An Act Relating to Requirements for School Bus Drivers
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 0433
Committee: Transportation
Sponsors: DRINKWATER, GUERIN
Amends: 29-A MRSA §2303

Legislative Document
No. 433
H.P. 287
House of Representatives, February 4, 2025
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 GUERIN of Penobscot and
Representatives: DILL of Old Town, EDER of Waterboro, GRIFFIN of Levant, GUERRETTE 
of Caribou, HALL of Wilton, HEPLER of Woolwich, LIBBY of Auburn, 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 an applicable federal waiver, is qualified as a driver under 
the motor carrier safety regulations of the United States Department of Transportation, 
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 combination vehicle 
consisting of a truck tractor and semitrailer;
Sec. 3. Secretary of State to seek waivers.  The Secretary of State shall seek from 
the United States Department of Transportation, 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 skills test in accordance with a Federal Motor Carrier Safety 
Administration pre-approved examiner 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 operators 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 December 3, 2025 on the progress in obtaining the waivers, as well as 
any related changes in federal law or regulations that may be pending or have taken place.
SUMMARY
This bill clarifies the law governing school bus operator 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 vehicle of 
comparable type to a school bus does not include an ability to operate a combination vehicle 
consisting of a truck tractor and semitrailer.
The bill also directs the Secretary of State to seek from the United States Department 
of Transportation, 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 skills test in accordance with a Federal Motor Carrier Safety 
Administration pre-approved examiner 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 December 3, 2025 on the progress in 
obtaining the waivers, as well as any related changes in federal law or regulations that may 
be pending or have taken place.