How Important Is To Get Hazmat Endorsement?
- Thread starter armin88
- Start date
tenntrucker
Expert Expediter
Depends on the company, with Panther I'd say yes. But with the one I run for, its of no use.
Sent from my DROID X2
Sent from my DROID X2
We are required to have it but it accounts for only about 2% of our income.
Lol thanks,the book is 28 pages to study and i'm kinda hoping I can pass it the first try.
Thanks are you with Panther?
No, not Panther. We are FedEx White Glove/TVAL. We run very few hazmat loads, they rarely pay enough to make them worth the effort. At least not for our truck.
at ceva you don't need it
when it came to renew it this time i did not get, also with ceva don't need cdl so did away with that
as they don't require it in sprinter van
to me was not cost effective as all money you have to spend to get it
when it came to renew it this time i did not get, also with ceva don't need cdl so did away with that
as they don't require it in sprinter van
to me was not cost effective as all money you have to spend to get it
Do you own your own truck or drive for an owner?
BigCat
Expert Expediter
Fedex cc doesn't require it unless you are wg/tval. I don't have hazmat and I drive for panther. I'd like to have it but haven't been home during the week to go apply. May never get it but I don't know if it will help or hurt not to.
bdmj989900
Seasoned Expediter
With Panther 10 loads last year and 3 this year. Hope that helps.
Well, you will want to have it when you lose out on a load of Paint that is going from Chicago to LA. We had a truck that missed a nice load like that last week because both drivers didn't have Haz Mat. More and more I get phone calls asking if we have a haz mat team if I post the truck on the load board I use. I will even give our drivers the money back after they are with us six months. Some of the longest loads I have hauled was Haz Mat loads. Most of the time it's either Paint or Battery's.
I would say if your getting your Haz Mat, your doing a smart thing.
charlies1gal
Seasoned Expediter
You give yourself an opportunity for more loads with a Hazmat endorsement & can get loads out of places others can't generally....example, Houston, TX. Panther doesn't pay any extra for hazmat loads though whereas Fedex CC does. I hope that helps.
greg334
Veteran Expediter
Good luck, it is of course an easy test and there are a lot of easy clues on the answers.
Don't know about panther but 100% of my loads are hazmat and it has paid off for me. But then I would have the endorsement anyways, not because of the "loads" or the enhancement that it allegedly gives you (because that idea that the qualifications gets you the work is somewhat of a bunch of BS) but because it is something else I can easily pass while making me a bit more educated about the job I do.
Take the easy way out and regret it later. Or, get your HAZMAT endorsement and be glad you did.
- HAZMAT may get you moving while others sit.
- HAZMAT may make the difference between a long sit or moving earlier.
- The HAZMAT fingerprinting and background check sets you apart from drivers who do not have it, and from the increasing number of those who are unwilling or unable to get it. Even if you never haul a HAZMAT load in your life, the credential signals people who appreciate the signal that you have cleared the background check.
- Knowing HAZMAT increases your industry knowledge. You will understand better what those placarded trucks that you share the road with are doing.
- If you change carriers (a common event in expediting), your options are greater if you have the HAZMAT endorsement and can demonstrate HAZMAT experience.
Layoutshooter spoke of low rates for HAZMAT at his carrier. When we were with that carrier we noticed the same decline and that was a contributing factor in our decision to leave. Low HAZMAT rates are not the case at all carriers. Some of the best paying loads we now haul are HAZMAT.
There are downsides to HAZMAT including the risks presented by the freight itself, additional diligence and compliance requirements when you have a HAZMAT load on, additional expense and effort required to get and maintain your HAZMAT endorsement, and additional training required (and the deadhead and down time to get it) to haul certain kinds of HAZMAT.
In our experience, it was no longer worth the trouble to get that additional training at our former carrier. At our new carrier, we would not dream of being without it.
Bottom line for us. HAZMAT endorsement and additional training is well worth the effort and expense. It's a money maker.
- HAZMAT may get you moving while others sit.
- HAZMAT may make the difference between a long sit or moving earlier.
- The HAZMAT fingerprinting and background check sets you apart from drivers who do not have it, and from the increasing number of those who are unwilling or unable to get it. Even if you never haul a HAZMAT load in your life, the credential signals people who appreciate the signal that you have cleared the background check.
- Knowing HAZMAT increases your industry knowledge. You will understand better what those placarded trucks that you share the road with are doing.
- If you change carriers (a common event in expediting), your options are greater if you have the HAZMAT endorsement and can demonstrate HAZMAT experience.
Layoutshooter spoke of low rates for HAZMAT at his carrier. When we were with that carrier we noticed the same decline and that was a contributing factor in our decision to leave. Low HAZMAT rates are not the case at all carriers. Some of the best paying loads we now haul are HAZMAT.
There are downsides to HAZMAT including the risks presented by the freight itself, additional diligence and compliance requirements when you have a HAZMAT load on, additional expense and effort required to get and maintain your HAZMAT endorsement, and additional training required (and the deadhead and down time to get it) to haul certain kinds of HAZMAT.
In our experience, it was no longer worth the trouble to get that additional training at our former carrier. At our new carrier, we would not dream of being without it.
Bottom line for us. HAZMAT endorsement and additional training is well worth the effort and expense. It's a money maker.