# NEMT Employee Handbook Template: A Driver Handbook Outline With Fill-In Rules

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-driver-handbook/ · Updated 2026-09-30

A NEMT employee handbook is the written rulebook each driver and attendant reads and signs. It covers who may drive, pay and hours, conduct and dress, rider help at each service level, vehicle checks and securement, phones, emergencies, rider privacy, drugs and alcohol, and discipline. Fill each blank below with your own rule or your broker's stricter one, and keep the signed page in every driver file.

- Write your broker and state rules into the handbook, and where two of them differ, follow the stricter one.
- Pay for all work time, including pre-trip checks, waits spent on duty with the van, and driving between trips.
- Put the phone rule in writing: your state's hands-free law plus each broker's rule, such as Virginia's ban on phone use while the van moves.
- Train every driver on the privacy section, and keep proof of that training for 6 years when HIPAA applies to you.
- Have every driver sign the acknowledgment at hire and again after each update.

Your brokers and your state already write many of your drivers' rules. They sit in provider agreements, state manuals, and broker handbooks that most drivers never read. A handbook puts those rules, plus your own, in one short document in plain words, so every driver hears the same thing and signs that they did.

## How to use this template

1. **Gather your rulebooks first.** Pull every broker agreement and provider handbook, your state's NEMT manual, any business associate agreement, and your insurance policy's driver rules. Our [policies and procedures guide](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-policies-and-procedures/) lists where each one lives.
2. **Fill every blank.** Where your state and your brokers disagree, write the stricter rule, or write the rule by broker. For example, Virginia's own fee-for-service rules set a minimum driver age of 18, but MTM Health, which takes those trips from October 1, 2026, requires 21.
3. **Keep the separate policies separate.** Your [drug and alcohol policy](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-drug-and-alcohol-policy/), [HIPAA policy](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-hipaa-policy/), [no-show policy](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-no-show-policy/), and [emergency plan](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-emergency-plan/) have their own details. The handbook sums each up in a few lines and names the full policy.
4. **Have a lawyer in your state read it once.** State law decides how to word at-will employment, final pay, leave, and many other points this outline leaves as blanks.
5. **Hand it out before the first ride.** Walk each new driver through it as part of the [driver onboarding checklist](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-driver-onboarding-checklist/), and file the signed Section 14 in the [driver file](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-driver-file-checklist/).
6. **Update it when a rule changes.** Date each version, give drivers the new pages, and collect a new signature.

## The template

### Section 1: About this handbook

| Topic | Write our rule here in pen |
|---|---|
| Company name | |
| Version and effective date | |
| Who owns this handbook and answers questions (name and phone) | |
| Where copies are kept (office, each garage, driver app, each van) | |
| Employment status (at will or other, worded for your state) | |
| This handbook is not a contract, and we may change it with written notice | |
| When a broker or state rule is stricter than this handbook, the stricter rule applies | |

### Section 2: Equal opportunity and respect

| Topic | Write our rule here in pen |
|---|---|
| We hire, pay, and promote without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetic information, and any other status your state protects: ______ | |
| How to report harassment or discrimination (two people, so no one reports to the person involved) | |
| No one is punished for reporting in good faith | |
| We serve every rider regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, or medical condition | |

### Section 3: Who may drive for us

| Requirement | Write our rule here in pen |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | |
| Years licensed, and license class for each vehicle type | |
| Driving record limits (accidents, moving violations, points, suspensions) | |
| Criminal background limits | |
| Exclusion checks (federal and state lists), at hire and on the schedule your brokers set: ______ | |
| Drug and alcohol tests (see our drug and alcohol policy) | |
| Physical exam or medical card, if your state requires one | |
| Broker credentialing before your first trip for that broker | |
| Tell the office within ______ hours of any arrest, charge, conviction, ticket, crash, or change to your license | |
| Upload renewed credentials ______ days before they expire | |
| Consent to yearly driving record and background checks | |

### Section 4: Training

| Course | Before the first ride | Refresher | Paid time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passenger assistance and sensitivity (PASS or equal) | | | |
| Wheelchair securement, on our own vans | | | |
| Lift and ramp use, including the manual backup | | | |
| Defensive driving | | | |
| First aid and CPR | | | |
| HIPAA privacy and security | | | |
| Fraud, waste, and abuse | | | |
| Harassment prevention | | | |
| Child safety seats | | | |
| Each broker's own course | | | |

