Environmental Health & Safety CDL/CMV (Commercial Driver's License and Commercial Motor Vehicle Regulations)

                                                                                                                                                        April 2024
 

Amherst College

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Commercial Motor Vehicle and Van Requirements 

Amherst College is required, under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to comply with the Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Regulations. These regulations apply to all of the following vehicles;

1. Has a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of greater than 10,000lbs,
2. Transports hazardous materials, and
3. Vans that have the capacity to carry > 8-passengers with the driver, which includes but is not limited to the Athletic and Geology Department vans, both owned and leased.

The intent of this regulation is to reduce the number of bus, truck and van accidents, injuries and fatalities by requiring drivers to meet the requirements for CMV’s by disqualifying companies and their drivers who operate commercial motor vehicles in an unsafe manner.

Amherst College currently has >10 vehicles in the fleet that meet the greater than 10,000 lb. requirements. In addition to the CMV’s that the Facilities Department operates, there are multiple 12-passenger vans in both Athletics and Geology. These vans are also considered to be CMV’s, and as such, must meet some (not all) of the requirements of the FMCSA.

Non-compliance with the requirements outlined below could result in a significant fine, having any or all of our CMV’s being placed out-of-service, or losing our DOT number and ability to operate any CMV, including vans

Vehicles > 10,000lbs (GRVW), including Pickup Trucks > 10,000lbs

1. All CMV truck drivers must;

• be at least 21 years of age
• complete the online TrainCaster Driver Safety Training course, which details the types and requirements for the fleet of vehicles Amherst College owns or leases.
• complete the Five College Driver Credentialing requirements at www.fivecolleges.edu/riskmgmt
  • In addition to being at least 21 years old, the credentialing requirements mandate that all drivers shall;
    • have a United States driver’s license, and be a student or employee of Amherst College
    • have at least 1 year of driving experience, and
    • have not had more than one accident in the past 3 years
• acquire the DOT Medical Certification Card, which must be kept on person when operating the CMV.
  • Contact Environmental Health & Safety for information on DOT Medical Card, and how to acquire same.
• read and sign this document indicating the intent to drive any Amherst College vehicles that meet or exceed the 10,000lb requirement, or a van with a capacity of at least 8.
• After completing all required credentialing and online/web-based training a practical driver training and test must be performed prior to being approved to operate a CMV.
  • Amherst College is required to keep an individual driver history for accidents that include any one of the following;
    • a fatality
    • an injury that requires a medical evaluation of any person involved in the accident, away from the scene, or
    • results in one or more of the vehicles being towed or carried from the scene
• report any accident that results in the above referenced situation(s) to the Amherst College Police Department, (413) 542-2291.
  • The driver may be required, and should submit to a drug and/or alcohol test, as requested by the investigating police department.

Athletics and Geology Vans

1. All 12-passenger van drivers must;

• be at least 18 years of age
• complete the online TrainCaster Driver Safety Training course, which details the types and requirements for the fleet of vehicles Amherst College owns or leases.
• complete the Five College Driver Credentialing requirements at www.fivecolleges.edu/riskmgmt
  • In addition to being at least 18 years old, the credentialing requirements mandate that all drivers shall;
    • have a United States driver’s license, and be a student or employee of Amherst College
    • have at least 1 year of driving experience, and
    • have not had more than one accident in the past 3 years
• read and sign below this document indicating the intent to drive any Amherst College passenger van with a capacity of at least 8, belonging to Athletics and/or Geology.
• After completing all required credentialing and online/web-based training a practical driver training and test must be performed prior to being approved to operate a CMV.
  • Amherst College is required to keep an individual driver history for accidents that include any one of the following;
    • a fatality
    • an injury that requires a medical evaluation of any person involved in the accident, away from the scene, or
    • results in one or more of the vehicles being towed or carried from the scene
• report any accident that results in the above referenced situation(s) to the Amherst College Police Department, (413) 542-2291.
  • The driver may be required, and should submit to a drug and/or alcohol test, as required by the investigating police department.

Additional Requirements for both Trucks and Vans

• All applicable vehicles shall have the required Amherst College DOT number placed on the front doors, both operator and passenger side, when the vehicle is in motion.
• magnetic signs for our leased Athletics vans should be removed and placed within the locked vehicle when the van is parked and the operator is away from same.
• All applicable vehicles are required to stop at open Weigh Stations that are typically seenon main routes such as turnpikes, route 91 and 116.
  • In most cases the federal and state inspectors will waive the van through, but if the operator drives past the weigh station, the state police will pursue, and the operator could be cited/fined.

