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New rule for Hazmat cert.

cheri1122

cheri1122

Veteran Expediter
Driver
As of July, anyone applying for the required fingerprint/background check for a Hazmat endorsement is required to document the reason their current name does not match the name on their birth certificate. This would mostly be due to marriage and/or divorce, and mostly apply to women, but it bites to find out only when you arrive for the fingerprinting appointment, minus a marriage certificate. [Or 2. Or more, as the case may be, lol]
Several documents can be used to avoid this, such as a passport, FAST or TWIC card, Government or military ID, and possibly some I'm not aware of.
If this new requirement was publicized in advance, I missed it entirely, and just spent most of a week trying to renew my Hazmat cert. [Ohio BMV is closed on Monday. Tuesday, I passed the [written] test, then found I need an appt for the fingerprints, couldn't get one until Wed, when I learned of the new rule. Applied for a passport on Thurs.] I'll probably have to retake the test [good for 60 days], but my hazmat cert doesn't expire until Jan, so I think I'll make the deadline. The passport just added about $125 to the cost, though. :mad:
If you're aware, you can prepare.
 
OntarioVanMan

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
cheri1122 said:
As of July, anyone applying for the required fingerprint/background check for a Hazmat endorsement is required to document the reason their current name does not match the name on their birth certificate. This would mostly be due to marriage and/or divorce, and mostly apply to women, but it bites to find out only when you arrive for the fingerprinting appointment, minus a marriage certificate. [Or 2. Or more, as the case may be, lol]
Several documents can be used to avoid this, such as a passport, FAST or TWIC card, Government or military ID, and possibly some I'm not aware of.
If this new requirement was publicized in advance, I missed it entirely, and just spent most of a week trying to renew my Hazmat cert. [Ohio BMV is closed on Monday. Tuesday, I passed the [written] test, then found I need an appt for the fingerprints, couldn't get one until Wed, when I learned of the new rule. Applied for a passport on Thurs.] I'll probably have to retake the test [good for 60 days], but my hazmat cert doesn't expire until Jan, so I think I'll make the deadline. The passport just added about $125 to the cost, though. :mad:
If you're aware, you can prepare.
Click to expand...
it doesn't make sense in a way.....a passport can be issued in the married name as well....A Birth.Cert. plus marriage or divorce degree would do....
 
JohnWC

JohnWC

Veteran Expediter
Nether do I finger prints should prove who you are . I thought the hazmat deal was to prove your not a bad person
 
ATeam

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
While background checks make sense in some situations, I am weary of dull-minded rule makers who think they can keep the world safe by requiring innocent people to submit yet another document. You know you are dealing with a power-abusing, self-serving, do-this-for-my-convenience, do-this-because-it-helps-me-feel-good dullard when his or her proposed solution requires you to complete an additional form.

For example, we once hauled a load across GW Bridge that required a fire department escort and a bunch of bureaucratic hoops to jump through, forms to complete and fees to pay. If someone was intent on blowing that bridge, I can't imagine someone deciding against it because the paperwork requirements are too great.

We got along fine before the HAZMAT background checks were required and we'd get along fine if they were abolished. Diane and I embraced the new requirements when they went into place because we felt it gave us a competitive edge over drivers who were not cleared. But there is nothing in those rules that makes this nation even a tiny bit safer. These new rules do provide a new source of cash flow to the agencies and entities that provide the "service."
 
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OntarioVanMan

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
Absolutely Phil....since 9/11 this government AKA DHS has made so many "feel good" rules just to give the illusion of protecting John Q Public that don't do anything but inconvenience a lot of good people and businesses...have done nothing but create more government jobs and added cost.
 
ATeam

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
OntarioVanMan said:
Absolutely Phil....since 9/11 this government AKA DHS has made so many "feel good" rules just to give the illusion of protecting John Q Public that don't do anything but inconvenience a lot of good people and businesses...have done nothing but create more government jobs and added cost.
Click to expand...

Government jobs and government contractor jobs. The TWIC debacle is another example. Notice the contractor involved that has lobbyists well placed in Washington. Lots of money to them. Lots of expense and hassle to us. All in the name of security. No meaningful benefits provided. Indeed, many have made the convincing case that TWIC, because it was poorly conceived and poorly administered has actually made the country less safe!

When 911 happened, the dullards rushed in to claim new ground. Not for the country's benefit but for their own. In that respect, they are not dullards. It was a brilliant stroke on their part. Perhaps the dullards are us; those who keep going along with this nonsense.
 
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cheri1122

cheri1122

Veteran Expediter
Driver
OntarioVanMan said:
I don't understand why the passport?
When the birth certificate would do
Click to expand...

The birth certificate has a different name on it, which is the new rule: different names must be explained via documents for each change. In this case, that documentation spans decades [and 4 different states!].
To add insult to injury, this is not a first time application, it's a renewal: I've been hauling hazmat for years already, after passing the fingerprint/background check originally required.
The passport is a way around that documentation process: AFAIK, a passport application does not require the same documentation, and once I have a passport, that's good enough for the Dept of Homeland [In]Security.
It just takes a lot longer, and costs a lot more.
 
OntarioVanMan

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
cheri1122 said:
The birth certificate has a different name on it, which is the new rule: different names must be explained via documents for each change. In this case, that documentation spans decades [and 4 different states!].
To add insult to injury, this is not a first time application, it's a renewal: I've been hauling hazmat for years already, after passing the fingerprint/background check originally required.
The passport is a way around that documentation process: AFAIK, a passport application does not require the same documentation, and once I have a passport, that's good enough for the Dept of Homeland [In]Security.
It just takes a lot longer, and costs a lot more.
Click to expand...
you apply for the domestic passport?.... that just allows N/A at a discount price?
 
akkshole

akkshole

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
US Air Force
OntarioVanMan said:
N/A.....North America only a discount version....:p
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I have passport card, is good for land and sea travel (i.e. cruises) in western hemisphere...getting my regular full passport soon because u cannot fly without it internationally and I have a week stay in Cancun for end of Feb.
 
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