A class A or B, CDL is required for an activity/school bus with a gross weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more and/or rated for passenger capacity of 16 or more, including the driver. A class A, B, or C, CDL is required for activity/school buses with a gross weight rating of 26,000 pounds or less and/or rated for a passenger capacity of 16 or more, including the driver. An activity/school bus rated for less than 16 passengers, (14 passengers + the driver) and has a gross vehicle weight rating of less than 26,000 pounds is not required a CDL. These individuals are required a valid regular DL. The School/Contractor is required to have a copy of the license on file for anyone driving a activity/school bus or school passenger vehicle.

A "P" and "S" endorsement is required on a Commercial Driver's License (CDL) for the operation of both an activity buses and school buses.  To obtain the endorsement you will have to pass a "P" and "S" endorsement knowledge test and a road test in a school bus representative of the type of school bus you will be driving.  If you don't already have the "P" endorsement, you will have to pass the "P" endorsement knowledge test. 

Kansas Department of Revenue Driver Control maintains driving records and processess changes to driving privileges such as restrictions, suspensions, revoked licenses and reinstated licenses.  Driver Control can assist you with the following regarding Kansas drivers' licenses or driving records:

• Address Change Online
• Copies of Driving Records Online
• Forms Online
• Frequently asked questions on moving violations, convictions, accidents or proof of insurance
• How to read and view Kansas Driving Records
• Information on ignition interlock devices
• Click on the link below for more information and individual web links

Kansas Department of Revenue

Free Kansas Department of Revenue Drivers License/CDL status check website

Medical Self-Certification Changes  Kansas Department of Revenue on-line Certification Form

Kansas Commercial Drivers License Manual Revised March 2021
Kansas CDL Manual (PDF)

Classes of CDL, Endorsements and Restrictions (PDF)

Modernized CDL Pre-Trip Checklist for School Bus 

Modernized CDL Skills Test Instructions

Modernized CDL Skills Course Dimensions

1. Forward Stop

You will demonstrate your ability to judge the front of your vehicle during a controlled stop. Drive forward through the alley and stop with the front most  part of the vehicle in the box at the end of the alley without going past it. (POINT to the front part of the vehicle that will be scored). You may stop only once. When you have stopped, set your parking brake, shift to neural and sound the horn. Do you have any questions?

2. Straight Line Backing

You will demonstrate your ability to back a vehicle in a straight line. Pull forward and stop when I raise my hand (like this) or blow my whistle. Then, back straight through the alley until the front of your vehicle has cleared the last set of cones at the far end of the alley. You are allowed one free pull-up and may safely exit the vehicle only one time to check around the vehicle. Set your parking brake, shift to neutral, and sound your horn when you have completed the exercise. Do you have any questions?

3. Forward Offset Tracking

You will demonstrate your ability to maneuver a vehicle around other objects while moving forward. Drive forward and steer to the left through the opening into the opposite lane, keeping the right most rear tire between the cone and the line. This maneuver shall be performed in one motion UNLESS an encroachment occurs. In the event of an encroachment, you will need to clear the boundary. There are NO free back-ups, and you are NOT permitted to exit the vehicle during this exercise. Stop your vehicle when you are parallel to the outer boundary, prior to or at the cones at the far end of the exercise. Set your parking brake, shift to neutral, and sound your horn when you have completed the exercise. Do you have any questions?

4. Reverse Offset Backing

You will demonstrate your ability to offset back and park a vehicle at the end of an alley. Starting parallel with the outer boundary, offset back into the alley, bringing the rear most part of your vehicle within three feet of the rear of the alley. Stop with the rear most part of the vehicle in the box. (POINT to the rear part of the vehicle that will be scored.) Your vehicle must be completely within the defined exercise boundaries when completed. You may not go beyond the outer boundary line (point to boundary line). You are allowed two free pull-ups and may exit the vehicle a maximum of two times to check around the vehicle during this exercise. When you have completed the exercise, set your parking brake, shift to neutral and sound your horn. Do you have any questions?

Note: Click on graphic to view video

After an individual passes the written test for a CDL and or the S endorsement, the individual is issued a Commercial Learners Permit (CLP). A mandated 14 day waiing period per federal law (49 CFR 383.25) is required prior to scheduling the skills test for the CDL and or S endorsement. This same federal law prohibits a CLP holder from transporting students prior to obtaining his or her CDL.