### Section 5: Hours, pay, and breaks

| Topic | Write our rule here in pen |
|---|---|
| Our workweek starts (day and hour) | |
| How you clock in and out, and who fixes a missed punch | |
| Pay rate and how it is figured | |
| Payday and pay period | |
| Overtime: time and a half for hours over 40 in a workweek, plus any state daily overtime: ______ | |
| Work time includes the pre-trip inspection, fueling, cleaning, driving between trips, waits you spend on duty with the van, trip paperwork, and required training and meetings | |
| Waits when you are off duty: we tell you in advance when you are free and when to return | |
| Meal break length, and how to record it (you do no work during it) | |
| Short breaks (5 to 20 minutes are paid) | |
| Taking a van home, and whether that drive counts as work | |
| Mileage or expense repayment for your own car or phone | |

### Section 6: Appearance and conduct

| Topic | Write our rule here in pen |
|---|---|
| Uniform, company ID, or broker ID badge, shown to the rider or facility at pickup | |
| Clean, neat appearance | |
| No smoking, vaping, or chewing tobacco in the van, while helping a rider, or near a rider | |
| No eating or drinking in the van or in front of riders | |
| No headphones or earpieces on duty, except a hands-free device our phone rule allows | |
| No alcohol or drugs on duty, and report any medicine that could affect your driving | |
| Never ask for or accept money, gifts, tips, or extra business from riders | |
| Touch a rider only to help them in and out, into a seat, with a belt, or to give first aid you are trained in | |
| No personal passengers, pets, or stops | |
| No weapons, illegal drugs, or fuel cans in the van | |
| Drivers are not responsible for riders' belongings | |
| Service animals ride with their handlers | |

### Section 7: Helping riders

| Topic | Write our rule here in pen |
|---|---|
| Curb-to-curb: help between the van and the curb only | |
| Door-to-door: help from the building door to the van and back | |
| Hand-to-hand: hand the rider to a named person at each end | |
| The manifest sets the service level for each ride | |
| Get out of the van to open and close doors | |
| When a pickup is not at the curb, go to the entrance, say who you are, and show your ID | |
| Every rider belted, and every wheelchair and rider secured, before the van moves | |
| A rider who refuses a seat belt: ______ (call dispatch before you move) | |
| Children ride in the right car seat or booster, never up front. Who brings the seat: ______ | |
| Never leave a rider alone in the van | |
| Before you leave the drop-off, see the rider inside the building | |
| A rider is not at the pickup: follow our no-show steps | |
| A rider becomes upset or unsafe: pull over out of traffic and call dispatch | |
| Never carry more people than the van's seats | |

### Section 8: Vehicle checks, lifts, and securement

| Topic | Write our rule here in pen |
|---|---|
| Daily inspection before the first ride, on our form | |
| Lift or ramp cycled and checked before the first wheelchair ride | |
| A van with a safety defect carries no riders; call dispatch and write it down | |
| Securement: follow the step card at every station | |
| Keys, fuel level at the end of the shift, and where vans are parked | |
| Cleaning after each ride and after any spill | |
| Who may drive which van type (sedan, wheelchair van, stretcher van) | |

### Section 9: Phones and driving

| Topic | Write our rule here in pen |
|---|---|
| No texting, reading, or typing while the van is moving or stopped in traffic | |
| Calls while driving (none, or hands-free only as your state allows) | |
| The trip app or GPS stays on for every trip | |
| Set the route and read messages only while parked | |
| Personal phone use on duty | |
| Photos and video: never of riders or their paperwork | |

### Section 10: Accidents, incidents, and emergencies

| Topic | Write our rule here in pen |
|---|---|
| A rider's medical emergency: call 911 first, then dispatch | |
| A crash: make the scene safe, check riders, call 911 if anyone is hurt, set out warning triangles, call dispatch | |
| Never discuss fault at the scene, and never move a hurt rider unless there is danger | |
| Breakdown or lift failure: call dispatch within ______ minutes | |
| Written incident report within ______ hours | |
| Bad weather: who decides when trips stop | |
| Report suspected abuse or neglect of a rider to ______ | |
| Where the full emergency plan is kept | |

### Section 11: Rider privacy

| Topic | Write our rule here in pen |
|---|---|
| Keep manifests and screens out of other riders' sight | |
| Talk about a rider's care only with people who need to know for the trip | |
| Never ask a rider about their illness or treatment unless it affects the ride, or they become ill on the way | |
| Lock your phone and the trip app, and never text rider details from a personal account | |
| Report a lost phone, tablet, or manifest at once to ______ | |
| No posts about riders, facilities, or trips on social media | |
| Breaking these rules can lead to discipline up to firing | |

