Placarded tanker and van freight
Hazmat dispatch service that checks the paperwork before it calls
Placarded freight needs the right endorsements, the right insurance, a tank in test and shipping papers you can trust. We check every one of those before a load reaches you, and every load still needs your yes. The rate con comes to you.
Endorsements for placarded tank work
49 CFR 383.93Checked October 2026- H Missing. Knowledge test at your state DMV plus a TSA security threat assessment.
- N Missing. Knowledge test at your state DMV.
- X Missing. Pass both the H and N tests; your state issues X.
The hazmat tanker card, and doing it all yourself
The back of the hazmat tanker card is longer than any other in the deck, and every line on it comes from a federal rule. Endorsements, the tank vehicle definition, placard thresholds, PHMSA registration, insurance minimums and the tank's own test schedule all have to line up before a single gallon moves.
Enter your tank's last test dates to see when each one comes due. Then compare the work a hazmat carrier carries alone with what moves to our desk.
Card back
Hazmat tanker
- Endorsements
- Tank vehicle (N) and hazardous materials (H), or X for both. Hazmat needs a TSA security threat assessment. 49 CFR 383.141Checked October 2026
- Tank vehicle
- Liquid or gas in tanks over 119 gallons each and 1,000 gallons or more in total. 49 CFR 383.5Checked October 2026
- Placards
- Table 1 materials at any quantity; most Table 2 classes at 1,001 lb aggregate or more, and always in bulk. 49 CFR 172.504(c)Checked October 2026
- PHMSA registration
- Required for any placarded quantity and bulk packaging of 3,500 gallons or more, among others. 49 CFR 107.601Checked October 2026
- Insurance minimum
- $1,000,000 for most hazmat; $5,000,000 for certain bulk hazardous materials. 49 CFR 387.9Checked October 2026
Tank test due dates
49 CFR 180.407(c)Checked October 2026- Next due 2027-03-15
- Next due 2027-03-15
- Next due 2027-05-01
- Next due 2026-11-20
Intervals for most cargo tanks. Insulated, lined or corrosive-service tanks can be due sooner. EXAMPLE dates shown; enter yours.
| Job | Doing it yourself | With our desk |
|---|---|---|
| Endorsement and class check | At the shipper, too late | Before the call |
| Tank spec and product compatibility | Your memory | On your card, checked per load |
| Insurance against the load | Hope it matches | Matched to your certificate |
| Shipper and terminal approvals | One by one | Packets prepared for you to sign |
| Test dates | A sticker you might forget | Flagged before they lapse |
| Who decides | You | Still you, and you sign the rate con |
One line matters more than the rest: a load that doesn't match your endorsements, your tank or your insurance never becomes an offer. That protects you from fines and refusals, and it protects your record with the shippers who audit hazmat carriers before awarding work.
What we book for hazmat carriers
Placarded freight in cargo tanks: fuels, chemicals, gases and other regulated liquids, matched to your tank's specification and your last product. Placarded freight in vans and on flatbeds: packaged hazardous materials in quantities that require placards, for drivers with the H endorsement.
Non-hazmat tank work, such as food-grade liquids, water and pneumatic dry bulk, sits on its own page. See our tanker dispatch for non-hazmat liquid and dry bulk. Many tanker carriers run both, and we plan across them so the trailer stays busy between placarded loads.
Placards apply to Table 1 materials at any quantity. 49 CFR 172.504(e) Table 1Checked October 2026 For most other classes, the line is 1,001 lb aggregate gross weight, and bulk packagings are always placarded. We confirm the class, quantity and packaging before we call, so you know which placards you need.
You approve every hazmat load
We call you with the product, hazard class, UN number, quantity, packaging, placards, pickup and delivery windows and the rate. You decide, with all of it in front of you.
After your yes, the rate confirmation comes to you to sign, and the shipping papers come with the load. If the product, class or quantity on paper doesn't match what you heard, don't load it. Call the desk. A no costs nothing, and we keep looking.
Shipper audits
Refineries, terminals and chemical plants often audit carriers before approving them: safety record, driver qualification files, drug and alcohol program, training and insurance. Expect paperwork and sometimes a site orientation before the first load. We line up the packets and tell you what each shipper asks for.
Insurance that matches the load
Most hazardous materials need at least $1,000,000 in liability coverage. 49 CFR 387.9Checked October 2026 Certain bulk hazardous materials need $5,000,000. 49 CFR 387.9Checked October 2026 We match each load to the limits on your certificate, so you are never offered freight your policy doesn't cover.
Mistakes we help you avoid
- Wrong last product. A tank that needs a wash before the next product loses a day if nobody checked.
- Lapsed test. A test due date that slips grounds the tank.
- Endorsement mismatch. A placarded load for a driver without H is a fine and a refused load.