Additional requirements for operators of the above referenced vehicles, include;

• operators must perform an initial pre-drive inspection of the vehicle. The inspection logs (binders) are located in each vehicle, and require the following to be checked;
   
  • brakes
  • horn
  • lights
    • brake, driving, directional, hazard and tail
  • mirrors
  • steering
  • tires
  • undercarriage for fluid loss
• Do not drive any van or other CMV if you identify a deficiency with the vehicle, as the operator will be cited/fined for operation of an unsafe motor vehicle.
• Report any problem with the van or other commercial vehicle to the Amherst College Fleet Maintenance Coordinator at (413) 542-8368 or to Jessica Lapachinski / Coach Gregg DiNardo (Athletics) or Gideon Morse (Geology).
  • Driving a CMV with a deficiency can result in a citation or fine for the operator.
  • Amherst College or the company from whom the van or CMV was leased or rented must maintain a log for each van or CMV that includes inspections, deficiencies and repairs.
  • Do not operate a van or other CMV with improperly distributed or unsecured cargo
  • Do not operate a van or other CMV if windows are block or otherwise obstructed
  • Do not operate a van or other CMV until all passengers are properly restrained in a seatbelts
  • Do not operate a van or other CMV in a left lane of a two (2) or more lane highway, unless passing
    • Vans and CMV’s are not permitted in the 3^rd or 4^th lane of a 3 or 4 lane highway
      • Failure to comply with the above could result in a substantial fine for the operator of the van or other CMV
  • Do not drive under the influence of any alcohol, drugs or medication that can impair judgment, including alcohol based cough syrups or medications that can make you drowsy, such as Benadryl®
  • Do not use a cell phone to make a call or send a text or e-mail.
    • Use of a cell phone for any reason in a CMV is a citable offense that a police officer can stop and charge the operator for, resulting in a fine, and loss of the operators ability to drive the van(s) in the future.
      • Civil penalties for the operator can exceed $2,500.00
      • Civil penalties for the College can exceed $11,000.00

  • All operators must follow Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Hours of Service Regulations in chart below.

    Property - Carrying CMV Drivers	Passenger - Carrying CMV Drivers
    11-hour Driving Limit May Drive a maximum of 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off-duty	10-Hour Driving Limit May drive a maximum of 10 hours after 8 consecutive hours off duty.
    14-hour Limit May not drive beyond the 14th consecutive hour after coming on duty, following 10  consecutive hours off duty. Off duty time does not extend the 14 hour period.	15-Hour On-Duty Limit May not drive after having been on duty for 15 hours, following 8 consecutive hours off duty. Off duty time is not included in the 15 hour period.
    Rest Breaks May drive only if 8 hours or less have passed  since end of driver's last off-duty period of at least 30 minutes. (In attendance time may be included in break if no other duties were  performed)	60/70 Hour On-Duty Limit May not drive after 60/70 hours on duty in 7/8 consecutive days.
    60/70 Hour On-Duty Limit May not drive after 60/70 hours on duty in 7/8  consecutive days. A driver may restart a 7/8  consecutive day period after taking 34 or more consecutive hours off duty.  Must include  two periods from 1AM to 5AM home terminal time, and may only be used once per week, or  168 hours, measured from the beginning of the previous restart.

  • Do not drive a CMV if your ability to do so has been suspended by the state or Amherst College.

In order to meet the regulatory requirements specified above, which includes training for all van and other CMV operators, coaches and members of the faculty (or their designees) that oversee the operation of these vehicles shall verify that all of the van operators meet the requirements of the regulations and have read, and will comply with the requirements stipulated above.

It shall be the responsibility of the respective departments, including coaches and members of the faculty (or their designees) to have each operator, as well as the supervisor sign off on these protocols, before allowing operators to drive a van or other CMV.

Once you have reviewed this information and signed off, you will be permitted to operate a Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) or passenger vans that exceed 8 persons.

For those persons who will be operating a CMV vehicle which is not a van, you must have and physically carry your DOT Medical Card, and shall be responsible for keeping that medical card