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CDL Hazmat Endorsement Study Guide 2026: H Test, ELDT, and TSA

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Key Facts

  • State licensing agencies develop and administer their own H knowledge tests; the federal passing standard is at least 80%, but there is no universal national question count.
  • Covered first-time H endorsement applicants must complete theory-only ELDT through an FMCSA Training Provider Registry provider before the state knowledge test.
  • A state cannot issue, renew, or transfer an HME until TSA determines that the applicant does not pose a security threat.
  • TSA Enrollment currently lists an $85.25 standard threat-assessment fee in agent states and a $41 reduced option for eligible TWIC comparability applicants.
  • The TSA threat assessment is valid for up to five years, but individual state licensing rules determine the endorsement expiration printed on the CDL.
  • The nine DOT hazard classes are explosives, gases, flammable and combustible liquids, flammable solids, oxidizers/peroxides, toxic/infectious materials, radioactive materials, corrosives, and miscellaneous materials.
  • H is the hazardous-materials endorsement, N is the tank-vehicle endorsement, and X is the combined H and N endorsement.
  • Placarding questions require the exact material, package type, quantity, and applicable Table 1, Table 2, or special-rule analysis; 'all gases at any quantity' is not a valid shortcut.

CDL Hazmat endorsement: the 2026 answer in one minute

A hazardous materials endorsement (HME, usually shown as H ) authorizes a commercial driver to transport material that requires placarding under federal hazardous-materials rules—or any quantity of a select agent or toxin listed in 42 CFR Part 73. The process has three separate gates:

Complete federal Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) theory with a provider listed on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry if you are obtaining H for the first time and are subject to ELDT.

Pass your state driver's licensing agency's H knowledge test with at least 80%.

Receive a favorable TSA security threat assessment before the state issues, renews, or transfers the endorsement.

The order of the state test and TSA enrollment varies by state. So do the number of test questions, state fees, appointment procedures, and the endorsement's displayed expiration date. Use this guide for the federal core, then finish with your own state's current CDL manual and HME instructions.