- Missing registration. Placarded quantities need PHMSA registration on file.
Planning a tanker week around products and washes
A tanker's next load depends on its last one. Some products can follow each other with no wash, some need a full cleaning, and some combinations are never allowed in the same tank. A week that ignores that ends with a tank sitting at a wash rack while the good loads go to someone else.
We plan product chains: loads that can follow each other with the least cleaning, and wash locations near the drop when a cleaning is needed. Your tank specification, lining, compartments and pump or hose setup sit on your card, and every load is checked against them before we call.
Terminal and plant loading takes planning too. Many terminals need carrier approval, driver site training and loading cards before a truck can rack. We tell you what each one asks for, so the first trip isn't spent in an office instead of at the rack.
Placarded freight in vans and on flatbeds
Not all hazmat work is tank work. Packaged hazardous materials, such as paints, batteries, aerosols and many chemicals, move in vans and on flatbeds in drums, totes and boxes. When the quantity requires placards, the driver needs the H endorsement and the carrier needs the right insurance and registration.
We check the class, the packaging and the quantity for each shipment, the placards it requires and whether any of it must be kept apart from other freight on the same trailer. Segregation rules decide which hazard classes can share a load. Our hazmat segregation and placard checker runs the combinations.
What hazmat carriers ask us
"Will you send me product I can't carry?" No. Endorsements, tank spec, insurance and registration are checked before every offer.
"Do you understand shipping papers?" We read the product details before we call and tell you the class, ID number and placards. The papers themselves come from the shipper, and you check them at pickup.
Routes, tunnels and parking
Placarded loads can't always take the fastest road. Some tunnels, bridges and city routes restrict or ban hazardous materials, and some states and cities designate routes for them. Parking is limited too: a loaded hazmat tanker can't just pull into any lot overnight.
We plan the route and the stops before we price the load, so the miles and hours you hear on the call are the ones you will actually drive. If the legal route is longer, the rate has to reflect it, or we tell you the load isn't worth taking. We would rather lose a load than send you down a road a placarded truck shouldn't be on.
When something goes wrong
A leak, a crash or a rejected load is the moment you are glad the paperwork was right. Keep the shipping papers within reach as the rules require, follow the emergency response information that comes with them, and call emergency services first when anyone is at risk.
Then call the desk. We notify the broker and shipper, help arrange what comes next, whether that is cleanup, a transload or a return, and keep the timeline written down for any report or claim that follows.
Drug and alcohol testing for CDL drivers
Every hazmat tanker driver holds a CDL, and every CDL driver needs a DOT drug and alcohol testing program, including a pre-employment test before the first load and a place in a random pool. Shippers who audit hazmat carriers look for it. Our guide to the DOT drug testing consortium explains how one-truck carriers handle it.
The hazmat fee
Hazmat and tanker carriers pay the same tiers as every rig: 5% of gross for one truck on an MC older than 6 months, 7% while the MC is under 6 months, and 4% per truck for fleets of 2 or more while that limited-time rate lasts.
Zero setup cost and no minimums; a week without loads costs nothing. See the full dispatch fee, check placards by ID number with the UN number lookup, or read our guides to hazmat trucking and types of tanker trucks.
Hazmat dispatch questions
01Which endorsement do I need for a tanker?
The N endorsement covers tank vehicles: liquid or gas in tanks over 119 gallons each and 1,000 gallons or more in total. Hauling placarded hazardous materials needs the H endorsement, which requires a TSA security threat assessment. Most states issue X when you hold both. Check the current requirements with your state licensing agency.
02How often do cargo tanks need testing?
For most cargo tanks, an external visual inspection and a leakage test every year, and an internal visual inspection and a pressure test every 5 years. Insulated, lined or corrosive-service tanks can need some tests yearly, and thickness testing every 2 years applies to unlined tanks hauling corrosive lading. The schedule is in 49 CFR 180.407.
03Do hazmat loads pay more?
Often, because fewer carriers hold the endorsements, insurance and equipment to haul them, and the work carries more risk and paperwork. But it isn't automatic, and higher insurance and testing costs eat into the difference. We price each load on the whole trip so you can compare the real return with your costs.
04How much does hazmat dispatch cost?
The same tiers as every rig: 5% of gross for one truck on an MC older than 6 months, 7% while the MC is under 6 months, and 4% per truck for fleets of 2 or more while that limited-time rate lasts. No setup fee and nothing in a week you don't haul.
05What insurance do hazmat carriers need?
Federal minimums rise with the risk: at least $1,000,000 in liability coverage for most hazardous materials in vehicles of 10,001 lb or more, and $5,000,000 for certain bulk hazardous materials such as some cargo tank loads. Shippers and brokers often ask for more, plus pollution coverage. Confirm your limits with your agent.