A company must ensure compliance with the requirements of this section for all vehicles with a capacity of eight or fewer passengers (including the driver) used to provide passenger transportation service under the authority of the company's certificate and for all drivers of those vehicles. Regardless of whether a record required under this section is maintained by the certificated company or its contractor, the certificated company must make the record available to the commission upon request within 48 hours of the request.

(1) All vehicles must be inspected annually by a mechanic who has successfully passed the applicable examinations of, and met the applicable experience requirements prescribed by, the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, and certified by the mechanic as safe to operate.

(2) At the beginning and end of each day's work, the driver must check each vehicle the driver operates to determine if the lights, brakes, tires, steering, seat belts, and other safety and operating equipment are working properly. The driver must document the inspection the driver performs at the end of each day.

(3) Records of inspection, repair, and maintenance indicating the date and nature of the inspection, repair, or maintenance must be kept by the certificated company or contractor for a period of three years.

(4) Drivers used to operate vehicles with a capacity of eight or fewer passengers (including the driver) must have the following qualifications when operating a vehicle on behalf of a certificated company:

(a) Be licensed to drive in the state of Washington;

(b) Be a safe driver as demonstrated by a complete driving record from the Washington department of licensing and a complete driving record from any other state in which the driver held a driver's license in the previous five years;

(c) Have not been convicted within the past five years of hit-and-run, reckless driving, attempting to elude an officer by using a vehicle, vehicular assault, vehicular homicide, reckless endangerment, negligent driving in the first degree, or driving under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance, and have not been convicted within the past five years of a crime pertaining to physical violence or crimes reasonably related to the driver's honesty including, but not limited to, robbery, fraud, theft, extortion, assault, or identity theft, as demonstrated by a state criminal background check;

(d) Have not been required to register as a sex offender or been convicted of a sex offense or been convicted of a kidnapping offense against a minor;

(e) Have been medically examined and certificated by a medical examiner who is listed on the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners, and be physically and mentally qualified to operate a passenger carrying vehicle for compensation; and

(f) Have passed a defensive driving course certified by the National Safety Council or passed an equivalent course approved by the commission.

(5) The certificated company must verify and document the driver's qualifications under this section prior to initially allowing the driver to operate a vehicle under the company's authority and at least once every 12 months thereafter during the time of employment or the contract.

(6) A driver shall not be in control of a vehicle more than 12 consecutive hours. The 12 hours can be spread over a 15 hour period within 24 hours. Thereafter, the driver shall not drive a vehicle until the driver takes eight consecutive hours off duty.

(7) The certificated company or contractor must keep or require its contractors to keep, and provide or make available to the commission on request, the following records for the specified time periods:

(a) All documents related to driver hours for a period of at least six months;

(b) Verification of each driver's qualifications for the duration of the driver's employment or contract with the certificated company and for three years thereafter; and

(c) All documents related to any vehicle collisions or other accidents that occur while driving for compensation for a period of at least three years from the date of the accident. Such records must include copies of all accident reports and any other documents that identify the date and geographic location of the accident, the driver name, the number of fatalities or persons injured and a description of those injuries. The certificated company must ensure that its contractors immediately notify the certificated company of any accident or motor vehicle violation that occurs while driving for compensation.

(8) The commission will place a motor vehicle or driver out-of-service for the purposes of use by a certificated company if the vehicle or driver fails to meet any of the requirements in this section.