### Section 12: Drugs and alcohol

| Topic | Write our rule here in pen |
|---|---|
| When we test (before hire, random, after a crash, reasonable suspicion) | |
| A refusal counts as a positive result | |
| Report medicine that could affect your driving before you drive | |
| Where the full policy is kept | |

### Section 13: Complaints, discipline, and leaving

| Topic | Write our rule here in pen |
|---|---|
| How we look into a complaint about you, and how you give your side | |
| Steps of discipline (coaching, written warning, suspension, firing) and what can skip steps | |
| A broker may remove you from its trips, and we cannot overrule it | |
| Retraining after a securement or safety failure | |
| Returning keys, badges, fuel cards, phones, and uniforms when you leave | |
| Final pay | |

### Section 14: Acknowledgment

| Field | Write the entry here in pen |
|---|---|
| I received and read this handbook, version and date | |
| I had the chance to ask questions | |
| I will follow it and each broker's rules for the trips I drive | |
| Driver's printed name and signature | |
| Date | |
| Manager's printed name and signature | |

## The rules behind each section

Most conduct rules come from broker agreements and state manuals. The table shows where each common rule is written, using documents current as of September 2026. MTM Health's standard agreement is the Pennsylvania copy dated January 1, 2023. Virginia fee-for-service trips scheduled on or after October 1, 2026 go to MTM Health.

| Rule | Where it is written |
|---|---|
| Each driver is not excluded, holds a valid license, and your company has a process for drug law violations and for sharing each driver's driving history with Medicaid | Federal law, section 1902(a)(87) of the Social Security Act, as CMS describes in SMD 23-006 |
| Minimum age of 21 | MTM Health's standard agreement and its Virginia handbook; Louisiana, section 10.3. Virginia DMAS's own minimum, New Jersey, and Minnesota set 18. |
| No more than two chargeable accidents or moving violations in 3 years, and no license suspension or revocation for moving violations in 5 years | Virginia DMAS. Georgia bars drivers with a suspended or revoked license in the last 5 years. |
| Tell the broker at once about any criminal investigation, charge, or proceeding against a driver, and about convictions for crimes against a person, alcohol-related driving offenses, or crimes of moral turpitude | MTM Health's standard agreement |
| A driver orientation and training program, with FWA and HIPAA training in it | MTM Health's standard agreement |
| PASS, HIPAA, defensive driving, and, where they apply, first aid and securement before the first ride | MTM Health's Virginia handbook, which also lists cultural competency, harassment prevention, and safety awareness training |
| Defensive driving of at least 4 hours every 3 years, in-person CPR, child restraints, securement and PASS every 2 years, and HIPAA | Louisiana, section 10.3 (issued July 14, 2025) |
| Uniform shirt or ID badge, shown to the rider or facility at pickup | Virginia DMAS. Georgia requires official company ID. New Jersey requires first and last name and the company name, and uniform clothing. |
| No smoking or vaping in the van, while assisting, or near members | Virginia DMAS; Minnesota Rules 8840.5950 (with a posted NO SMOKING sign) |
| No eating or drinking in the van or near members | Georgia section 907.4; MTM Health's standard agreement |
| No headphones on duty | Georgia section 907.6. MTM Health's standard agreement allows them only as part of your two-way communication system. |
| No soliciting or accepting money, goods, or business from members | Virginia DMAS |
| Touch only to assist, belt, or give first aid | Virginia DMAS; Georgia section 907.2 |
| Never leave a member unattended in the vehicle | MTM Health's standard agreement |
| Refuse to start or continue a trip when a member will not wear a seat belt | MTM Health's standard agreement |
| No trip without the proper child seat, and no child seat in the front | MTM Health's standard agreement |
| Service animals ride | 49 CFR 37.167(d); MTM Health's standard agreement |
| No firearms, weapons, unauthorized drugs, or highly combustible materials | MTM Health's standard agreement |
| Not responsible for riders' personal items | Georgia section 907.17; MTM Health's standard agreement |
| Exit the van for doors, announce at the entrance, see the rider inside | Virginia DMAS; Georgia sections 907.9 to 907.11 |
| Pull over and call dispatch when a rider's behavior makes driving unsafe | MTM Health's Virginia handbook |
| One confirmed securement failure takes the driver off trips until you prove retraining | Georgia section 907.16 |
| A broker may deactivate a driver for safety or at its client's request | MTM Health's standard agreement |
| A written accident and emergency policy, with retraining for a driver who does not follow it | Minnesota Rules 8840.5950 |
| A record of each complaint against a driver, your investigation, and the action taken | Minnesota Rules 8840.5900 |
| A written operations manual at each garage, open to all crew, with a nondiscrimination statement and a confidentiality policy given to each employee | New Jersey N.J.A.C. 8:40-3.5, for mobility assistance vehicle providers |
| Company policies on timely pickups, and on documenting that each ride is for medical care and ordered by the rider's provider | Wisconsin DHS 105.39 |

Broker rules change often, so check each one against its current handbook. See [NEMT driver requirements](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-driver-requirements/) for the hiring rules by state, and [NEMT driver training](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-driver-training/) for course lists and deadlines.

