit each new certificate before the old one expires.

One boundary worth flagging: Wisconsin’s CDL skills-test waiver for military drivers does not extend to the Hazmat endorsement. Service members complete the same training, test, and TSA check as everyone else.⁴

Step 1: Finish ELDT Hazmat Theory

Since February 2022, first-time Hazmat applicants have to complete Entry-Level Driver Training from a provider listed on the FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry at tpr.fmcsa.dot.gov.⁵ Drivers who already held an H endorsement before that date are exempt.⁶

Hazmat ELDT is theory only. There’s no behind-the-wheel component, many providers deliver it fully online, and the course often runs just a couple of hours. Standalone hazmat theory courses typically run around $70, though pricing varies. When you finish, the provider reports your completion to the registry, and the DMV checks that record before letting you sit for the test.

Step 2: Pass the Knowledge Test

The written test is given at a Wisconsin DMV customer service center. It has 30 multiple-choice questions, and you need 24 correct to pass. Wisconsin offers the test in English only.⁷

Expect questions on hazard classes, placarding, loading and handling, emergency response, and safe driving with dangerous cargo. The Hazardous Materials section of the Wisconsin Commercial Driver’s Manual on the WisDOT site is the primary study source. If you fail, you can retake it, with another fee.

Step 3: Clear the TSA Background Check

Federal law requires every hazmat applicant to pass a TSA security threat assessment before a state can issue the endorsement.⁸ This is the slowest piece of the process and the part you have the least control over.

Fingerprinting

Wisconsin uses Fieldprint to collect prints. After passing the knowledge test, schedule your appointment at FieldprintWisconsin.com using the code FPWIDMVHazmat. WisDOT advises completing fingerprinting within seven days of applying for the endorsement; collections after that window can trigger additional TSA fees.⁹ Fieldprint charges $23.75 for the collection.¹⁰

What Can Disqualify You

The TSA checks your criminal history against two lists. Permanent disqualifications cover offenses like espionage, treason, terrorism-related crimes, murder, and improper transportation of hazardous materials; a conviction for any of these bars the endorsement for life.¹¹

Interim disqualifying offenses include arson, robbery, weapons possession, drug distribution, kidnapping, bribery, and immigration violations. These block the endorsement if you were convicted within seven years of applying, or released from incarceration within the last five.¹¹ The TSA also reviews immigration status. If you’re denied, you receive a written determination and can appeal.

TSA Fee and Timing

The TSA fee is $85.25 as of January 1, 2025, for both new and renewing applicants. A $41.00 reduced rate exists for drivers who hold a valid TWIC and are licensed in a participating state, but Wisconsin is not currently on that list, so most drivers here pay the full amount.¹²

Plan on 30 to 90 days for the background check. The TSA does not notify you directly. It sends a Determination of No Security Threat to WisDOT, which then processes your endorsement.⁸

Step 4: Finalize at the DMV

Once TSA clears you, go to a Wisconsin DMV customer service center with your current CDL and an original (not photocopied) document proving U.S. citizenship or lawful immigration status. WisDOT publishes the full list of accepted documents, which includes a valid U.S. passport, state-issued birth certificate, consular report of birth abroad, permanent resident card, Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship, and certain foreign passports paired with an approved I-94.¹³

You’ll complete the Driver License Hazardous Materials Endorsement Application (form MV3735).¹⁴ The DMV endorsement fee is $67.25 on its own, or $57.25 if you add it at the same time as a CDL renewal.¹⁰ WisDOT’s central office mails your new CDL card with the H printed on it.

What It Costs

ELDT hazmat theory course: around $70, varies by provider.
TSA threat assessment: $85.25, non-refundable.¹²
Fieldprint fingerprinting: $23.75, non-refundable.¹⁰
WisDOT endorsement fee: $67.25 standalone, or $57.25 bundled with a CDL renewal.¹⁰

All-in, that’s roughly $245 standalone, or about $235 timed with a CDL renewal. None of these fees are refunded if the TSA denies you, so if you have criminal history that might fall under the disqualifying offenses lists, review them before paying.

Renewal

The endorsement doesn’t last forever. Federal rules require renewal at least every five years, and each renewal triggers a fresh TSA background check at the same $85.25 fee. Start early, because the review can take months. If your endorsement is close to expiring and the TSA has not yet returned a determination, Wisconsin can extend the expiration date by up to 90 days.⁸

Between renewals, if your license is suspended, revoked, or canceled, or you are disqualified from commercial driving for any reason, you must notify your current employer before the end of the next business day.¹⁵ And keep that Med card current.

1
Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Administrative Code Trans 102.145
2
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. What Is the Age Requirement for Operating a CMV in Interstate Commerce?
3
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Medical
4
Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Military CDL Test Waiver Programs
5
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Training Provider Registry
6
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT)
7
Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Commercial Driver License (CDL) Information
8
eCFR. 49 CFR 1572.13 – State Responsibilities for Issuance of Hazardous Materials Endorsement
9
Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Driver License Hazardous Materials Endorsement Special Instructions
10
Wisconsin Department of Transportation. DMV Fees
11
eCFR. 49 CFR 1572.103 – Disqualifying Criminal Offenses
12
Transportation Security Administration. HAZMAT Endorsement
13
Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Acceptable Docs for Proof of Citizenship
14
Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Hazardous Materials (HazMat or “H”) Endorsement Requirements
15
Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Driver Mandatory Notification