Minnesota Department of Transportation

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Technical Certification Program

Technical certification cards

Tech ID

Your MnDOT Tech ID is a unique number that is used in the industry and MnDOT, in AASHTOWare, and in this certification/training program to keep all your records together. Your Tech ID number is yours and is not tied to an employer. It will not change. You must only have one.

Our program uses a statewide public portal that is used for a wide range of licenses, not just our certifications. 

This can happen if someone else has registered you for a Technical Certification class, if you once registered for a number but then did not take a class, or if you took a community college class and got one then.

No matter the reason, do not get another Tech ID number.

Search for yourself in the public portal by clicking Search and filling in your name to find your Tech ID.

  • Set up your account in the TCP public portal (one time only). Click Register Here on the public portal page. The email you use will become your permanent login email so use a personal email address, rather than a work one.
  • Request a Tech ID using the directions on the screen.

Technical Certification Card

The MnDOT Technical Certification Card provides a personal record of all your current certifications for roadway materials sampling, testing and inspection in Minnesota. This is an annual card that expires on May 31 of each year. After June 1 of each year, print or save your card to a phone or computer to show to your employer or Independent Assurance staff as needed.

The expiration date for each certification; it is your responsibility to keep your certifications current. If you want to recertify, you must complete a recertification class in the training season before the expiration date (example: if it says May 31, 2027, take the recertification class in the 2026-2027 training season)

Technical Certification Portal Account

Log in using whatever email you would have used when you first registered in the portal and your password.

Still use the old email to log in. The login email works like a username. It cannot be easily changed. (We know this is odd and wish we could fix it. But because other agencies use the same system, it is not our choice.)

Update your actual email, the one we will use to contact you if needed, under Actions/Update Contact Information or under My Account.

Even if you update your email address as your current contact one, the old email will still be used as the login email.

Log into the public portal and update your information.

  • For first name, last name, email used to contact you, phone: go to My Account
  • For address, phone, and email: Select Update Contact Information as an Action and Address as an option
  • For company: Select Update Contact Information as an Action and Add or Update Company as an option

Click Forget Password and follow the directions on the screen.

Still use the old email to log in. The login email works like a username. It cannot be easily changed. (We know this is odd and wish we could fix it. But because other agencies use the same system, it is not our choice.)

The change password message will be sent to the email you have listed My Account and in your Contact Information.

Email us at tech-cert.dot@state.mn.us for help.

Manage your certification records

For the current training season: Lake Superior College staff enter the current course registrations two weeks before the class start date. See the email from them for the information about the class and course materials for what you must bring to class.

In the portal, we show classes you were registered for during the past six years.

In the Certifications box, select "View Your Tech Cert Card" under actions to see a pdf file of your card. Download or print this card for your reference.

If you see any missing certifications or expirations dates that are not correct, see the directions below to figure out why.

Expiration dates are listed on the MnDOT Technical certification Card.

If there is an asterisk (*) by an expiration date, that means it is set to expire in the current training season (November – May).

If you want to keep a certification active, you must complete a recertification course during the training season before it expires on May 31 or you will lose that certification. For example, if your card says May 31, 2028 for a certification, you will need to complete the recertification course in the 2027-2028 training season.

In special situations, a person with a recently expired MnDOT certification with relevant work experience may apply to regain a MnDOT certification through a Recently Expired Certification Exam

  • For all certifications, you must pass the written exam before the certification will update.
  • If you have not completed the required prerequisites for the certification or have let a prerequisite certification expire, your certification will not update. See the program handbook listed at the top of this page for more information on prerequisites.
  • If your certification requires a performance exam, your passing results must be documented in our system before the certification will update. If you completed the performance review with a MnDOT District staff member, check with them to make sure your results were submitted to us.

If you have checked all three items above and your certification is still not updating, email us directly at tech-cert.dot@state.mn.us.

Log into the public portal, select Update Contact Information as an Action, and Add/Update ACI Certification as an option.

In the Registrations box in the portal, select "View Your PDH Certificate" under actions to see a pdf file of the certificate to download or print.

People with special situations

You may be eligible to get a Provisional Testing Certificate that will give you the authority to perform certain testing procedures, such as gradations, concrete air, slump, or sand cone density, under the supervision of a technician with the current full certification. The Provisional Testing Certificate expires Dec. 31 of the calendar year it was issued. See the program handbook (PDF) for more information and the MnDOT Independent Assurance Inspector in the District where you would be testing.

The Aggregate Production Tester Certification currently does not expire so it is noted with a "Yes" rather than an expiration year on the card.

Some cards may say "Credit" instead of "Yes" for Aggregate Production. This is for people who were certified in another Tester role (Grading and Base, Bituminous, or Concrete Field) before the Aggregate Production certification was developed.

If you are a registered, professional engineer, you still need to be certified by MnDOT to perform field or laboratory materials sampling, testing, and inspection and to submit bituminous mix designs on Federal Aid, State Aid and state highway projects in Minnesota. This is based on guidance from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

Follow the regular certification process, including completing the course and exam.

Even if you hold a similar certification from another state, you still need to be certified by MnDOT to perform field or laboratory materials sampling, testing, and inspection and to submit bituminous mix designs on Federal Aid, State Aid and state highway projects in Minnesota.

If you can demonstrate your current certifications and work experience have prepared you for the particular work of a MnDOT certification, you may apply to get the certification through a State Reciprocity Certification Exam