7D (BUS DRIVER) PHYSICAL - $100.00

A 7D physical exam is a mandatory medical examination for individuals in Massachusetts applying for or renewing a 7D School Pupil Transport Driver’s Certificate. It ensures drivers meet specific safety standards for transporting school-aged children, often requiring a Department of Transportation (DOT) physical examination form. 

To be eligible to operate a school bus, 7D, or 7D½ school pupil transport vehicle, you must:

• hear normal conversational sounds- you may be required to do a “Forced Whisper” test.
• not have any physical defect (loss of foot, leg, hand, or arm) or limitation likely to interfere with safe driving
• be free from any mental, nervous, heart, organic, or functional disease likely to interfere with safe driving
• be free from addiction to use of narcotics, or habit-forming drugs, alcoholic beverages or liquors
• not have a “G” restriction (limit to daylight only) on your driver's license

To qualify for a 7D or 7D½ certificate, you must provide to the RMV a completed 7D school pupil transport certificate application, which should:

• be fully completed by you and a Medial Doctor, Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistant, or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine.
• be 1 year old or less from the date of the vision screening
• contain the original signatures of you and the certifying physician. No photocopies will be accepted

NON-INSULIN DEPENDENT

If you are a non-insulin dependent diabetes and have never had a hypoglycemic episode, you are eligible to receive a school bus, 7D, or 7D½ school pupil transport vehicle certificate.

INSULIN DEPENDENT

If you are an insulin-dependent diabetic or have had a serious hypoglycemic event, you are eligible to receive a school bus, 7D or 7D½ school pupil transport vehicle certificate if all of the following conditions at met:

• You possess a current valid operator's certificate
• Are not diagnosed with hypoglycemic unawareness
• Have not had a serious hypoglycemic event within the last 3 years
• You have been evaluated by a Massachusetts board certified or board eligible endocrinologist every 6 months and submit a complete school pupil transport diabetes medical evaluation form, issued by the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

If you are an insulin-dependent diabetic you must adhere to the following conditions in order to receive a school bus, 7D, or 7D½ certificate:

• Carry, use, and record your glucose readings.
  • You may use a portable, self-monitoring blood-glucose device that is equipped with a computerized memory including date and time of test. OR readings can be recorded in a log or in paper tapes generated by self-monitoring blood-glucose devices having a printing capability.
• Monitor blood glucose immediately prior to driving and every four hours thereafter while on duty
• Have log records of blood glucose values (with time and date) available to law enforcement or authorized RMV personnel upon request
• Submit log records to the certifying endocrinologist for each renewal application
• Carry on your person at all times and use, as necessary, a source of rapidly absorbable glucose
• Not operate a school bus or a school pupil transport vehicle unless blood glucose measures within the target parameters of 80 and 350
  • If blood glucose measures between 60 and 79 you cannot drive school children until blood glucose measure is within the target parameters defined above
  • If blood glucose measures below 60, you cannot drive school children until certified as “safe to operate” by a Massachusetts board certified or board eligible endocrinologist
  • If blood glucose measures 350 or more, you cannot operate a school bus or school pupil transport vehicle until certified as “safe to operate” by a Massachusetts board certified or board eligible endocrinologist
• Report and surrender your school bus, 7D, or 7D½ certificate immediately to the RMV if a serious hypoglycemic event should occur
• Submit a glucose log within fifteen days of a serious hypoglycemic event to the treating endocrinologist
• Acknowledge every 6 months through signature and in the presence of your treating endocrinologist that you understand and will adhere to the special conditions of your school bus, 7D, or 7D½ school pupil transport vehicle certificate

To ensure that you meet this diabetic condition standard, you must provide to the RMV a completed school pupil transport diabetes medical evaluation form. 

The school pupil transport diabetes medical evaluation form must be:

• Certified by the examining endocrinologist
• Signed by the license applicant
• Submitted to the RMV every 6 months

You must meet all of the following visual standards to be eligible for a school bus, 7D, or 7D½ certificate:

Visual acuity and horizontal peripheral field of vision standard:

• At least 20/40 distant visual acuity in each eye, with or without corrective lenses, and not less than 120 degrees combined horizontal peripheral field of vision
• A “B” restriction (corrective lenses) must be put on the learner's permit/ or driver's license when corrective lenses are used to meet this standard
• A customer who uses bi-optic telescopic lenses is not eligible to receive a school bus, 7D, or 7D½ certificate

Color vision standard:

• Must be able to distinguish the colors red, green and amber 

Vision impairment standard:

• Must not have unresolvable diplopia (double vision which cannot be resolved by wearing an eye patch or other suppressive device) 

You will not qualify to receive a school bus, 7D, or 7D½ school pupil transport vehicle certificate:

• If you have been classified according to the American Heart Association (AHA) of functional Class III or IV heart failure patient OR
• You have had an implanted cardiac defibrillator placed for a "sudden death event" in which case you will not be eligible for an active school bus, 7D, or 7D½ school pupil transport vehicle certificate until you have had a 6-month period with no episodes of the device firing

**If you were formerly deemed ineligible for a school bus, 7D, or 7D½ school pupil transport vehicle certificate due to your automated implantable cardiac defibrillator or classification as a Class III or IV heart patient, and you are now eligible, you must submit a written statement from your health care provider to the RMV which indicates that:

• An automated implantable cardiac defibrillator implanted for a "sudden death event" has not fired in a 6-month period or that the automated implantable cardiac defibrillator was implanted for prophylactic reasons and has not fired in a 6-month period
• You are classified as either American Heart Association functional Class I, Class II, or does not have heart disease
• To a reasonable degree of medical certainty, you are medically qualified to operate a commercial vehicle

Your cardiologist must complete the school bus and school pupil transport (7D) operator cardiovascular medical evaluation form  and submit it to the RMV. 

You must have a minimum O2 saturation level greater than 88% at rest or with minimal exertion, with or without supplemental oxygen to be eligible for a School Bus, 7D or 7D½ school pupil transport vehicle certificate.

If your O2 saturation level was 88% or less at rest or with minimal exertion, even with supplemental oxygen, and your saturation level has changed to greater than 88% at rest or with minimal exertion, with or without supplemental oxygen, you may be able to get your licensing privileges by providing the following information from a health care provider to the RMV:

• Medical documentation that your O2 saturation level is greater than 88% at rest or with minimal exertion
• A letter from a health care provider certifying that you are medically qualified to operate a school bus or school pupil transport vehicle and perform the added duties and responsibilities associated with the transportation of school children. 

Minimum respiratory function

If your forced expiratory (respiratory) volume in one second (FEV-1) level is 1.2 liters or less you will be required to submit an O2 saturation test result in order to be eligible for a school bus, 7D, or 7D½ school pupil transport vehicle certificate.

If you have a current diagnosis of epilepsy, you are not eligible to receive or retain a school bus, 7D, or 7D½ school pupil transport vehicle certificate.