If you’ve obtained your Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), you are likely familiar with transporting cargo through Oregon. From the Cascade Mountain Range and coastal mountains to the high desert, driving here is full of challenges – and chances to grow your career. Adding the Hazardous Materials (Hazmat) endorsement to your CDL is an effective way to expand your opportunities and potentially earn higher pay!
The Hazmat endorsement permits drivers to transport materials classified as hazardous by the U.S. government. In the Beaver State, hazardous cargo includes gasoline, biodiesel, industrial chemicals, and agricultural products such as pesticides. Major employers that rely on Hazmat drivers include Chevron Corporation in Portland (petroleum products distribution), Schnitzer Steel Industries also in Portland (scrap metal processing and chemical transport), and Intel in Hillsboro (which uses industrial chemicals in semiconductor manufacturing). With so many employers willing to pay a premium for HazMat-endorsed drivers, it makes a lot of sense to add this to your CDL!
Obtaining the endorsement involves several required steps. First, you must ensure that all Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) requirements have been met. The next step is fingerprinting and a background check by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Because TSA results may take weeks, drivers are encouraged to study and prepare during that time for the final step: the Oregon DMV HazMat Knowledge Test. Covering federal regulations, hazardous substance handling, packaging, quantity limits, and safe transport configurations, this 30-question test requires a score of at least 80% to pass (Oregon CDL Handbook 2026).