Ohio Department of Transportation

Office of Transit

New Specialized Transportation Program Grantee OrientationFriday, December 12, 2008

Josh Gearhardt, Public Transportation Manager

Office of Transit

Welcome and Introductions

Vehicle Delivery

Vehicle Delivery

• Vendors or ODOT will call to inform you of the delivery date for your vehicle.

• For Standard Minivans, your agency will be required to pick up the vehicle at ODOT’s nearest District Office

• Delivery may take up to 6 months after the local share is received by ODOT

Vehicle Delivery • Vendor Requirements– ½ tank of Fuel– Temporary License Plates (30 Day)– Instructions/Training Videos• Lifts• Securement Devices• Test Drive

– Forms• Delivery Receipt, must be completed and returned to

ODOT.

Vehicle Delivery • Safety Equipment Provided– First Aid Kit– Bloodborne Pathogens Kit– Safety Triangles– Fire Extinguishers*– Seat Belt Cutters

*Fire extinguishers must be serviced annually and the servicing company must leave a tag on the extinguisher showing the date it was serviced.

Ohio Medical Transportation Board

Ohio Medical Transportation Board

• HB 85 enacted by the 125th General Assembly– Required transportation providers which provide

nonemergency medical transportation to be licensed and meet numerous other requirements

• Amd. Substitute SB 87 enacted by the 126th General Assembly– Exempted certain vehicles purchased with funds

from a grant made by the US DOT

OMTB con’t.• Requirements – Outlined in March 10, 2006

letter from Office of Transit Administrator Marianne Freed

• Legislation is for agencies using vehicles to transport passengers in wheelchairs to nonemergency medical appointments

OMTB con’t.

Agencies receiving funding from Medicaid for medical related trips are not exempted and must still be licensed by the OMTB

Once you receive disposition of a specialized vehicle, you no longer meet the exemption.

OMTB con’t.Requirements:• Preventive Maintenance Program• Insurance• Driver Requirements• Minimum age – 18• Obtain recent certified abstract• Conduct criminal records background check• Physical• Pre-employment drug and alcohol test

OMTB con’t.Requirements con’t.• Training• Drug and Alcohol• Bloodborne Pathogens• Wheelchair securement• First aid• CPR• Passenger Assistance • Defensive Driving – recommended

OMTB con’t.Requirements con’t.• Equipment• Biohazard disposal kit• Other standard equipment specified in ODOT term

contracts• First Aid Kit• Bloodborne Pathogens Kit• Safety Triangles• Fire Extinguisher• Seat Belt Cutters

• Two Way Communication

ODOT Requirements

Meet all training requirements – some must occur immediately, all must occur within six months of being hired.

Adhere to all vehicle usage, licensing, maintenance, recordkeeping, and reporting requirement.

Comply with all requirements needed to meet OMTB exemption

Training Requirements

TrainingPassenger Assistance Training• Assist passengers in boarding and deboarding

the vehicle • Proper securement techniques (Properly

securing a passenger takes approximately 10 minutes). Take this into consideration when scheduling rides

• Lift operations• Familiarity with types of disabilities

Training con’t.

First Aid and CPRMay be offered at:

American Red CrossLocal HospitalsMR/DD facilitiesNational Safety Council

Fire Departments

Training

Drug and Alcohol

Unless agency falls under the FMCSA regulations, there is no specific requirement for the Drug and Alcohol training.

Training con’.tBloodborne Pathogens

This is an OSHA requirement.

All agencies are required to have an exposure control plan.

Training con’t.

Bloodborne Pathogens con’t.

Drivers must be offered a Hepatitis B shot• A policy must be in place to let the drivers

know the shot is offered free of charge.• If a driver refuses the Hepatitis B shot, he or

she must sign a form stating the shot was refused and the documentation must be maintained in the driver’s file.

Training con’t.

Defensive Driving Course• ODOT sponsors training at various locations

throughout the state.• Classes are listed on ODOT’s website• Course may be taken online at:

http://www.nscddconline.com/odot-oda

Policies and Procedures

Policies and ProceduresSample Manual – Available on Office of Transit website

-Provides sample policies and a template which can be customized for each agency. There are specific policies that are required.

All policies should be reviewed by a legal expert within the organization and adopted by the governing board.

Policies should be shared with all personnel within the agency and documentation should be in place noting all personnel are familiar with the policies and procedures.

