The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has announced that it is considering changes in the form that truck drivers must fill out when applying for a hazardous materials endorsement to go with a commercial driver license.
Drivers currently must provide personal biographic information (height, weight, eye and hair color, and date of birth), information concerning legal status, mental health defects history, and criminal history. Fingerprints also are required. The form will ask whether the driver is a new applicant or is renewing or transferring the hazmat endorsement.
TSA wants to amend the application to collect optional information, such as Department of State forms showing birth abroad for US citizens and US passport number. TSA wants to remove items concerning military service from the application. In addition, the rule change would require states to keep a copy of the hazmat endorsement application for one year.
These changes are designed to enable program administrators to better understand and forecast driver retention, transfer rate, and drop rate, according to TSA officials. The changes also will make it easier to compare the hazmat endorsement program with other federal background checks, including the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC).
”National Tank Truck Carriers sees the changes in the hazmat endorsement application process as a positive development,” says John Conley, NTTC president. “The current application has flaws that hinder the ability of truck drivers to obtain a hazmat endorsement.”
TSA estimates 300,000 drivers a year will apply for a hazmat endorsement, and the application and background check process will consume 975,000 hours per year. The program will cost the truck driver community $80.3 million over a three-year period, from 2011 through 2013.