Two people have told me that the Secretary of State's Office allows CUMTD to test/certify its own drivers. Is it true that the CUMTD can give bus driver licenses to its own employees? Something doesn't seem right about that.
CUMTD Bus Drivers' Licenses
Posted November 13th, 2005 at 12:55 AM by ScottTapley
I am curious how that works...not to have to go through the Secretary of State's office. It's not a slight to the drivers but rather a policy issue.
That is not exactly right. I driver spends the first week studing and taking the CDL drivers license. The written test for a permit is given at the Rantoul Drivers License office. The you spend the next couple weeks driving. You start off in parking lots just like we did when we were teens. Then after they feel we can handle the bus we move out to the streets. We drive around with trainers. These are the buses that say "Do Not Board-Traing Bus". Then after so many hours doing that we then drive wiith Line Instructors on actual routes. After doing that for 2 weeks we go through a drivers test given by a State Certified Instructor with the MTD. The we go back to Rantoul and take the written final CDL.
The hours that a trainee spends behind the wheel is alot more than any teen gets before they are let loose out on the streets. The training is very intense and long. If line instructor does not feel a driver is ready to be on their own they are held as long as it takes for them to develop the skills to properly handle a bus.
After doing that for 2 weeks we go through a drivers test given by a State Certified Instructor with the MTD.
So, is this person a CUMTD employee? And if so, is this standard practice for most transit systems?
I don't know but it's probably infinitely better than whatever the standard is for the State. Have you ever taken a drivers test down at the Bradley / Mattis office? It's a joke--I can't believe how easy it is to pass; no wonder there are so many accidents.
The written test has barely a word about speed or taking corners or pedestrian awareness--I mean it's all about the yellow line. In fact, I found two errors in the book and brought it to the attention of the officials there and they said something like, don't worry if you get it wrong on the test, we'll wave it. Very scary!
The tree-part exam for a CDL is a completely different animal and hardly easy. Also there are no free passes with the current George Ryan scandal/trial.
Let's not forget that carrying a CDL also means stiffer penalties when operating your POV as well.
PB,
If you have an accident in your POV is your CDL yanked?
Can schools also give bus drivers CDLs? How about public education semi driver training programs? Does the SOS have some standardized special licensing process?
A CDL license can only be given by the SOS' office. The written and driving tests are given by SOS employees.
The CDL designation was designed about 15 years ago to more or less standardize the testing and information that must be learned to hold this license. Prior to that each individual state had its own set of rules and drivers could be licensed in more than one state. This was a problem because if you had a problem in one state you could be licensed in another. NOw there is cooperation amonst the states and only one license to be had. It is illegal to be licensed in more than one state.
NOV 13 11:13 - NO your license would not be yanked if you have an accident while off the clock. There are some higher standards that do apply while off the clock, for example the legal limit for alcohol is lower for CDL license holders - on or off the job.
The Secretary of State has a third-party CDL certification program whereby "private companies, municipalities, fire departments and governmental agencies" can "conduct the CDL skills and road exam for CDL class A, B, C, and M, for their employees who utilize a Commercial Drivers License for their daily operation."
http://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/092/092010300000600R.html
That's presumably the program under which the MTD can have "a state certified instructor" administer the road test, as described by an earlier poster.
The legal BAC for a non-CDL license holder is .08. For a person holding a CDL the legal limit is .04 on or off duty. Trust me, this one I know.
Probably a good safety rule given the deadly mass of trucks and buses.
Maybe Hummer drivers should also have a lower BAC too.
To the best of my knowledge and belief:
Did you know that commercial bus and truck drivers have to get regular physical exams and carry a card evidencing same? Not so with the MTD. MTD drivers do not have to take physical exams. Presumably, any unhealty toad can drive for MTD.
Remember the bus that crashed into Sears about 15 years ago? That driver didn't even have two legs.
MTD drivers do not carry manifests which show how many hours they have been behind the wheel for any given period of time.
