Vehicles carrying explosives were in a crash and must be separated. What do you do first?
What to know for the Hazardous Materials test
Each set draws 30 of our 80 questions
The hazardous materials test earns the H endorsement, needed to drive any vehicle that carries placarded or otherwise regulated hazardous cargo. It covers placards, shipping papers, loading, parking and emergencies. You also pass a TSA security threat assessment, and the knowledge test pass mark is 80 percent.
Last checked against the handbook and 49 CFR on .
What the H endorsement requires
The H endorsement is needed for any size of commercial vehicle used to carry hazardous materials, and the test is a knowledge test. 49 CFR 383.93
Applicants for a new or renewed H endorsement must also pass a TSA security threat assessment. 49 CFR 383.71
The knowledge test covers the hazardous materials table, shipping papers, marking, labeling, placarding, packaging, forbidden materials, loading, segregation, attendance, parking, accident reporting, tunnels and railroad crossings. 49 CFR 383.121
Hazmat employees must be retrained and retested at least every three years. CDL Handbook 9.1
Placard rules
When a placard is required
Table
Rule
Examples
Table 1
Placard any amount
Divisions 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.3, 4.3 and certain inhalation hazards
Table 2
Placard when total is 1,001 pounds or more
Classes 3, 8 and 9, Divisions 2.1, 2.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 6.1 and others
DANGEROUS placard
Optional for mixed Table 2 loads
Two or more Table 2 categories, with under 2,205 pounds of any one category at one place
A placarded vehicle shows at least four identical placards on the front, rear and both sides, readable from all four directions. CDL Handbook 9.3
Each placard measures at least 9.84 inches (250 mm) on each side and is set at least 3 inches away from other markings. 49 CFR 172.519
The 1,001-pound threshold counts the packaging and adds together every Table 2 item on the shipping papers. CDL Handbook 9.3
Only a genuine emergency justifies moving a vehicle that lacks the right placards. CDL Handbook 9.3
Shipping papers and roles
The shipper identifies, packages, marks, labels and certifies the shipment; the carrier checks it before moving it; the driver turns away leaking packages and keeps the papers handy. CDL Handbook 9.2
While you drive, keep hazardous materials shipping papers within reach with your seat belt fastened, or in the driver door pouch, and when you leave the cab, put them in the door pouch or on the driver seat. CDL Handbook 9.3
Store emergency response information right beside the shipping papers. CDL Handbook 9.6
Mark hazmat papers with tabs, or leave them as the top sheet, so responders find them quickly. CDL Handbook 9.3
Loading, parking and driving
Distances and limits to know
Situation
Number
No smoking near placarded flammable or explosive vehicles
25 feet
Attending a parked placarded vehicle: within sight and at most
100 feet
Parking explosives (Divisions 1.1 to 1.3) near a bridge, tunnel or crowd
Not within 300 feet
Parking near the road edge
Not on or within 5 feet of the traveled portion
Stopping before a railroad crossing
15 to 50 feet from the nearest rail
Attendant watching a cargo tank during loading
Within 25 feet
Explosives set out after an accident
Two hundred feet or more away from vehicles and buildings
A parked placarded vehicle must be watched by someone awake in it, outside the sleeper berth, or within 100 feet with a clear view. 49 CFR 397.5
Burning flares and fuses are banned near flammable-liquid or flammable-gas tanks and near Division 1.1 to 1.3 explosives; set out reflective triangles or red lights instead. CDL Handbook 9.6
Packages labeled poison must not ride with food for people or animals unless packed in an approved way. CDL Handbook 9.4
Class 4 and Class 5 materials need a closed cargo space or fire- and water-resistant covering, and the total transport index of radioactive packages in one vehicle must not exceed 50. CDL Handbook 9.4
A placarded vehicle, any vehicle with chlorine, and a hazardous materials cargo tank, loaded or empty, must stop at railroad crossings. CDL Handbook 9.6
Emergencies
At a crash or spill, keep people away, limit the spread only if it is safe, tell responders the danger, and hand them the shipping papers. CDL Handbook 9.7
Never identify a leaking chemical by smell, because toxic gases can destroy your sense of smell yet still harm you. CDL Handbook 9.7
If a trailer door is hot, do not open it; the fire may flare up when air gets in. CDL Handbook 9.7
If material is spilling from your vehicle, park, secure the area, stay put and call for help, or send someone who can state where you are and which way you were heading. CDL Handbook 9.7
Call the National Response Center after a death, a hospitalization, more than $50,000 in damage, public evacuation over an hour, or a major road closure of an hour or more. CDL Handbook 9.7
Hazardous Materials test: common questions
How many hazard classes are there?
There are nine hazard classes, from Class 1 explosives to Class 9 miscellaneous materials. Several classes are split into divisions, such as Division 2.1 flammable gas and Division 6.1 poison. CDL Handbook 9.3
When do I need placards for Table 2 materials?
When the total of all Table 2 materials on the vehicle, including packaging, is 1,001 pounds or more. Table 1 materials need placards in any amount. 49 CFR 172.504
How big is a hazmat placard?
At least 9.84 inches (250 mm) on each side, in a diamond (square-on-point) shape, and at least 3 inches from other markings. 49 CFR 172.519
Do I need a background check for the H endorsement?
Yes. New and renewing H applicants must pass a TSA security threat assessment, which includes fingerprints, in addition to the knowledge test. 49 CFR 383.71
How far away can I be from a parked placarded vehicle?
You must be in it awake and out of the sleeper berth, or within 100 feet with the vehicle in clear view. Explosives have stricter rules. 49 CFR 397.5