49 CFR 383.25

Commercial Driver's License Skills Testing Offices

Medical Certification is part of the CDL, any person applying for a CDL on or after January 30, 2012 must certify with the State's Driver's License Agency to one of two categories:

1. Non-excepted interstate. I certify that I operate or expect to operate in interstate commerce, and I am both subject to and meet the qualification requirements under 49 CFR part 391, and I am required to obtain a medical examiner's certificate by 49 CFR §391.45.
2. Excepted interstate. I certify that I operate or expect to operate in interstate commerce, but engage exclusively in transportation or operations excepted under 49 CFR §§390.3(f), 391.2, 391.68 or 398.3 from all or parts of the qualification requirements of 49 CFR part 391, and I am therefore not required to obtain a medical examiner’s certificate by 49 CFR §391.45.

• CDL holders or employers can check  medical self-certification & CDL status for no charge using the Kansas Driver's License Status Check website. 
  Kansas Driver's License Status Check
• A driver can change from a category 1 to a category 2 or vice versa at any time by using the on-line or paper form.

• The Kansas Department of Revenue advises after your initial self-certification you will have to recertify when:
   

  1.       Anytime you change categories.

  2.       Anytime you renew your CDL.

  3.       Anytime you upgrade your CDL class. (go from a class B to a class A)

  4.       Anytime you add endorsements to your CDL

  5.       Anytime your medical card expires if you are a category 1.

It is important for CDL holders to understand & know their medical self-certification category and check their status on-line at least annually.

If your driver is a medical self-certification category #1, a copy of the medical examiners certificate has to be sent in and has to be done by an examiner on the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners. If the driver is a category #1 an updated medical examiners certificate must be submitted to the state every time it expires. 

If the school bus driver works and drives only for the school district, we recommend they be a category #2 on their medical self-certification. Category #2 drivers DO NOT send a copy of their medical examiners certificate to the state. Category #2 is an interstate classification which means the driver can legally drive a school bus out of state. Drivers can change their medical self-certification category at any time if they were to get a job where a category #1 was required. .

You may certify or change your certification anytime provided your CDL status is valid using the Kansas Department of Revenue on-line certification form.
Kansas Department of Revenue on-line Certification Form

You may also certify using a paper form http://www.ksrevenue.org/pdf/cdl_med_cert.pdf 
and mailing or faxing to:

Driver Licensing
Attn: Medical Certification
P.O. Box 2188
Topeka, KS 66601
Fax: 785-296-5859
Email  kdor_medical.certification@ks.gov  

Click on links below for more information:

Frequently Asked Questions About Medical Self Certification
(Kansas Department of Revenue)

ELDT (Entry Level Driver Training) a federal rule, establishes minimum training requirements for individuals who are applying for a Class A or Class B CDL, an upgrade of their CDL or a hazardous materials (H),passenger (P), or school bus (S) endorsement for their license for the first time. ELDT contains two parts, Theory and Behind The Wheel (BTW) training. ELDT is separate from CDL testing and must be completed prior to the individual taking their CDL skills test.

The federal rule does not require a minimum number of instruction hours for Behind the Wheel training, HOWEVER KANSAS SCHOOL BUS REGULATION, KAR 91-38-6 REQUIRES A MINIMUM OF 12 HOURS. The training instructor must cover all topics set forth in the BTW curriculum. BTW training must be conducted in a School Bus for which a Class B CDL is required. The instructor must determine and document that each driver-trainee has demonstrated proficiency in all elements of the BTW curriculum unless otherwise noted. A simulation device cannot be used to conduct such training or to demonstrate proficiency. Training instructors* must document the total number of clock hours each driver-trainee spends to complete the BTW curriculum. Please note, federal law 49 CFR 383.25 prohibits a Commercial Learners Permit (CLP) holder from transporting students.

There is a lot of confusion and misinformation regarding ELDT (Entry Level Driver Training). To help simplify this process we have put together some frequently asked questions which are available upon request from the School Transportation Unit. Remember in most cases if the school district trained new drivers in the past you can continue to do so and comply with ELDT if:

1. The district has a trainer (someone who has had a valid CDL with a P & S endorsement for at least 2 years)
2. The district sets up an account in the TPR (Training Provider Registry)
3. The district trainer administers the Theory portion of ELDT
4. The district trainer documents the Behind the Wheel training

* Instructor requirements: Minimum Class B CDL plus appropriate endorsements, 2 years CMV driving experience, No CMV driving convictions during the two years prior. Instructors self-certify.

KSDE ELDT Flowchart

Behind The Wheel Documentation Forms - Optional Form/Worksheet which can be used to document ELDT Behind The Wheel Training

Class B CDL plus P & S Endorsement
P & S Endorsement
S Endorsement

School Districts who employ CDL drivers, with the CDL being a condition of their employment, ARE NOT exempt the requirements for Drug & Alcohol Testing as set forth in 49 CFR Part 40 for CDL drivers.

