Commercial Driver's License

Hazardous materials endorsement/fingerprint-based background checks

Under the provisions of the USA Patriot Act (Public Law 107-56, § 1012), rules of the federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA) (49 CFR Part 1572) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) (Title 49 of Code of Federal Regulation 383.71(a)(9)), the Iowa DOT'st motor vehicle offices may not issue a hazardous materials endorsement (HME) until the applicant has first submitted to a fingerprint-based background check. TSA must determine that the applicant does not pose a security threat before the endorsement can be issued. No person applying for a first-time or new HME on or after Jan. 31, 2005, may be issued a HME until the background check is completed. The fingerprint-based background check also applies to commercial drivers every five years seeking to retain their HME, regardless of the expiration date of their underlying commercial license.

What will the Iowa procedure be?

The security threat assessment is now initiated through the Hazardous Material Endorsement Enrollment website, not at the driver license station.

Step 1 - Filling out the application
You should complete the TSA HAZPRINT driver application on the Hazardous Material Endorsement Enrollment website or by calling the HazPrint help desk at 855-347-8371. The operator at the help desk will guide you through the process and ensure the application is completed correctly. You can also call the help desk at any time if you have questions about the website. It is important to note that the application must be completed, either online or through the help desk, prior to arriving at the fingerprint capture location. It cannot be done at the fingerprinting site.

What will the cost be?

Included with the application process is the payment of a $86.50 fee. You may pay by credit/debit card or eCheck (must be a company or business check) directly on the website or by providing this information to the operator at the Help Desk. Electronic payments are the most secure and convenient and will save time at the fingerprint collection site. For those drivers who choose not to pay electronically, the driver must bring a money order in the amount of $86.50, made out to IDEMIA, to the fingerprint collection site. Remember, whatever payment method is chosen, you must complete the application online or by calling the help desk in advance of being fingerprinted, as the fingerprint collection site cannot fingerprint a driver who has not completed the HAZPRINT application and paid the $86.50 fee.

Step 2 - Getting fingerprinted
Your fingerprints can be collected at one of more than 100 fixed and mobile sites in the United States. The Hazardous Material Endorsement Enrollment website and the HazPrint help desk, 855-347-8371, are the best sources of information on current site locations, operating hours, and driving directions to the site. Drivers from any of the participating agent states can be printed at any of the agent's sites — even those in another state. You will be required to provide two forms of identification prior to being fingerprinted. Please refer to the "proper ID types" listed at Hazardous Material Endorsement Enrollment website. In addition to being fingerprinted, the driver will be asked to review and electronically sign the application to verify its accuracy.

NOTE: The fingerprint capture location only collects and forwards the electronic application and fingerprints. They do not have specific information about the program, nor will they receive status reports after the submission is made.

How will applicants know when the process is complete?

Step 3- Security threat assessment

Based on the data provided on the HAZPRINT application, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will perform a threat assessment for each driver applicant. The results of this assessment will be provided directly to the state department of transportation. The applicant will also receive a letter from TSA with the results of the assessment. Take this letter to the driver's license examiner as it will indicate that you have been cleared for issuance of the hazardous material endorsement.

Step 4- Status
Approximately six weeks after the applicant has been fingerprinted, if he/she has not received a letter from the TSA, information on the status of an application should be available at the HazPrint help desk at 855-347-8371.

Is a knowledge test required?

Yes. The knowledge test must be taken at a driver license station. It may be taken before, during or after the assessment, but must be successfully passed before issuance of the endorsement. If this is a first-time issuance of the hazmat endorsement, ELDT for hazmat must be completed before taking the knowledge test. Find out more about ELDT. The CDL hazardous material knowledge test is required each time you renew your license.

Will additional identification have to be shown to the driver's license examiner at the time the endorsement is issued?

Yes. Federal Regulation (49 CFR, Part 383.71) requires that proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency be shown. You must present one of the following to the examiner at the time the endorsement is issued:

Where can one find additional information including a list of the HME disqualifying crimes?

Additional information can be found at www.tsa.gov (HAZMAT).

Regulations

Shippers and carriers are required to comply with the hazardous materials regulations found in Title 49 of Federal Regulations Parts 100-185.