Requirements of Other Funding Sources

Some funding sources have more stringent requirements than others.

Your agency must adhere to the requirements of all funding sources.

Federal Requirements

Federal Requirements

Commercial Drivers License (CDL)Standard Minivans (SMVs), Modified Minivans

(MMVs), Converted Vans (CVs), and Light Transit Narrow Body (LTNs) vehicles do not require a Commercial Drivers License.

Light Transit Vehicles (LTVs) designed to carry 15 passenger plus the driver requires the driver to have a Commercial Drivers License (CDL)

Federal Requirements con’t.

Drug and Alcohol Requirements• Must comply with the FMCSA requirements if

operating a vehicle where the driver is required to have a CDL

• FMCSA regulations – 49 CFR Part 382• Collection procedures – 49 CFR Part 40

Federal Requirements con’t.

Drug and Alcohol Requirements con’t.FMCSA requires• Testing catogories• Pre-employment, Random, Reasonable Suspicion,

Post Accident, Return-to-Duty and Follow-up

• Prohibited Substances• Marijuana, Cocaine, Amphetamines, Opiates,

Phencyclidine

Federal Requirements con’t.

Drug and Alcohol Requirements con’t.• Policy • Training • For Reasonable Suspicion Determination• For Employees

• Monitoring of Service Agents

Federal Requirements con’t.Civil Rights• American with Disabilities Act (ADA) – Equivalent

Service• Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) – Only

pertains if your agency receives more than $250,000 in Federal funds excluding vehicles

• Limited English Proficiency (LEP) – Addressed in a December 19, 2007 from Office of Transit Administrator, Marianne Freed

Federal Requirements con’t.

Civil Rights con’t. – LEP

Covered in Title VI Circular and by Executive Order 13166

Who is a LEP Person?

Federal Requirements con’t.

Civil Rights con’t. - LEP

What is required of recipients? Assessment Plan of Action

Federal Requirements con’t.

Civil Rights con’t. - LEP• Four Factor Assessment– Demographic– Frequency – Importance – Resources

Federal Requirements con’t.

Civil Rights con’t. - LEP

Plan of Action – Five Elements Identification of volume and location of LEPs and LEP

communities Language assistance measures Staff Outreach measures Monitoring and Evaluation of Efforts

Federal Requirements con’t.

CharterSection 5310 agencies are exempt from Charter

as long as the system is transporting groups for “program purposes.”

Program purposes does not include exclusive service for other groups formed for purposes unrelated to the special needs of the targeted populations.

Federal Requirements con’t.

Charter Charter Manual is on the Office of Transit

website.If you provide any service other than to your

agency clients, you must review the charter regulations to determine if the service is allowable.

Federal Requirements con’t.FMCSA – Crossing State LinesRegistration Process contingent on:• Size of vehicle• Area of service (exempt if within enterprise

area)• Only if vehicle is “for-hire”

Refer to Manual on Office of Transit website

Maintenance

Maintenance

• Preventive Maintenance Manual: ODOT’s A Guide to Preventive Maintenance, November 2006

• Documentation/Recordkeeping– Written maintenance plan is required– Record for each vehicle

• Vehicles should have annual inspections by a ASE certified or qualified mechanic

Maintenance con’t.

• Vehicle maintenance plan– Should follow manufacturer’s maintenance

program– Vehicle comes with manufacturers vehicle

instruction booklet which states intervals when maintenance is required.• Oil change x miles (3,000 to 7,500 miles)• All vehicle fluids checked regularly • Other items completed as recommended by

manufacturer

Maintenance con’t.

• Daily Inspection Requirements– Driver’s are to complete a vehicle inspection

everyday before the vehicle goes into service– Copies of completed daily pre-trip inspection

sheets must be on file and available for review– For those vehicles with lifts, the lift must be cycled

at the beginning of each shift and recorded on the inspection sheet

Maintenance con’t.

• Lift Maintenance– Lifts should be inspected and serviced annually or

by number of cycles as recommended in lift instructions by a qualified technician(trained by Braun or Ricon)

– If a lift breaks, it must be repaired– Determine where the nearest lift repair facility is

located in your area (Name of facility is supplied when vehicle is delivered)

Maintenance con’t.

• Warranty Work– Chassis Manufacturer Warranty• (From the driver’s seat forward)

– Modifier’s Warranty• (From the driver’s seat back, these are the items the

vehicle modifiers have built, usally the seating area of the vehicle)

Maintenance con’t.

