# Florida Rule 14-90 in 2027: Safety Plans, Driver Hours, and Inspections for Contract Operators

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/guides/florida-rule-14-90/ · Updated 2026-10-02

Rule 14-90 FAC is Florida's safety rule for bus transit systems, which include community transportation coordinators and private companies driving recurring trips under contract, even in vans and sedans. It requires a System Safety Program Plan, a separate Security Program Plan, driver medical exams every two years, limits of 12 hours driving and 16 on duty a day, daily and yearly vehicle inspections, and a certification by February 15.

- A sedan or van on a recurring CTC contract counts as a bus under Rule 14-90, so the whole rule applies to it.
- Before your first trip, decide with your CTC whether you adopt its safety plan or write your own and get it approved.
- Keep driver, maintenance, inspection, and investigation records for four years, and daily inspection reports for two weeks.
- Each driver needs a medical certificate dated within 24 months and a duty record showing days, hours on duty, and hours driving.
- The safety and security certification for the prior calendar year is due by February 15.

When you sign an operator contract with a county's [community transportation coordinator](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/community-transportation-coordinator/) (CTC), you also take on Florida's bus safety rule, Chapter 14-90 of the Florida Administrative Code. Every section now in force took effect September 16, 2010. The rule calls your company a bus transit system and your vans and sedans buses, and it expects written plans, driver files, and vehicle records before the first ride. This guide walks through it as a setup list. Medicaid enrollment, insurance, and county permits are on the [Florida guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/florida/).

## Who Rule 14-90 covers

Section 341.061(2)(a) of the 2026 Florida Statutes tells FDOT to set safety standards for public bus systems, private systems funded wholly or partly by the state, every system created under chapter 427 (the transportation disadvantaged program), and every private bus system under contract with any of those. Rule 14-90 is that standard.

The definitions in Rule 14-90.002 decide whether you are in:

- **Bus transit system.** A CTC, a public transit provider, or a private contract transit provider that owns, operates, leases, or controls buses or taxicabs for continuous or recurring transportation under the same contract.
- **Bus.** Any vehicle other than a taxicab, built to carry people for pay, and run by a bus transit system. Type I buses are over 22 feet. Type II buses are 22 feet or less and include minibuses, standard vans, modified vans, station wagons, and sedans.
- **Taxicab.** A vehicle seating nine or fewer, counting the driver, that is not providing service under a contract with a bus transit system. Once you drive recurring trips under a CTC contract, your sedan is a bus.

Three kinds of work bring a small company under the rule:

- **CTC trips.** Rule 41-2.006(2) (effective September 3, 2018) requires any operator paid with local, state, or federal transportation disadvantaged funds to assure the buyer that it complies with section 341.061(2)(a) and Chapter 14-90.
- **Medicaid health plan trips.** AHCA's core plan contract, updated July 1, 2026, requires plans to verify at credentialing that every transportation provider except transportation network companies follows chapter 427 and Rules 41-2 and 14-90.
- **APD waiver trips.** The Agency for Persons with Disabilities requires its transportation providers to comply with Rule 41-2.006(2) and (4), and subsection (2) brings in Chapter 14-90. See [APD transportation](https://nemtguide.com/guides/florida-apd-transportation-provider/).

Rule 41-2.006 also sets the transportation disadvantaged minimums for insurance and rider service, which the [CTC glossary entry](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/community-transportation-coordinator/) lists. This guide stays with Chapter 14-90.

## Adopt the CTC's plan or write your own

The CTC is a bus transit system too, and the rule makes it responsible for its contractors. Its System Safety Program Plan must include safety standards for private contract operators running recurring trips for it (14-90.004(1)(a)15). It must also set minimum security requirements for those operators and make sure each one meets them for the whole contract (14-90.004(2)(c)).

That leaves you two paths. FDOT's bus safety and security review template asks about every contract operator: does it have its own safety and security plans approved by the CTC, or does it adopt and carry out the CTC's plan? Ask your CTC which paths it accepts before you sign.

- **Adopting the CTC's plan** is faster. You follow its procedures, forms, and contractor standards exactly, and you are judged against them.
- **Writing your own plan** takes longer, but one plan can cover every contract you hold, including health plan and APD work, while an adopted plan is written for one CTC's system.

