Page 20 - The Edge - Summer 2019

SPRING CONFERENCE WRAPUP

By Don Harris

State, Federal Agencies Make Sure You

Get Kids to and from School Safely
Tommy Sims

It was a major understatement to label a breakout session at
the AASBO Spring Conference on student transportation: “It’s
more than picking up and dropping off.”
Tommy Sims, Director of Transportation at Litchfield
Elementary School District, spelled out how various state and
federal agencies regulate and oversee school buses and their
drivers.
Sims identified them as the Arizona Department of Public
Safety, Arizona Department of Transportation, Arizona Motor
Vehicle Division, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration,
Arizona Department of Education, Arizona Department of
Environmental Quality and Arizona Auditor General’s Office.
DPS oversees all certifications for school bus drivers, verifies
training requirements for drivers, and oversees driver trainers,
Sims said. “You cannot be certified to drive a school bus
without going through DPS,” he said.
The School Bus Advisory Council advises and assists DPS
with rules governing school bus driver certification and school
bus safety, and recommends curricula for bus driver safety and
training courses.
Inspections of buses are conducted annually, usually at the
same time of the year, but that can vary, Sims said. DPS also
inspects when a new or used vehicle is brought into service or
if there have been modifications.
Anyone needing a commercial driver’s license (CDL) must
go to specific MVD locations where written and driving tests
are conducted and provide proof of identity, Sims said. In
northern Arizona, they are at Flagstaff, Holbrook, Kingman,
Payson, Prescott and Show Low. Central Arizona locations are
Goodyear and Mesa/Gilbert, and southern Arizona locations
are Tucson, Casa Grande, Sierra Vista, Yuma and Safford.
“The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
establishes training standards for all CDL licenses,” Sims said.
“It governs safety standards for all commercial motor vehicles,
sets accident investigation guidelines and drug and alcohol
testing regulations.”
Sims explained that a Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse rule
requires FMCSA-regulated employers, medical review officers,
substance abuse professionals, and other service agents to
report to the clearinghouse information related to violations of
the drug and alcohol regulations by current and prospective
employees.
Sims recommended making sure that all employees know
about annual drug and alcohol screening. He recommended

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20 THE EDGE | SUMMER 2019