I've had my HazMat since I got my cdl 7 years ago. I've hauled a grand total of 3 hazmat loads. Was it worth getting? Hmmm - the loads paid me nothing additional for the extra headaches. So, myself, when my license renewal comes up next year, the hazmat is gone. Definitely not worth spending the time/money to get the TSA background for it.

 

to me it's just not worth it. you get more hastle from DOT. not to mention all the other headaches... just my two cents.

 

Thats interesting.... I've heard people say that, but on the other hand, I have never had that experience. In fact I would say the opposite.... they seem to make an effort to not bother me when I have placards on.... Maybe its just been my lucky days!!

 

I have had a hazmat endorsement since they started issuing them. I haven't hauled a hazmat load in probably at least 2 years. Before that, perhaps 1 per year at the most. The hazmat loads I got during the preceding years paid more than anything else, at the time. I am not sure it was worth it for one load.

I haven't had any more hassle due to having placards on my trailer. There were rumors after 9/11 that they were cracking down. Kentucky was supposed to be stopping all hazmat loads. I hauled a placarded load into Kentucky right after I heard the rumor. I was never stopped. Unless you or your company has a poor safety record, I see no reason why you should be stopped any more frequently than a non hazmat load. At least I have never had a problem.

 

I've pulled loads with 9 placards from Crane, IN to Houston with no problems. I've pulled local loads with 1 placard in Houston and got DOT'd twice in one day.

Go figure. I don't see any extra hassling and I pull placarded loads every day.

I say get the endorsement. Better to have it and not need it that need it and not have it, I say. Experience and flexibility pay off in this industry. All I haul in Haz-mat, and I've hauled it with vans, tankers, flatbeds, intermodals, roll-offs, and straight trucks. Haven't done an end-dump load yet, but my company does have some end-dump trailers, so it's only a matter of time.

When it's time to change jobs I'll be able to pick my job.

-p.

 

9 Placards! What was the load?

Its pretty much mandatory on the LTL side this racket. I'm not aware of any reputable LTL carrier that will hire you without it.

 

It was a military haz-waste pickup from the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center.

Flammable Gas 2
Flammable liquid 3
Flammable solid 4.1
Spontaneously Combustible 4.2
Dangerous when wet 4.3
Oxidizer 5.1
Toxic 6
Corrosive 8
Bulk 3077 class 9

My personal record is 12 placards on a load of New Orleans Katrina Haz-Waste, which my company hauls out. We're over 2,500 truckloads I'm told.

-p.

 

Phuzzy,
That would have made one hell of a pic :shock:

 

After reading the responses I will be getting my Hazmat b/c my goal in a few years after going OTR is too work for a tanker company hauling and delivering gasoline locally b/c it is tough to start a family driving OTR from what I am told.


I have talked with a Shell tanker driver and he told me he makes $70,000 per year! Sounds good to me, just hope the job is not impossible to get.

 

I am finished with trucking school and I go to take my pretrip test, backing range and driving test on monday, then on thursday I go to get my fingerprints taken for the hazmat, but Tuesday I can go take to hazmat written exam at DMV, trying to get my ducks in a row.
The company I am going to work for makes hazmat a requirement.