Either way, expect your records to be checked. The yearly evaluation of the CTC in the May 8, 2025 meeting packet of Hernando County's local coordinating board has the reviewer list each operator's contract end date, safety plan, operating reports, and insurance, and asks whether the CTC's contracted operators comply with Rule 41-2.006(2). It also has the reviewer sample driver files for license, last physical, CPR and first aid, defensive driving, and ADA training. See how CTCs run this on the [Hernando County](https://nemtguide.com/states/florida/hernando-county/) and [Pasco County](https://nemtguide.com/states/florida/pasco-county/) pages.

## What the System Safety Program Plan must cover

Rule 14-90.004(1) requires a written System Safety Program Plan (SSPP) that meets or beats the rule, and you must follow it in daily operation. It covers:

- Safety policies and who is responsible for what.
- Vehicle and equipment standards, and how you choose vehicles.
- Operating standards and procedures.
- How you select drivers and other employees, and the driving rules they follow.
- Driver and employee training, including how to approach and leave a stop safely around pedestrians.
- Vehicle maintenance.
- Investigations of the serious events listed later in this guide.
- How you find and fix hazards.
- Equipment for carrying wheelchairs.
- How you collect and study safety data.
- A phone policy and a phone training program.
- Safety standards for any private company running recurring trips for you, if you subcontract.

The phone rules are specific. A driver may not use a personal phone or other personal wireless device while the vehicle moves, and personal devices must be off, with any earpiece out, whenever the driver is in the driver's seat. A company-issued device needs a policy that allows emergency use without getting in the way of safe driving, and drivers are trained on its proper use and on the dangers of driving while using one. The [driver phone policy guide](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-driver-phone-policy/) helps you write it.

If keeping a vehicle or route running would put the public in immediate danger, the rule requires you to stop that service at once (14-90.004(1)(e)).

## What the Security Program Plan must cover

The Security Program Plan (SPP) is a second document, adopted separately from the SSPP (14-90.004(2)). It protects riders, staff, vehicles, and buildings from intentional harm, and it must address:

- Security policies, goals, and objectives, plus roles and responsibilities.
- Emergency management: preventing, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from emergencies.
- How you investigate the serious events listed later in this guide.
- How you work with emergency responders and local law enforcement.
- Security and threat awareness training for employees.
- Security data and its analysis.
- Emergency drills and exercises.
- Requirements for any private contractor running recurring trips for you.
- How the plan is kept current and who receives copies.

The rule bars bus transit systems from publicly disclosing the SPP, citing section 119.071(3)(a) of the Florida Statutes. Keep it out of public bid packets and website postings. FDOT's Security Program Plan template, dated November 9, 2018, covers each of these items and makes a good first draft.

## Driver files, medical exams, and duty records

Rule 14-90.004(3) makes you set criteria and procedures for choosing, qualifying, and training drivers. Every new driver gets a driving record check and a criminal background check, and you verify and document each driver's license. Before anyone drives unsupervised, train and test them on:

- Your safety and operating policies, vehicle inspections, and getting to know each vehicle and its equipment.
- Basic driving and maneuvering, and defensive driving.
- Boarding and unloading riders, passenger assistance, and securement.
- Wheelchair lifts and other special equipment.
- Emergencies, security threats, threat awareness, and driving conditions.

Before that first unsupervised drive, also hand each driver written procedures for handling unsafe conditions, security threats, and emergencies, using safety and lift equipment and restraints, and following the federal and state laws that apply. A driver whose license is suspended, canceled, or revoked must tell you by the end of the next business day, and you may not let that person drive (14-90.006(1)).

Keep these driver records at least four years:

- Background checks and qualifications.
- A detailed record of the training each driver completed.
- A daily duty record: total days worked, hours on duty, hours driving, and the times the driver went on and off duty.

You also need a drug-free workplace policy statement under 49 CFR Part 32 and a substance abuse testing program under 49 CFR Parts 40 and 655 (14-90.004(3)(h)). The [driver drug testing guide](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-driver-drug-testing/) explains how those federal rules work.

### Medical exams

Rule 14-90.0041 requires a medical exam before hire, at least once every two years after that, and again before a driver returns from 30 or more days off for illness, injury, or a medical condition. Your standards must meet or exceed FDOT Form 725-030-11 (revised May 2009). You may adopt other standards that do, as long as the certificate carries everything FDOT's certificate asks for.

