An Act Relating to Requirements for School Bus Drivers
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 1030
Committee: Transportation
Sponsors: DRINKWATER, POULIOT, CARMICHAEL, CRAY, DILL, DODGE, FOSTER, HALL, JACKSON, MASON
Amends: 29-A MRSA §2303

Legislative Document
No. 1030
H.P. 666
House of Representatives, March 7, 2023
An Act Relating to Requirements for School Bus Drivers
Reference to the Committee on Transportation suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative DRINKWATER of Milford.
Cosponsored by Senator POULIOT of Kennebec and
Representatives: CARMICHAEL of Greenbush, CRAY of Palmyra, DILL of Old Town, 
DODGE of Belfast, FOSTER of Dexter, HALL of Wilton, JACKSON of Oxford, MASON of 
Lisbon.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  29-A MRSA §2303, sub-§1, ¶D, as enacted by PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 
and affected by Pt. B, §5, is amended to read:
D.  Is Except to the extent of any applicable federal waiver, is qualified as a driver 
under the motor carrier safety regulations of the Federal Highway Administration, if 
that person or that person's employer is subject to those regulations;
Sec. 2.  29-A MRSA §2303, sub-§1, ¶E, as enacted by PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 
and affected by Pt. B, §5, is amended to read:
E.  Passes an examination of the person's ability to operate the specific vehicle that will 
be driven as a school bus or a vehicle of comparable type.  For purposes of this 
paragraph, a vehicle of comparable type does not include a truck tractor with 
semitrailer;
Sec. 3. Secretary of State to seek waivers.  The Secretary of State shall seek from 
the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration under 49 United States Code, Section 
31315 a waiver of the engine compartment component of the pre-trip vehicle inspection 
skills testing requirement in 49 Code of Federal Regulations, Section 383.113(a)(1)(i), 
known as the "under-the-hood" component, for commercial driver's license applicants 
seeking the school bus and passenger endorsements as well as a waiver of the requirement 
in 49 Code of Federal Regulations, Section 383.133(c)(1) that the State administer this 
portion of the pre-trip vehicle inspection test in accordance with a Federal Motor Carrier 
Safety Administration pre-approved examiner information manual.  The Secretary of State 
may seek additional waivers of requirements that the Secretary of State determines are 
unnecessary for operation of a school bus in this State.  As long as those requirements 
continue to apply to school bus drivers in this State, the Secretary of State shall seek 
renewals of waivers received.  The Secretary of State shall report to the Joint Standing 
Committee on Transportation by January 1, 2024 on the progress in obtaining the waivers 
as well as any related changes in federal law or rules that may be pending or have taken 
place.
SUMMARY
This bill clarifies the law governing school bus driver endorsements.  It provides that 
the endorsement is contingent on the applicant meeting certain federal requirements only 
if there is no waiver of those requirements in place.  It also clarifies that the requirement 
that the applicant pass an examination of the person's ability to operate a bus does not 
include an ability to operate a truck tractor with semitrailer.
The bill also directs the Secretary of State to seek from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety 
Administration a waiver of the engine compartment component of the pre-trip vehicle 
inspection skills testing requirement in 49 Code of Federal Regulations, Section 
383.113(a)(1)(i), known as the "under-the-hood" component, for commercial driver's 
license applicants seeking the school bus and passenger endorsements as well as a waiver 
of the requirement in 49 Code of Federal Regulations, Section 383.133(c)(1) that the State 
administer this portion of the pre-trip vehicle inspection test in accordance with a Federal 
Motor Carrier Safety Administration pre-approved examiner information manual.  The 
Secretary of State may seek additional waivers of requirements that the Secretary of State 
determines are unnecessary for operation of a school bus in this State.  The Secretary of 
State is directed to report to the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation by January 1, 
2024 on the progress in obtaining the waivers as well as any related changes in federal law 
or rules that may be pending or have taken place.