Also, of the nearly 200 drivers employed by MTD, a good number of them could no longer pass the physical requirements to obtain a CDL today (hearing, vision, general health). Health conditions such as diabetes are strictly monitored by the state, as they may cause a driver to black-out and possibly drive off a bridge into a slew, building, or crowd of pedestrians.
I was visiting your sight today, looking for some info on the SW Champaign issue that is being discussed everywhere I go. I thought I might add some comment. Lots of Good and Bad info here.
1. CDL - in about 1992 the Federal Goverment set the standards for this, mostly because Truck Drivers were getting multiple licences. Sure, its issued by the State, but most of the laws governing are Federal.
2. Medical Cards are only required if you are traveling more than 50 miles from your main base.
3. Pre employeement physicals are then nessessary, but not annual.
4. The bus that crashed into Sears, the bus was hit by a car running a stop sign, knocking the driver from his seat, the driver was wearing a seatbelt, which caused him to not be able to move his foot from the accelerater. The driver has two legs and is still employed by MTD.
5. MTD does have Certified State Inspectors that are employees, but so does every other bus company, the DMV in Rantoul, Champaign, and Tuscola do not have employees certified for this kind of test.
If the driver was wearing a seatbelt, how was he "knocked from his seat?"
Seems to me a car would have to be traveling at an extremely high rate of speed (in a parking lot?) in order to knock a belted driver from the the seat of a 10-12 ton vehicle.
Dude's, Whats going on here? I't seems as if you guys are looking for a needle in a hay stack. I wouldn't be shocked if you guys would make up a story that the guy who was driving the buss that hit sears was abducted by the easter bunny and that was why the buss lost controll. Has anyone in this blog done some time in woodstock in the 60's ? Why don't you guys take on a real issue like why I pay 3/4 of my taxes to the school district and somehow the school district needs more money. They keeps raising my tax bill by at least $100 a year. Can't the school district be held responsible for how they spend money ? Everyone keeps saying that we give money to the schools in the name of education and the children but when a teacher in chicago is making $100,000 a year there is something wrong with this picture? I think there is allot of mismanagment of funds in the school district and it's pissing me off that nobody is doing anything about it. I feel like I'm going to loose my house some day because I'll be paying so much to the schools that I can't afford to keep it.
Oh, one more thing. If someone looks up the public records on how much school teachers make in illinois and there isn't a teacher that makes $100,000 in Chicago then you will have to take my word for it. I did see at one time in the last 4 years that a grade school teacher was making $100,000 a year. I won't say what my job is but it ticks me off that I have to spend allot of time studying to keep up with changing technology to keep my job and I make less than a teacher who hands out a book report asignment and makes 2/3 more than I do.
One more shot in the dark. With all this mtd bashing going on all I can Say is at least bill bolk of mtd keeps within his budget. He dose more with less money than the schools get.
Legs are overrated, and totally unnecessary for driving.
Hmm? - a bus is not your fathers Oldsmobile, it's about 20 tons.
The bus in question, the old gmc series, like the one on Speed.
Seatbelts in buses, designed to keep driver from going out front window, does very little for side impact.
The car was traveling at high speed, ie...ran stop sign.
Struck bus behind driver front tire.
In your car or truck, there is a passenger seat next to you, so you would be pushed over on it.
Bus has the white line, but nothing very soft to help you.
fireforge22 - I have often been impressed with the MTD budget.
I think if Bill was doing the budget for the county, we would all be better off.
fireforge22 said: "...at least bill bolk of mtd keeps within his budget."
So, why do you suppose they've decided to annex everything they possibly can without lowering their tax rate to spread out the burden? (Can you say "bond payments for the trolley project?")
Bus Driver said: "I think if Bill was doing the budget for the county, we would all be better off."
You're probably right...because the county would have annexed parts of surrounding counties to enhance its revenue stream by now.