The examiner keeps the original report and gives you a signed certificate, and the driver adds a license number, signature, and date. Keep a certificate or signed examiner letter dated within the past 24 months for every driver, and keep each one four years. No driver may drive without it.

### Hours limits

Under Rule 14-90.006, a driver may not drive more than 12 hours, or drive after 16 hours on duty, in a day that runs from midnight to midnight. Driving starts again only after 8 consecutive hours off. On-duty time is capped at 72 hours in any 7 days, and 24 hours off in a row starts a new period. On-duty time includes driving, standing by, inspecting or servicing a vehicle, staying with a broken-down vehicle, and waiting to be dispatched unless the driver has been fully relieved. The [hours of service](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/hours-of-service/) entry and the [driver schedules guide](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-driver-schedules/) work through examples.

## Vehicle checks: daily, scheduled, and yearly

### Every day

Drivers inspect each vehicle before it runs and report defects in writing (14-90.004(3)(i) and 14-90.006(8)). The check covers service and parking brakes, tires and wheels, steering, horn, lights, wipers, mirrors, passenger doors, exhaust, wheelchair equipment, and safety, security, and emergency equipment. You review each report, record the repair for every defect, and keep both for at least two weeks.

### On a schedule

Your maintenance plan must keep every vehicle inspected, maintained, and lubricated to the manufacturer's standards or better (14-90.004(4)). Track when each service is due by date or mileage, and make scheduled inspections more thorough than the daily check. Vehicles kept away from your shop or serviced by an outside garage still need proper preventive maintenance. Keep four years of records showing the vehicle's make, model, and plate, each date, mileage, and job, who owns the vehicle if you do not, and the name and address of any shop that did the work.

FDOT's Transit Operations and Safety page has in-house and outsourced maintenance plan templates and a pre-trip inspection form. Its Preventative Maintenance Guide (revised February 2026), written for grant-funded agencies, treats an inspection as late once it runs more than 10% past its interval: within 6,600 miles on a 6,000-mile schedule, or 198 days on a six-month one. That is a sensible yardstick for your own plan. See [NEMT vehicle maintenance](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-vehicle-maintenance/) for building the schedule.

### Once a year

Every bus run by a bus transit system, and every bus run by its private contractors, gets a safety inspection at least once a year (14-90.009). The inspector needs at least one year of training or experience as a mechanic or inspector. The report names the inspector, your company, the date, the vehicle, every item checked, any defects, and when each was fixed, and you keep it four years. The [Florida guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/florida/) lists the equipment the inspection covers. Our [vehicle inspection checklist](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-vehicle-inspection-checklist/) and [wheelchair lift inspection log](https://nemtguide.com/templates/wheelchair-lift-inspection-log/) help you keep the records.

### On the road

Rule 14-90.006 also sets operating rules. Never move with a passenger door open while riders are aboard, and open doors only once the vehicle has stopped. The driver stays belted while the vehicle moves. Never leave riders alone in a vehicle for more than 15 minutes, set the parking brake whenever it is unattended, and never leave riders aboard a vehicle in an unsafe condition. Do not refuel inside a closed building, and refuel with riders aboard only when you must.

## When something goes wrong

Rule 14-90.004(5) makes you investigate any event involving one of your vehicles that causes:

- A death within 30 days of the event, other than a suicide or a death from illness.
- Injuries to two or more people who need immediate medical care away from the scene.
- Property damage to any vehicle or property. Below $1,000, investigating is your choice.
- An evacuation because riders were in immediate danger.

Each investigation ends in a written report with what you did, the causes you found, and a corrective action plan that says what will change and by when. Track each plan until it is done, and keep the file four years. The [accident review form](https://nemtguide.com/templates/accident-review-form/) fits this, and the [vehicle accident guide](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-vehicle-accident/) covers the first hours after a crash.

## The February 15 certification and FDOT reviews

By February 15 each year, every bus transit system submits a safety and security certification to FDOT for the prior calendar year (14-90.010). It attests that you adopted, followed, and reviewed both plans and that every bus had its yearly safety inspection. It lists your name and address, and the name and address of whoever did the inspections and security assessments if that was someone else. An officer, or the person directly responsible for managing the operation, signs it. The rule sends it to FDOT. Your CTC must monitor your compliance for the whole contract, so ask whether it also wants a copy.

