NEMT driver road test form: a scored ride-along before the first trip
A NEMT driver road test is a scored drive in the vehicle a new driver will be assigned, with an evaluator aboard. It covers the pre-trip check, driving in traffic, backing and parking, the lift or ramp, wheelchair securement, and helping riders in and out. Drivers of federally regulated commercial vehicles also need the road test certificate described in 49 CFR 391.31.
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How to run the road test
A clean driving record shows what a driver has avoided, not how they handle a lift van with a rider in the back. The road test closes that gap. Run it after classroom training and before any supervised trips, in the same type of vehicle the driver will be assigned.
- Pick the evaluator. Use a supervisor or senior driver who drives that vehicle type and knows its lift and securement system. For drivers who fall under the federal rules, the evaluator must be competent to judge the driver’s skill, and an owner who is also the carrier cannot test themselves.
- Plan the route. Include residential streets, a busy intersection, a highway merge, a left turn across traffic, a tight parking spot, and a railroad crossing if one is close. Minnesota’s special transportation rule lists merging, lane changes, right and left turns, backing, railroad crossings, and parking in its behind-the-wheel evaluation, which makes a good checklist anywhere.
- Bring the equipment. An empty manual wheelchair and a volunteer (a coworker works) let the driver practice securement and assistance without a real rider.
- Score as you go. Mark each item S (satisfactory), N (needs practice), or U (unsafe). Items marked with an asterisk are must-pass: one U on those means retraining and a retest of that section.
- Debrief and sign. Go over every N and U with the driver the same day, then both sign. File the form in the driver file.
The road test fits between classroom training and ride-alongs in the driver onboarding checklist.
The form
Driver and test details
| Field | Entry | Field | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver name | License number and class | ||
| Evaluator name and title | Test date | ||
| Vehicle type (sedan, minivan, lift van, ramp van, stretcher van) | Vehicle number | ||
| Start odometer | End odometer | ||
| Weather and road conditions | Service levels to be approved |
Part 1: Pre-trip inspection
| Item | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Walks around the vehicle and checks tires, wheels, and body damage | ||
| Tests service brakes and parking brake* | ||
| Checks steering, horn, wipers, and mirrors | ||
| Checks all lights and reflectors | ||
| Checks seat belts, extenders, and a seat belt cutter | ||
| Locates the fire extinguisher, first aid kit, warning triangles, and spill kit | ||
| Cycles the lift or ramp once before the trip | ||
| Counts the tiedowns and occupant belts for each wheelchair position | ||
| Records the inspection the way the company requires |
The mechanical items come from the federal pre-trip rule in 49 CFR 392.7, which the road test regulation names first. Louisiana’s Medicaid manual gives every NEMT driver a similar list to confirm before driving: brakes, parking brakes, steering, lights and reflectors, tires, horn, wipers, and mirrors. For the full daily check, use the vehicle inspection checklist.
Part 2: Driving
| Item | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Adjusts seat and mirrors, belts in before moving | ||
| Pulls away smoothly and checks blind spots | ||
| Knows the controls and emergency equipment (hazards, defroster, parking brake release) | ||
| Keeps a safe following distance and speed for conditions* | ||
| Merges and changes lanes with signals and mirror checks | ||
| Makes right and left turns without cutting corners or swinging wide | ||
| Brakes early and gently, slows by easing off the accelerator | ||
| Comes to a full stop at railroad crossings | ||
| Backs up slowly with mirrors, and gets out to look when unsure | ||
| Parks legally and close to the entrance, out of traffic | ||
| Keeps the phone mounted and untouched while moving* | ||
| Drives smoothly enough that a secured wheelchair does not shift |
The federal regulation requires at least these operations: the pre-trip inspection, placing the vehicle in operation, using controls and emergency equipment, driving in traffic and passing, turning, braking and slowing by other means, and backing and parking. The list also covers coupling combination units, which matters only when trailers are involved. The full stop at railroad crossings is a Louisiana Medicaid driver rule.
