Vanquishing the V/PD 

3rd Quarter 2014
 

A quarterly publication from the
 

Safety Section
 

Federal Aviation Administration Airports Division
 

Western-Pacific Region
 

This publication is directed primarily towards airport management to be disseminated to 

all levels of personnel working at your airfield. Vanquishing the V/PD can be 

accomplished through a solid partnership between the FAA and airport management. The 

responsibility of making sure that the proper safeguards are in place; however, lies 

squarely on the shoulders of airport management. Please use this information and all that 

follows as a guide by which to produce a safer environment at your airfield. 

When was the last time that your airport conducted a thorough review of your driver 

training program? When was the last time that your airport conducted a thorough review 

of the driver training program delegated to and conducted by your ARFF station, a tenant 

maintenance base or fixed base operator? If the answer is longer than 12 months a 

thorough review is in order. 

An airport certificated under CFR Part 139 is required to train all personnel who access 

the movement and safety areas. This training must be completed prior to the initial 

performance of such duties and at least once every 12 consecutive calendar months 

thereafter. Some airport operators choose to delegate the task of driver training to airport 

tenants or a contractor. But how often is that curriculum reviewed by airport operator to 

verify that the material is accurate and the information is up-to-date? It is the airport 

operator who establishes the procedures and policies concerning vehicle access and 

vehicle operation on the movement areas and safety areas. It is, therefore, the 

responsibility of the airport to assure that the organization assigned the task of training 

the drivers are disseminating correct and recent information. 

Recently, a rash of maintenance tow incidents at a major airport prompted airport 

management to review the movement area training curriculum of the tenant airline 

Vanquishing the V/PD - 3rd Quarter 2014
maintenance department. The findings were not good. It is easy to assume that the 

maintenance department of a major airline would maintain their movement area training 

curriculum to the highest standards. But if mistakes are made by maintenance tow crews 

in the movement area, then a closer look at their training curriculum is in order. Do not 

wait for mistakes to happen. 

FAA CertAlert No. 14-02, dated April 2, 2014 recommends that airports conduct a 

comprehensive review of the Airport Driver’s Training Program and any assigned tenant 

driver’s training programs for vehicle operations in and around the ramp or gate areas. 

FAA CertAlert No. 12-06, dated September 4, 2012 recommends that airport operators 

conduct a comprehensive review of the Airport’s Driver Training Program and Vehicle 

Access Procedures. 

FAA CertAlert No. 07-10, dated August 10, 2007 recommends that airports review the 

movement area drivers training program, particularly if the airport has changed its 

physical configuration, new roadways, new terminal buildings, hangars, movement/safety 

areas, etc. If the airport operator has authorized a tenant or air carrier to provide 

ramp/movement area training, the airport operator should regularly audit these programs 

to ensure compliance with Part 139. 

FAA Advisory Circular 150/5210-20, Ground Vehicle Operations on Airports contains 

detailed guidance for establishing an effective movement area driver training program. 

Proactive oversight of an airport conducted or delegated movement area training program 

is essential to safe vehicle operations. 

Column written by: 

Steven Oetzell 

Lead Airport Certification Safety Inspector, AWP-620.6 

Copies of recent and past CertAlerts are available on FAA Website: 

http://www.faa.gov/airports/airport_safety/certalerts/ 

Reproductions of this, past and subsequent issues of Vanquishing the VPD are available 

on FAAWebsite: 

http://www.faa.gov/airports/western_pacific/airports_resources/newsletter/ 

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