FDOT or its contractor inspects bus transit systems and reviews any system it believes is not following its plans or is operating unsafely (14-90.012). The review report reaches you within three business days of the review and lists each deficiency, the fix, and a deadline. When a problem puts the public in immediate danger, FDOT can require you to suspend that service, and it suspends service that is not fixed on schedule.

## Your setup checklist

1. **Settle the plan question with your CTC** and get its contractor safety and security standards in writing.
2. **Adopt your safety plan and your security plan** as two documents, and keep the security plan private.
3. **Start a drug and alcohol program** under 49 CFR Parts 40 and 655, with a written policy statement.
4. **Build a file for each driver:** background and driving record checks, license copy, medical certificate under 24 months old, training records, and the written procedures you gave them.
5. **Keep duty records from the first shift.** Our [driver timesheet](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-driver-timesheet/) has columns for duty and driving hours.
6. **Write a maintenance plan** with intervals, a tracking method, and a daily inspection form.
7. **Get a yearly safety inspection** of every vehicle from a qualified inspector, and file the report.
8. **Write your investigation steps** and the form you will use.
9. **Put the dates on a calendar:** February 15 certification, medical exam renewals, yearly inspections, and plan reviews.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does Rule 14-90 apply to a sedan or a minivan?

Yes, when it carries riders for a bus transit system under contract. The rule defines a Type II bus as any vehicle 22 feet or shorter, including minibuses, standard and modified vans, station wagons, and sedans. A taxicab is excluded only when it is not providing service under a contract with a bus transit system.

### Can I use my CTC's safety plan instead of writing my own?

Yes, if your CTC allows it. The CTC's own System Safety Program Plan must include safety standards for its private contractors, and FDOT's review template asks whether each contract operator adopted the CTC's plan or has its own plan approved by the CTC. Ask your CTC which it allows, and get its answer in writing before you sign.

### Who can do the yearly vehicle inspection?

Someone who understands Rule 14-90, can spot defective parts, has mastered the inspection methods and tools, and has at least one year of training or experience as a mechanic or inspector in a vehicle maintenance program. The inspection report names the inspector, the vehicle, the date, what was checked, what failed, and when each repair was finished.

### Who can perform the driver medical exam?

A Florida-licensed medical or osteopathic doctor, or a physician assistant or advanced registered nurse practitioner working under a doctor's supervision or review. A Florida-licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist may do the vision part. The standards must meet or exceed FDOT Form 725-030-11, revised May 2009.

### When is the Rule 14-90 certification due?

By February 15 each year, covering the prior calendar year. An officer or the person who manages the operation signs it, attesting that the safety and security plans were adopted, followed, and reviewed, and that every bus had its safety inspection.

### Do Medicaid health plan trips in Florida require Rule 14-90?

Yes. AHCA's core contract with the Medicaid health plans, updated July 1, 2026, requires plans to verify during credentialing that every transportation provider except transportation network companies complies with chapter 427 of the Florida Statutes and Rules 41-2 and 14-90.

### Do I have to share my Security Program Plan with the public?

No. The rule says bus transit systems may not publicly disclose the Security Program Plan, or the security part of a System Safety Program Plan, under section 119.071(3)(a) of the Florida Statutes. Share it only with the CTC, FDOT, and others who review it.

## Official resources

- [FDOT: Transit Operations and Safety (maintenance plan templates, inspection forms, SPP template)](https://fdot.gov/fdottransit/transitofficehome/newtransitoperations.shtm)
- [FDOT: Medical Examination Report for Bus Transit System Driver](https://fdotwww.blob.core.windows.net/sitefinity/docs/default-source/content/transit/pages/febfloridamedicalexaminationreport.pdf?sfvrsn=d310a3bb_0)
- [FDOT: Security Program Plan template](https://fdotwww.blob.core.windows.net/sitefinity/docs/default-source/transit/transit-office-documents-and-forms/safety-and-operations/spp-template-11-9-18.docx?sfvrsn=41c65953_2)
- [Florida Administrative Code: Chapter 14-90 full text](https://flrules.org/gateway/ChapterHome.asp?Chapter=14-90)
- [Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged: Community transportation coordinators by county](https://www.fdot.gov/ctd/community-transportation-coordinators)