## Pay and hours rules to get right

Federal wage rules apply to your drivers who are employees. If you are unsure whether a driver is an employee or a contractor, read [are NEMT drivers 1099 or W-2](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-drivers-1099-or-w2/) before you hand out a handbook.

| Rule | What it means for the handbook |
|---|---|
| Minimum wage (federal $7.25 an hour since July 24, 2009) | When your state or city sets a higher wage, the driver gets the higher one |
| Overtime after 40 hours in a workweek | The workweek is a fixed, repeating 168-hour period (29 CFR 778.105). Name its start in Section 5. |
| Getting the van ready is work (29 CFR 785.24) | Count the required pre-trip check, fueling, and cleaning at the start of the day as work time |
| Waiting on duty is work (29 CFR 785.15 and 785.16(b)) | A driver who must stay with the van at a clinic is working |
| Waiting off duty is not (29 CFR 785.16) | Only when you say in advance that the driver may leave and must be back at a set time, and the time is long enough to use |
| Travel between trips is work (29 CFR 785.38) | So is travel from a required meeting place, such as the yard, to the first pickup |
| Normal home-to-work travel is not work (29 CFR 785.35) | Write your take-home van rule in Section 5 |
| Short breaks of 5 to 20 minutes are paid (29 CFR 785.18) | Federal law does not require breaks. Check your state's rules before you write Section 5. |
| Meal periods are unpaid only when the driver is fully relieved (29 CFR 785.19) | Ordinarily 30 minutes or more. Eating while watching a rider is work. |
| Required training is work time (29 CFR 785.27) | Training is unpaid only if it is outside work hours, voluntary, not job related, and no work is done |
| Payroll records for 3 years and time sheets for 2 (29 CFR 516.5 and 516.6) | Each record shows hours worked each day and each week (29 CFR 516.2) |

The full overtime math, including the exemptions that rarely fit NEMT and drivers who also dispatch, is in [NEMT driver overtime](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-driver-overtime/). A weekly [driver timesheet](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-driver-timesheet/) with clock times, waits, and breaks makes these rules easy to follow.

## Phones, privacy, and HIPAA

**Phones.** As of September 2026, Virginia's fee-for-service rules bar drivers from using mobile phones, including texting, or headphones while the vehicle is moving. MTM Health's Virginia handbook says drivers should never use a mobile device while driving, except a Bluetooth headset. Georgia's manual requires drivers to follow the Hands-Free Georgia Act. Minnesota lets a cell phone serve as the required two-way radio only if the van meets the state's hands-free standards. If federal commercial vehicle rules cover your vans, texting and handheld calls are banned while driving, and driving includes sitting at a red light or in traffic (49 CFR 392.80 and 392.82).

**Privacy.** Virginia requires drivers to keep members' identifying information confidential, out of other passengers' sight, and not discussed with anyone who is not involved in their care. MTM Health's standard agreement bars drivers from asking about a member's illness or treatment, unless it matters for safe transport or the member becomes ill on the trip. New Jersey requires a written confidentiality policy given to every employee.

**HIPAA.** A covered entity must train each new staff member on its privacy policies within a reasonable time, retrain staff after a material change, and document the training. It must also apply and document sanctions when staff break the policies, and keep that documentation for 6 years (45 CFR 164.530). Covered entities and business associates alike must run a security awareness and training program and a sanction policy, and keep written security policies for 6 years (45 CFR 164.308 and 164.316). Section 11 of the handbook is where your drivers see those rules. The full rules for phones, manifests, and breaches are in the [HIPAA policy template](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-hipaa-policy/) and [HIPAA for NEMT](https://nemtguide.com/guides/hipaa-for-nemt/).

## Equal opportunity and harassment

The EEOC enforces the federal laws against job discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, disability, or genetic information. They cover a private business with 15 or more employees who worked for at least 20 calendar weeks this year or last. The age law covers businesses with 20 or more. The Equal Pay Act covers virtually all employers. A smaller company may still be covered by a state or local law, so write your state's list into Section 2.