Part 3: Lift or ramp
| Item | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Parks on level ground with room to deploy the platform | ||
| Puts the vehicle in park and sets the parking brake before touching the lift | ||
| Deploys, lowers, raises, and stows the lift in the right order | ||
| Checks that the outer barrier is raised before the platform lifts | ||
| Centers the wheelchair on the platform with its brakes set | ||
| Rides the controls without jerking the platform | ||
| Demonstrates the manual backup: lowers an occupied platform and stows the empty lift* |
The ADA vehicle standards in 49 CFR 38.23 require a lift to have an emergency method that lowers the platform with its occupant and stows the empty lift if power fails. A driver who has never pumped the manual backup will not learn it on a dark curb with a rider on the platform, so test it here.
Part 4: Wheelchair securement
| Item | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rolls the wheelchair fully into a securement position | ||
| Hooks every tiedown to a solid frame point, following the securement maker’s instructions* | ||
| Tightens the straps so the chair does not move | ||
| Fastens the vehicle’s lap belt and shoulder belt on the rider* | ||
| Knows that a chair’s positioning belt does not replace the vehicle belts | ||
| Secures loose equipment such as oxygen and bags | ||
| Releases everything in the right order at drop-off |
The same standards call for a lap and shoulder belt at every securement position and say those belts never replace the device that holds the wheelchair. Louisiana’s manual adds that a wheelchair’s own lap positioning belt or chest strap does not count as a safety restraint. The wheelchair securement checklist breaks this step into detail.
Part 5: Rider assistance
| Item | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Announces arrival and shows company identification | ||
| Gets out to open and close doors | ||
| Matches the help to the trip’s service level, such as door to door or hand to hand | ||
| Offers an arm and guides without pulling or lifting | ||
| Checks that every rider is belted before moving, extender if needed* | ||
| Keeps the vehicle stopped until every rider is seated and secured* | ||
| Sees the rider inside the destination before leaving | ||
| Speaks respectfully and explains each step |
Several of these rows come straight from broker rules. Georgia’s manual has drivers exit the vehicle to open and close doors and confirm that each rider is inside the destination before departing. In Virginia, where MTM Health handles fee-for-service trips dated October 1, 2026 or later, its provider handbook assigns infraction points when passengers are not belted, when the vehicle moves before a passenger is secure, and when the van is not parked in a safe place for loading. Under MTM’s provider services agreement, a rider who will not buckle up does not ride: the driver must not begin or keep going.
Part 6: Trip records
| Item | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Opens the day’s trips and reads pickup notes before leaving | ||
| Updates trip status only while parked | ||
| Collects the rider’s signature where the trip requires it | ||
| Knows the no-show steps: wait time, calls to dispatch, and what to record | ||
| Knows where the incident report is and when to call dispatch |
Result and signatures
| Field | Entry | Field | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approximate miles driven | Must-pass items all S | Yes / No | |
| Result | Pass / Retest sections: ____ | Retest date | |
| Vehicle types approved | Service levels approved | ||
| Driver signature | Evaluator signature |
Certification of road test (only for drivers under Part 391)
When the driver’s vehicle is a commercial motor vehicle under FMCSA rules, the evaluator also completes a certificate “in substantially the form” set out in 49 CFR 391.31(f):
Certification of Road Test. Driver’s name ____. Type of power unit ____. Type of trailer(s) ____. If passenger carrier, type of bus ____. This is to certify that the above-named driver was given a road test under my supervision on __, 20, consisting of approximately ____ miles of driving. It is my considered opinion that this driver possesses sufficient driving skill to operate safely the type of commercial motor vehicle listed above. (Signature of examiner) (Title) (Organization and address of examiner)
Give the driver a copy. Keep the original signed form and the certificate in the driver qualification file.
Rules behind the form
| Rule | Who it covers | What it asks |
|---|---|---|
| 49 CFR 391.31 | Drivers of commercial motor vehicles under FMCSA rules | A road test in the vehicle type to be assigned, a rating form signed by the evaluator, and a certificate |
| 49 CFR 391.33 | Same drivers | Lets the carrier accept a CDL earned in that vehicle type, or a certificate from the past three years |
| 49 CFR 37.173 | Public and private transportation providers | Staff trained to proficiency for their duties: safe vehicle and equipment operation, and courteous help for riders with disabilities |
| Minnesota Rules 8840.5910 | Special transportation service drivers in Minnesota | A behind-the-wheel evaluation, plus lift, ramp, and securement instruction and demonstration, before providing service |
| CareOregon provider manual | Providers in CareOregon’s NEMT brokerages | Vehicle orientation and road testing with the vehicle type and equipment before transporting members |
Whether your vans count as commercial motor vehicles depends on seating, weight, and whether trips cross state lines. Some states also adopt Part 391 for in-state carriers: Pennsylvania’s Public Utility Commission incorporates it for the carriers it regulates (52 Pa. Code 37.204). The guide to whether NEMT drivers need a CDL walks through those thresholds and the sick-and-injured exception.
