Section 1 subjects a vehicle used to transport passengers by a motor carrier of railroad employees to federal commercial vehicle inspection requirements and the requirement to display a safety inspection decal.
Section 2 amends the section of statute governing a motor carrier of railroad employees.
Subdivision 1 contains definitions that are located at the end of the section in current law. It expands the definition of “on-duty time” to clarify that a driver is on duty from the time a driver must be in readiness to work until the driver is relieved from work.
Subdivision 2 applies the requirements of the section to a contractor who, by agreement with the carrier, transports railroad employees.
Subdivision 3 requires the driver physical exam to meet the federal standards for a commercial motor vehicle operator exam. The section requires a driver to perform pretrip and posttrip vehicle inspections and prohibits operation of a cellular phone, whether handheld or hands-free, when the vehicle is in motion or is part of traffic.
Subdivision 4 specifies the sources that must be consulted for a driver criminal background check and requires the carrier to maintain and retain as specified a driver qualification file on each operator and records of pretrip and posttrip inspections. The carrier is required to maintain uninsured/underinsured minimum coverage of $1M for one person in one incident and $3M for two or more people in one incident.
Subdivision 5 states vehicle standards. The vehicle must be designed to transport ten or fewer persons, including the driver, must contain certain equipment, and must bear vehicle markings.
Subdivisions 6, 7, and 8 contain only technical and conforming changes.
Subdivision 9 allows the Department of Transportation and State Patrol to conduct random inspections, safety reviews, audits, or accident investigations of any vehicle or facility of the carrier.
The effective date of section 2 is August 1, 2014.
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