Commercial License - HazMat and Background Checks

Current holders of a Class A or B CDL with an HME that do not meet the qualification requirements established by the TSA — but are otherwise qualified to hold a CDL — must visit an MVD office to relinquish the endorsement. There will be a $12 fee for the reissuance of a Class A or B CDL without the HME.

Because current Arizona law requires either a HME or a passenger endorsement on a Class C CDL, only the drivers that currently hold a valid passenger endorsement will qualify for the $12 CDL replacement when relinquishing the HME. All affected holders of a Class C CDL without a valid passenger endorsement must choose one of the following options and all appropriate application and testing fees will apply:

• Apply for a passenger (P) endorsement to keep the Class C CDL.
• Apply for a class A or B CDL upgrade and drop the HME.
• Apply for a noncommercial Class D CDL.

Upon successful completion of the Security Threat Assessment, the TSA will only approve issuance of your HME for up to five years. It is the responsibility of the driver to arrange for a new Security Threat Assessment no later than 30 days prior to the expiration of the current TSA approval to avoid cancellation of the CDL.

After completing all required road/skills tests, you may choose to receive a CDL without the HME for use until the TSA approval is received. However, once TSA approval is received, you will need to return to the MVD CDL office and apply for the HazMat-endorsed CDL. Because the endorsement fee was already paid, there will be no additional fee charged when exchanging a CDL issued in the interim, for the CDL reflecting the HME.

All applicants for a new HME are now subject to the federal Security Threat Assessment requirement, which includes current CDL holders without a valid HME applying to upgrade their CDL by adding the HME.

The Transportation Security Administration indicates that the Security Threat Assessment may take from one to eight weeks to complete.

Please visit https://universalenroll.dhs.gov/hme-home for current fee information.

Prior to visiting a TSA-authorized fingerprint collection site, you must provide TSA with all of the information requested on the Driver License Hazardous Materials Endorsement Application to be submitted one of two ways:

• Online through the TSA website

• By phone (toll-free) through the TSA HazMat Call Center at 855.347.8371

TSA will not accept handwritten HME applications.

Apply to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) with all of the information requested on the Driver License Hazardous Materials Endorsement Application to be submitted in one of two ways:

• Online through the TSA at https://universalenroll.dhs.gov/hme-home

• By phone (toll-free) through the TSA HazMat Call Center at 855.347.8371

TSA will not accept handwritten HME applications.

Upon successful completion of the written tests, MVD will provide you with a HazMat Background Check Authorization form to present to a TSA authorized fingerprint collection site identified below.

You may begin the Security Threat Assessment process only after MVD has determined that you have fully qualified for the endorsement by successfully completing all required CDL and HME written tests.