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2018 Americas Best Contest Winners from Colorado
Congratulations to: Zach Davis, Douglas County Kyle Shanahan, Academy 20 NAPT, Kansas City. Americas Best Contest October 28th, 2018
Denver Public Schools' Nicole Portee Named NAPT Transportation Director of the Year
Photo Credit: Erwin Harrison | Story Credit: Claudia Newton Nicole is at the pinnacle of her career and on the industry’s leading edge of linking student success to the school bus ride. Coloradoans know a thing or two about mountains. Peak pose challenges that require many calculated steps to surmount. Similarly, leaders in the business world are adept at flipping the perspective of their employees to use challenges to uncover opportunities. Similar to mountain climbing, organizational leadership requires continuously putting one foot in front of the other in an effort to stride further and higher. And there’s an exhilaration upon the accomplishment of reaching the summit. Nicole Portee knows a thing or two about this type of ascent, running a stellar school bus operation for Denver Public Schools nestled against the foothills of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. She has had her fair share of challenges and monumental tasks to overcome, but she has consistently risen to impressive heights, which is why she was named this year’s School Transportation News Transportation Director of the Year. Read the full article here.
NATIONAL SCHOOL BUS SAFETY WEEK
Welcome to National School Bus Safety Week. This is held during the third full week of October each year, National School Bus Safety Week and is an active and evolving public education program and an excellent way for parents, students, teachers, motorists, school bus operators, school administrators, and other interested parties - to join forces and address the importance of school bus safety. Designed to promote school bus safety, school districts throughout the country observe School Bus Safety Week.018 National School Bus Safety Week: October 22-26, 2018 and the theme is "My Driver - My Safety Hero!" The theme of National School Bus Safety Week is derived from the Poster Contest the year before. The 2017 winning poster, depicted above, was drawn by Aumkar Patel, a 5th Grader at Henry County Schools in McDonough, GA. CSPTA has obtained permission from NAPT to share the digital image of the 2018 National School Bus Safety Week Poster. Click on the following link to download a copy of the digital image of the 2018 National School Bus Safety Week poster (Please note: your use of the following hyperlink to download the 2018 National School Bus Safety Week poster will be viewed as acceptance of the terms and conditions expressed above): https://www.dropbox.com/sh/v5b5yxbv8e7iek9/AAD1kXGV1UKdtwx9UQT0PQoXa?dl=0 If you have any questions, please contact your region director or NAPT at 800-989-NAPT (6278).
FYI: DOT Medical Forms
If you look at the DOT Medical Examiners Certificate, in the extreme upper right corner you will see an expiration date, more than likely it will state OMB No.2126-0006 Expiration date 8/31/2018. That is the expiration date this article is referring to. So, please be vigilant and review all DOT physicals that have been performed on or after October 4, 2018 to make sure that the expiration date in the extreme upper right corner is September 30, 2019. Otherwise, you should contact your DOT physician and advise them that they are using expired forms. Old’ DOT med forms no longer allowed, new ones on the way No grace period for drivers’ medical cards dated 8/31/2018 Posted October 5, 2018 Not only will there be no grace period for recently expired medical exam forms, but another new version of the forms is under development, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). On October 4, 2018, the agency issued a notice to medical examiners informing them that October 4, 2018, is the last day they can use drivers’ medical examination forms and certificates showing an expiration date of 8/31/2018. Though the FMCSA has historically granted a “grace period” during which old medical forms could still be used, the agency declined to do so, though the only change to the forms was the expiration date. The FMCSA failed to seek re-approval of the forms from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) until the date they expired, resulting in a rush to put the new versions into use. Without notifying the public, the FMCSA made the new forms available in late September and, on October 4, notified examiners that it was the last day the 8/31/2018 forms could be used. “Medical examiners must begin using the final approved forms with the 09/30/2019 expiration date as of today 10/04/2018 … to remain in compliance with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations,” the notification states. The expiration date appears in the upper right corner and indicates the date on which the agency no longer has legal authority to require use of the form. The new expiration date, as set by OMB, is September 30, 2019. CDL drivers beware! The sudden change in medical forms could harm CDL-holding drivers whose exams get recorded on expired forms. The FMCSA instructed state licensing agencies to accept medical cards with the 8/31/18 expiration date only if they were signed by the medical examiner on or before October 4, 2018. Motor carriers must ensure that any driver medical exams performed after October 4, 2018, are documented on medical forms showing an OMB expiration date of 9/30/2019. Another version is in the works. To add to the confusion, yet another version of the medical forms is in the works, the FMCSA announced. Due to the creation of a new form to be used by insulin-using drivers seeking medical certification, all FMCSA medical forms and certificates have to undergo another round of review at OMB. Once that review is complete, the medical exam form and certificate will get a new expiration date. OMB is taking public comment on the new insulin form until November 19, 2018, so it will not be able to approve the forms until sometime after that date.