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| Volume 18, Issue 3 | Summer 2006 |
DocumentationWe all talk about documentation so take a look back and see how documentation has affected our lives. When we were born, we received a birth certificate documenting our date of birth, a footprint to identify who we are; we were given a name, location of birth and who our parents are. When we first signed up for school we started a record of our grades and behavior that resulted in a documentation of our education. Remember when you wanted to start driving? You had to pass an eye examination, written test and a driving skills test. You then received a driver's license that documented you had completed all things necessary to operate a vehicle. Every major event in our lives is documented so we can prove we have done something or are qualified to do something not everyone can do. Now, let's take a look at the everyday transit operations and see who is responsible for proper documentation and why. When a rider calls the dispatcher for a ride, the dispatcher requests the following information: rider's name, pickup time, pickup location, destination, drop off time and drop off location. The dispatcher then builds a manifest from all the rider requests. This documentation provides the driver with a list of people to be transported, where they are going and the funding source. The driver receives a manifest that says who is going where, when they are going and how the ride is being paid. The driver will enter certain information on the manifest that tells who rode, where they actually went and when they arrived. If the rider pays for their ride the driver receives their money and documents that money on the manifest. If the ride is paid for by another entity such as a facility under contract, the driver documents the rider received the trip and the facility owes for that ride. Equally crucial is the Title XIX riders. The manifest is still filled out properly and another separate sheet documenting name, date, start miles, end miles, driver signature, rider signature and signature of the medical provider. This sheet is required documentation showing performance of services and is an item that will be audited at some point in the life of the transit organization. The manifest and all other required documentation of rides is reported by the driver. These documents from the driver provides information for all required reporting, billing for rides, record of miles traveled, number of riders and the demographics of riders. Maintenance is another area where documentation is key. It is very important to report what was repaired; who repaired it, when it was repaired, mileage at time of repair and cost of repairs are some of the items recorded. Without records how do you know when the next oil change is due? How much did it cost to maintain the vehicle last month? Who do we owe money to for the repairs? When is the next oil change due? This information is not available if the work is not documented. When warranty work is required the maintenance records may be requested by the repairing facility to show proper maintenance prior to the problem. Drug testing by FTA is another example; they suggest pre-employment, random drug testing during employment and after some accidents. Someone in your organization is responsible for ensuring employees report for these tests and keeping the records. This provides documentation showing that Federal regulations are followed. Conducting these tests and not documenting the results is a direct violation of Federal regulations. If a new driver did a preemployment drug screen, but the test was not documented, it would be the same as not happening. Training is also an important area that requires documentation. These documents show who was trained, when the training took place, what the subject matter was, where it occurred and who the trainer was. This documentation is important so everyone receives proper training, supervisors can check to make sure the drivers receive all required training, and as a result, the drivers can perform more professionally and are safer operators. This documentation is especially important for the drivers and transit organizations in the event of an incident. It will show the driver was properly trained and considered knowledgeable to perform his job tasks safely. Good documentation is important in all of the following areas of our transit organization:
I have illustrated the importance of documentation in many areas of our personal and professional lives. I've given examples of recording activities in our personal life such as birth certificates, school graduations, and acquiring a driver's license. I also related it to our work environment where we have readily accepted the importance of documentation for dispatching, driver manifest, maintenance and drug testing. I provided a suggested list of minimum required documentation for transit organizations. My concern is that not the same level of importance is given to documenting our training activities for drivers and others in the transit industry. I maintain it is equally as important as the other activities we document well and we should focus on improving the documentation of training. Remember, if it isn't documented, it didn't happen!! 
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