Alabama

School bus in-service

REQUIRED 4 hours annual

Citation: Ala. Admin. Code r. 290-2-4-.04; Code of Ala. 1975 §§ 16-27-1 through 16-27-5

Administered by the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) Pupil Transportation Section, which certifies drivers and does all school bus CDL performance testing. All certificates expire December 31 each year; drivers must attend a 4-hour ALSDE recertification class (taught Jan 1 - Nov 15) or repeat the full new-driver program (4 hrs local pre-training + 12-hour ALSDE class + 80% written exam + 3-part performance test). The 4-hour annual figure comes from ALSDE program documents; the administrative code rule establishes the certification program without stating the hour count.

Official source ›

CDL & endorsements

CDL renewal cycle: every 4 years.

No general CDL continuing education beyond the 4-year renewal cycle; CDLs are issued by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA).

Hazmat: Standard federal TSA security threat assessment applies (5-year cycle, fingerprint-based); no Alabama-specific add-on requirement was identified in this research.

• School bus driver physical examination every 2 years (Ala. Admin. Code r. 290-2-4-.08; DOT medical card accepted)
• Local transportation supervisors must hold a valid Alabama school bus driver certification (Ala. Admin. Code r. 290-2-4-.05)
• School bus mechanics: annual demonstration of skills to the State Inspector after initial certification (Ala. Admin. Code r. 290-2-4-.06)