It's correct that " any hazmat u log" (whatever "u" means), but that only applies to placarded HAZMAT. If the load doesn't require placards, then a CDL with a HAZMAT endorsement is not required, and neither is a log book unless the vehicle is a Commercial Motor Vehicle as defined by the DOT.
Yes, going to the store and buying paint is private, but according the US Code of Federal Regulations, whether it's private, public or for-hire interstate commerce, it's the weight that matters.
Having alcohol in your car or truck has nothing to do with the hazardous material regulations.
Yes, you do have to do a HAZMAT certification before you leave, but that's a shipper and shipping papers regulation that has nothing to do with whether or not the load requires placards, or whether you need a HAZMAT endorsement on your CDL.
Yes, the log is to show you inspected the freight en route, among several other things the logbook is for, but the logbook only applies to people who are required to log. If you haul hazardous material which doesn't require placards, in a vehicle which doesn't require you to log, then you don't have to log.
You don't need to listen to dummies or hire a consultant to learn what to do. All you need to do is read the Hazardous Materials Regulations in the US CFR or the FMCSA regulations.
If I didn't need more insurance to haul hazmat, then why aren't more companies hauling it? Hazmat doesn't pay the same as regular expedite.
In a cargo van (or any vehicle under 10,001 pounds) you are only required by the DOT to have $300,000 of public liability insurance. If you move hazardous freight in the same vehicle, the insurance requirements go up to between $750,000 and $5 million, depending on the commodities transported. More companies aren't hauling it for a variety of reasons. One is they don't want the headache or the additional risk of hauling HAZMAT. Another is they don't want to start requiring CDLs with HAZMAT endorsements for their van drivers, plus having to deal with moron van drivers trying to figure out how to log and scale once or twice a month, they don't want to deal with all the logbook violations they are gonna get.