Common mistakes
- Testing in the wrong vehicle. A test in the office sedan does not clear a driver for a lift van.
- Skipping the manual backup. It is the one lift skill a driver needs in an emergency and rarely practices.
- Scoring from memory. Fill in each row during the drive, not at the office afterward.
- No retest rule. Decide in advance which failures stop the test and how soon a retest can happen.
- Letting a CDL replace everything. It can stand in for the federal driving test, but not for the securement and assistance sections.
After the road test
Once a driver passes, the daily pre-trip check becomes routine. In HealthRide, every shift opens with that same check: the driver picks a vehicle, works through the inspection checklist in the app, and enters the odometer, and a failed item shows up for dispatch at once (fleet and inspections). During the supervised trips that follow, the driver app walks the new driver through each trip step by step and captures signatures on screen.
Frequently asked questions
- Does every NEMT driver need the federal road test certificate?
- No. The certificate in 49 CFR 391.31 applies to drivers of commercial motor vehicles under FMCSA rules. On interstate passenger trips, a vehicle qualifies when its weight rating reaches 10,001 pounds, when it seats or carries 9 or more people counting the driver on paid trips, or 16 or more on unpaid ones. Many NEMT sedans and vans never cross a state line, so the federal rule reaches them only where a state adopts Part 391 for in-state carriers. Some programs require a behind-the-wheel check anyway: Minnesota does for special transportation drivers, and CareOregon has its brokerages hold providers to a road test.
- Can I accept a CDL instead of giving my own road test?
- For the federal requirement, yes. Under 49 CFR 391.33 a carrier may accept a valid CDL earned with a road test in the type of vehicle it will assign, or a road test certificate issued within the past three years, and keep a copy in the driver qualification file. The same rule lets the carrier require its own test anyway. A CDL exam never checks lift operation, wheelchair securement, or rider assistance, so run those parts of the form for every new driver.
- Who is allowed to give the road test?
- The carrier or a person it designates, as long as that person is competent to judge whether the driver can handle the vehicle and its equipment. Under 49 CFR 391.31(b), an owner who is also the carrier cannot test themselves, so a one-person company needs an outside evaluator for the federal certificate. For the company form, use a supervisor or senior driver who has run that vehicle type and its lift daily.
- How long should a NEMT road test take?
- The federal rule sets no minimum. It says the test must last long enough for the evaluator to judge the driver's skill with the vehicle and its equipment, and the certificate records the approximate miles driven. As an example, plan on about an hour for a route that mixes residential streets, a highway merge, a left turn across traffic, a railroad crossing if one is nearby, and two practice pickups with a full lift cycle and securement.
- What if a driver fails one section?
- Retrain on that section and test it again before any rider boards. Treat securement as a must-pass item. Georgia's NEMT manual removes a driver from service after one confirmed failure to secure a member's wheelchair, until the provider documents that the driver has been trained on the securement devices. Write your own retest rule into the form so every evaluator applies it the same way.
- Does a driver need a new road test for a different vehicle?
- Yes, when the vehicle type changes. The federal test is given in the type of commercial vehicle the carrier intends to assign, and CareOregon requires road testing with the type of vehicle and equipment the driver will operate. A driver cleared in a sedan who moves to a lift van needs the lift, securement, and driving sections again in the van.
- How long should road test records be kept?
- For drivers covered by Part 391, the carrier keeps the original signed road test form and the certificate in the driver qualification file, and keeps that file for as long as the driver is employed plus three years. For drivers outside the federal rules, file the form with the driver's records and keep it for the longest period any of your broker contracts sets.