Brokers expect the same respect toward riders. MTM Health's Virginia handbook lists harassment prevention and cultural competency among required driver courses. Federal ADA rules require training every driver to proficiency, so they treat riders with disabilities in a respectful and courteous way (49 CFR 37.173). For riders who are hard to serve, see [difficult NEMT passengers](https://nemtguide.com/guides/difficult-nemt-passengers/).

## Keeping the handbook current

1. **Set a review date.** Review the whole handbook at least once a year, and put the date in Section 1.
2. **Watch for new broker versions.** MTM Health's Virginia handbook was approved August 10, 2026, and Georgia's NEMT manual carries a July 1, 2026 version date. A new version can change a conduct rule overnight.
3. **Update the same week a rule changes.** Change the page, change the version date, and tell every driver what changed.
4. **Retrain on what changed.** HIPAA requires retraining affected staff within a reasonable time after a material change to the privacy policies. Record it in the [driver training log](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-driver-training-log/).
5. **Collect a new signature.** File the new Section 14 in each driver file, and keep the old version with its date.

## Frequently asked questions

### What should a NEMT employee handbook include?

At a minimum: who may drive and how credentials stay current, required training, hours, pay, and breaks, appearance and conduct, rider help at each service level, vehicle checks and securement, phone use, accidents and emergencies, rider privacy, drugs and alcohol, complaints and discipline, and a signed acknowledgment. Most of the conduct rules come straight from your broker agreements and your state NEMT manual.

### Is a NEMT company required to have an employee handbook?

Not by that name, but many rules require written policies a handbook can hold. New Jersey requires every mobility assistance vehicle provider to keep a standard operating procedures manual open to all crew where each vehicle is garaged. Minnesota requires a written accident and emergency policy. MTM Health's standard agreement requires a driver orientation and training program and a substance-free workplace policy. HIPAA requires covered entities and business associates to keep written security policies.

### Do NEMT drivers get paid while they wait at an appointment?

Usually. Under federal wage rules, a driver who must stay with the van or cannot use the time for their own purposes is engaged to wait, and that time is work (29 CFR 785.15). The wait is unpaid only when you tell the driver in advance that they are off duty until a set time, and the break is long enough to use as their own (29 CFR 785.16).

### Can NEMT drivers use a phone while driving?

Only as your state law and each broker allow. Virginia's fee-for-service rules (updated May 26, 2026) bar drivers from using mobile phones, texting included, or headphones while the vehicle is moving. MTM Health's Virginia handbook allows only a Bluetooth headset. Georgia requires compliance with its hands-free law. Where federal commercial vehicle rules cover a van, such as an interstate van built for 9 or more people counting the driver, texting and handheld calls are banned, even at a red light.

### Does a NEMT handbook need HIPAA rules?

Yes, if HIPAA or a broker agreement reaches you, and many NEMT companies are covered one of those ways. A covered entity must train its staff on its privacy policies, document the training, and apply and record sanctions when staff break them (45 CFR 164.530). Business associates must run security awareness training and a sanction policy (45 CFR 164.308). Brokers such as MTM Health require HIPAA training before a driver's first ride.

### How often should I update the handbook?

Whenever a broker contract or handbook, a state manual, or a law changes, and at least once a year. Brokers revise often: MTM Health's Virginia handbook was approved August 10, 2026, and Georgia's NEMT manual carries a July 1, 2026 version date. HIPAA requires retraining affected staff within a reasonable time after a material policy change. Have drivers sign the new version.

## Official resources

- [U.S. Department of Labor: Fair Labor Standards Act](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/flsa)
- [U.S. Department of Labor: Breaks and meal periods](https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/workhours/breaks)
- [HHS: HIPAA for professionals](https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/index.html)
- [eCFR: 45 CFR 164.530 (HIPAA training, sanctions, and records)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/section-164.530)
- [EEOC: Which employers the EEO laws cover](https://www.eeoc.gov/employers/coverage-businessprivate-employers)
- [HHS OIG: List of Excluded Individuals and Entities](https://oig.hhs.gov/exclusions/)
- [CMS: Medicaid Transportation Coverage Guide (SMD 23-006)](https://www.medicaid.gov/federal-policy-guidance/downloads/smd23006.pdf)
- [Virginia DMAS: NEMT driver, attendant, and vehicle requirements](https://www.dmas.virginia.gov/media/1sdhbgj4/dmas-nemt-driver-attendant-and-vehicle-requirements-05-26-2026.pdf)
- [Georgia DCH: NEMT policies and procedures manual](https://www.mmis.georgia.gov/portal/Portals/0/StaticContent/Public/ALL/Handbooks/Non-Emergency%20Medical%20Transportation%20(NEMT)%20Q3%20-%20July%202026%2020260918170713.pdf)