Page 10 - The Edge - Winter 2021

THE TRUST - TRANSPORTATION

BY STEPHANIE ARBAUGH
Changes in Federal Law Impact School

Transportation Operations
Stephanie Arbaugh

Transportation officials have been significantly holders. Registration and reporting are mandatory
challenged by the constraints on normal operations under the new federal MAP-21 guidelines.
during school start-up. The fact is, though, these
challenges aren’t going away anytime soon, so we To determine that a person has no drug or alcohol
can’t let them distract us from other responsibilities. incident reports, employers must submit: (1) a
We’ve addressed a few developments in federal law query on new hires; and (2) an annual query on all
that need to be attended to while we also manage continuing CDL staff. Queries are $1.25 each or
the pandemic. $24,500 annually for unlimited use.

The Real ID Act of 2005 The January 6, 2020, deadline has passed, and
your district should already have registered as an
This federal statute modifies issuance procedures entity. The district should also be reporting positive
and security standards for driver’s licenses and drug and alcohol tests required under 40 CFR 382,
other identity documents. Its greatest impact on Subpart B. All district employees who have CDLs
transportation operations is in the issuance of should have registered themselves as well.
driver’s licenses, which will have a star designation
and new card technology to make the licenses more Here’s why it matters to you. All positive drug or
difficult to forge. The cost for the upgraded license alcohol tests required under CFR 382 will need to be
is $25. managed through the federal clearinghouse rather
than through the school district. A school district,
It takes effect in October 2021. The new license or therefore, will need to register as an administrator
ID will be mandatory for travel or access to federal
buildings. The updated cards are available now,
for those who want to obtain one early, or whose
license or ID is about to expire.

Here’s why it matters to you. School bus drives and
bus aides working for school districts that service
military bases or federal buildings, or who schedule
field trips to these or similar locations, will be
required to have the enhanced designation.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse

The clearinghouse is a secure online database used to
report all positive drug and alcohol results required
by 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 382,
Subpart B, for all commercial driver license (CDL)
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10 THE EDGE WINTER 2021