Be Part of the Ultimate Safety & Compliance Community
Trending news, knowledge-building content, and more – all personalized to you!
:
|
Under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs), a “school bus” is a passenger motor vehicle designed or used to carry a driver plus 11 or more passengers and is primarily used for the purpose of transporting pre-primary, primary, or secondary-school students between home and school. These “standard” school bus operations — those that operate between a school and students’ homes — are exempt from the FMCSRs under 390.3(f)(1), except for the bans on texting and hand-held cellphone use.
School buses operated by the government, such as a local school district, are exempt from the FMCSRs entirely, under 390.3(f)(2), but this exemption does not extend to contractors performing transportation on behalf of the government.
School buses used to transport post-secondary students or for travel to extracurricular activities across state lines, however, may be subject to at least some of the rules.
The following table outlines how the FMCSRs in Parts 382 and 383, and Parts 390 — 396 apply to school-bus operations:
Operation type | Student type | When used to/from school and home | When used for extracurricular activities |
---|---|---|---|
Public school | Any | Exempt from most FMCSRs except CDL licensing and drug/alcohol testing | Exempt from most FMCSRs except CDL licensing and drug/alcohol testing |
Private school | Pre-primary, primary, and secondary student | Exempt from most FMCSRs except CDL licensing and drug/alcohol testing | Subject to FMCSRs as PMCP (Business) |
Private school | Post-secondary | Subject to FMCSRs as PMCP (Business) | Subject to FMCSRs as PMCP (Business) |
For-hire contractor | Pre-primary, primary, and/or secondary | Exempt from most FMCSRs except CDL licensing and drug/alcohol testing | Subject to FMCSRs as for-hire carrier |
For-hire contractor | Post-secondary | Subject to FMCSRs as for- hire carrier | Subject to FMCSRs as for-hire carrier |
Under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs), a “school bus” is a passenger motor vehicle designed or used to carry a driver plus 11 or more passengers and is primarily used for the purpose of transporting pre-primary, primary, or secondary-school students between home and school. These “standard” school bus operations — those that operate between a school and students’ homes — are exempt from the FMCSRs under 390.3(f)(1), except for the bans on texting and hand-held cellphone use.
School buses operated by the government, such as a local school district, are exempt from the FMCSRs entirely, under 390.3(f)(2), but this exemption does not extend to contractors performing transportation on behalf of the government.
School buses used to transport post-secondary students or for travel to extracurricular activities across state lines, however, may be subject to at least some of the rules.
The following table outlines how the FMCSRs in Parts 382 and 383, and Parts 390 — 396 apply to school-bus operations:
Operation type | Student type | When used to/from school and home | When used for extracurricular activities |
---|---|---|---|
Public school | Any | Exempt from most FMCSRs except CDL licensing and drug/alcohol testing | Exempt from most FMCSRs except CDL licensing and drug/alcohol testing |
Private school | Pre-primary, primary, and secondary student | Exempt from most FMCSRs except CDL licensing and drug/alcohol testing | Subject to FMCSRs as PMCP (Business) |
Private school | Post-secondary | Subject to FMCSRs as PMCP (Business) | Subject to FMCSRs as PMCP (Business) |
For-hire contractor | Pre-primary, primary, and/or secondary | Exempt from most FMCSRs except CDL licensing and drug/alcohol testing | Subject to FMCSRs as for-hire carrier |
For-hire contractor | Post-secondary | Subject to FMCSRs as for- hire carrier | Subject to FMCSRs as for-hire carrier |