• Preventive Maintenance– Regularly scheduled maintenance• Oil Changes• Tires• Batteries• Check all fluid levels

Maintenance con’t.

• Cleaning Vehicles– Inside• Routine schedule for cleaning vehicle• Q-Straint and Sure-Loc Restraints should not be left in

tracks• Tracks and restraints must be kept as dry and clean as

possible

– Outside• Routine schedule for cleaning vehicle

Vehicle Inspections

Vehicle Inspections

• ODOT conducts a vehicle inspection prior to delivery to agency

• ODOT will visit your agency once every three years to check on the status of the vehicle and the preventive maintenance being preformed.– Review daily inspection sheets– Preventive maintenance records– Odometer reading on all specialized vehicles

Vehicle Inspections/Licensing Requirements

Ohio Revised Code Section 4513.50Inspections of passenger transportation vehicles• All private non profit owned vehicles without county

tags must be inspected annually by State Highway Patrol (approx. $120)

• Vehicles exempted are standard minivans, modified minivans, converted vans

• LTNs and LTV’s, vehicles with a GVW or more than 10,000 lbs and are subject to the inspection law

Vehicle Inspections/Licensing Requirements

County/City License PlatesAgencies with county/city license plates are exempted from the State Highway Patrol inspection

Reporting

Reporting

• Report Deadlines– January – June (Due in July)– July – December (Due in January)

• Submission Format– Currently through telephone reporting system

(TESS)

DAILY VEHICLE INSPECTIONS

• Inspection sheet must be completed daily for each vehicle

• Daily or weekly inspections sheets must be maintained

• If lift equipped, lift must be operated/cycled before vehicle is put in service for the day

Reporting con’t.• Information Collected– Current odometer reading– Miles/gallon– Number of days in use– Maintenance costs (not fuel costs)– Accidents incurred– Number of elderly passenger transported (over 60)– Number of disabled passengers transported (under 60)– Other passengers (personal care attendants, assistants

or other passengers)

Reporting con’t.

Passenger TripsA passenger is counted each time he or she

boards the vehicle. A passenger traveling to the doctor’s office, pharmacy, bank, grocery store and home is counted as five passenger trips.

ODOT must report this number annually to FTA.

Unduplicated Clients

• Agency must track the number of unduplicated clients that you provide transportation service in the Specialized Vehicles awarded to your agency.

• ODOT must report this number to FTA annually

Vehicle Usage

• Award of subsequent vehicle(s) through the program is impacted by use of previous vehicles received through the program.

• Subsequent application estimated usage, mileage, and trips are compared to vehicles in use.

Quality Assurance Reviews (QARs)

Quality Assurance Reviews (QARs)

• What is a QAR?• Why do we do them?• What do we review?

Quality Assurance Reviews (QARs)

• Send email to STP agencies to expect QAR • Contact Agency to schedule site visit • Email list of documentation to be reviewed• Conduct QAR site visit (3 to 4 hours)• Transmit QAR Report, Action Plan, and Executive

Summary to agency within 30 days• Email electronic Action Plan to agency

QARs (cont.)

• ODOT reviews electronic Action Plan for reasonableness

• ODOT transmits Final Action Plan to agency • ODOT STP Coordinator monitors completion of

requirements and keeps documentation on file

Vehicle Disposition

Vehicle Disposition

• General Disposition Requirements– SMV, MMV, and CV 130,000 miles– LTN and LTV 150,000 miles– These are the minimum standards for disposition

• Once ODOT grants disposition of the vehicle(s), the vehicle may still be used; however, it is no longer exempt from the OMTB licensing requirements.

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous• Status of Transit in Ohio (SOT)• Specialized Listserv• FTA “What’s New”• Office of Transit Newsletter• Transit Curriculum Program• OPTA Conference• Office of Transit Training• Lending Library

Office of Transit Website

• http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Local/Transit/Pages/default.aspx

• Online!!!• Continuing to add content• Please submit comments to:– Rena Puckett: rena.puckett@dot.state.oh.us

Contact Information

Pat Pikula, Specialized Program Coordinatorpat.pikula@dot.state.oh.usTelephone: 614-644-7237Fax: 614-887-4146 Kim White, Training and Compliance Officerkim.white@dot.state.oh.usTelephone: 614-644-0301Fax: 614-887-4156

Questions