Which physical do my bus drivers need?
All school transportation drivers in Ohio require a valid T8 physical to operate a vehicle with students on board.
This requirement is set forth in Ohio Revised Code 3327.10 and Ohio Administrative Code 3301-83-06 (B)(7). The requirement exists for school bus drivers and motor van drivers.
The specifications for the physical itself are detailed in Ohio Administrative Code 3301-83-07. The form used by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW) to document the physical is the T-8 form, and is available from ODEW’s website at this link: https://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Finance-and-Funding/School-Transportation/Driver-Training/Bus-Drivers
What about the Federal DOT physical exam?
First off . . . what is the DOT physical? This is a physical examination that is prescribed by the Federal Department of Transportation (DOT) specifically for operators of commercial motor vehicles. These physical examinations can be performed only by medical examiners listed on the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners under subpart D of part 390 of the code of federal regulations.
The DOT examination has different standards from the Ohio T-8 physical and is administered biennually (every two years). They two exams are not interchangeable. Passing a DOT exam does not constitute passing a T8, and passing a T8 does not constitute passing a DOT exam.
There are certain federal requirements that apply to all operators with a Commercial Driver License (CDL), and others that are not. Drug and alcohol testing is one of the requirements that apply to all CDL holders, including school bus drivers.
With regard to physicals, applicability of the DOT physical depends upon who employs the driver and what the transportation entails. Part 390.3, section (f) lists exceptions to the requirements in 390 (including the physical exam). It states that unless specifically provided, the rules in 390 do not apply to—
(1) all school bus operations as defined in 390.5 except for the provisions of 391.15(e) and (f), 392.80, and 392.82.
(2) Transportation performed by the Federal government, a State, or any political subdivision of a State . . .
Looking further into the language in (1) above, 390.5 defines school bus operations as the use of a school bus to transport only school children and/or school personnel from home to school and from school to home. It does NOT include field trips, or what we in Ohio call nonroutine transportation.
Taken in context, the summary here is that school bus drivers working for a public school district are employed by a political subdivision, and are not required to have a DOT physical exam. Contracted drivers transporting school children are not required to have a DOT physical exam when transporting from home to school and school to home. However, they are NOT excepted from the DOT physical requirement when providing nonroutine service.
Summary: all Ohio drivers that transport school children must have a passing T8 exam, performed annually. Some school transportation drivers (most notably those that work for entities other than the school district) must also have a DOT exam when performing nonroutine transportation of school students or personnel.