Given the complexity of the DOT’s drug and alcohol testing requirements, it is strongly suggested, and recommended school districts hire a C/TPA (Consortium/Third-Party Administrator) to help manage their federally mandated CDL alcohol and drug testing program



FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearing House

Any school district who employs CDL drivers, with the CDL being a condition of their employment, shall register and set up an account with the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse

• Employers need to consult with their C/TPA (Consortium/ Third Party Administrator) to find out which services they are going to provide and which ones you will be responsible for
• Annual mandated limited queries of all  CDL drivers will need to be made through the clearinghouse. Even if your C/TPA does this for you, you will need to purchase the queries for the C/TPA. Queries cost $1.25 each
• Queries can only be purchased through the clearing house which accepts credit/debit cards, Amazon Pay, PayPal and EFT from a bank account (similar to a check, requires the routing number and bank account number)
• Queries can be purchased in bundles which never expire
• A limited and a full query cost the same
• All CDL drivers shall sign a written consent form to allow employers to run mandated yearly limited queries through the clearing house 
• The school district as an employer has a legal responsibility to report alcohol and drug violations to the clearinghouse
• All new CDL employees shall be checked with a full query through the clearinghouse for alcohol and drug violations 
• All new CDL employees shall register with the clearinghouse and provide the employer with digital consent to run a full query. Digital consent only applies to a full query
• Existing CDL employees, who were hired prior to January 6, 2020, do not need to register with the clearinghouse unless they were to change jobs or have an issue arise during a limited query
• FMCSA advises to use caution regarding solicitations from vendors offering to register employers with the clearinghouse. Federal law requires employers (school district) to do their own registering. The law does not allow someone else to do this for you
• Step by step registering instructions for the clearinghouse, for both school districts and drivers, can be found below under FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Resources
• The Clearinghouse will allow for the batch uploading of driver queries by preparing a tab-delimited file and uploading that file into the Clearinghouse for processing follow this link https://clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov/Resource/Index/Bulk-Upload-Template 
• If the employee or prospective employee has failed an alcohol and/or drug test AT ANY TIME in the past, the individual is not eligible to drive a school bus until they complete a SAP (Substance Abuse Program) and return-to-duty requirements in 49 CFR Part 40. Your C/TPA (Consortium/Third-Party Administrator) should be able to help you locate a SAP provider
  
   

 FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Resources

Basic Drug & Alcohol Information for School Districts (PDF) School District Responsibilities and Information

SCHOOL DISTRICT INFORMATION FOR REGISTERING WITH THE CLEARINGHOUSE:

Employer Instructions on Registering for FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse (PDF) Step by step instruction. Please note a school district is considered a Government Entity and is not required a DOT number. When asked for a DOT number remember this is not applicable to a school district.

SCHOOL DISTRICT INFORMATION FOR PURCHASING AND RUNNING QUERIES:

Employer Instructions on How to Run Limited Queries FMCSA website

Employer Instructions on How to Purchase Limited Queries FMCSA website

Sample form for Consent for Limited Queries General Consent Form for Limited Queries 

Employer Instructions on How to Run Full Queries FMCSA website

Employer Instructions on How to Assign you Consortium/Third Party Administrator to Run Your Queries FMCSA website

Employer Instructions on How to Report Drug/Alcohol Violation FMCSA website

BUS DRIVER RESOURCES

Driver Instructions on Registering for FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse (PDF) step by step instructions

Driver Instructions for Responding and Granting Electronic Permission for a Full Query From an Employer

CLEARINGHOUSE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES:

FMCSA Learning Center FMCSA website

What Employers Need To Know About DOT Drug and Alcohol Testing (PDF) Guidance and Best Practices published by
the  U.S. Department of Transportation

Frequently Asked Questions FMCSA website



Post Accident & Other Information

Post-Accident Drug & Alcohol Testing Flow Chart (PDF) Post-Accident Alcohol and Drug Testing for Kansas School Bus Drivers involved in an accident.

Kansas Drug Category Matrix (PDF) Overview of Signs and Symptoms of drug impairment

Federal Schedules of Controlled Substances



CBD Oil & Products

 DOT Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance Notice (PDF) Information regarding CBD Oil and Products and its effects on mandated drug and alcohol testing under 49 CFR part 40 for Kansas school bus drivers holding a CDL.



Medical Marijuana and Recreational Marijuana

 DOT Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance Notice (PDF) Information regarding "Medical Marijuana" and its effects on mandated drug and alcohol testing under 49 CFR part 40 for Kansas school bus drivers holding a CDL.

 DOT Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance Notice (PDF) Information regarding "Recreational Marijuana" and its effects on mandated drug and alcohol testing under 49 CFR part 40 for Kansas school bus drivers holding a CDL.