Certification and Certification Renewal Requirements for Qualified Sampling and Testing Technicians and Sampling or Testing Technicians-in-Training

PURPOSE: This rule provides for individuals to become certified or recertified as qualified sampling and testing technicians as required by federal regulation at Title 23 Code of Federal Regulations, Ch. 1, Part 637. (1) Applicability. This rule applies to all individuals seeking a certification or a certification renewal from the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) as a qualified sampling or testing technician, and any individuals seeking registered intern status from MoDOT as a sampling or testing technicianin-training under the direct supervision of a qualified sampling or testing technician. (2) Applications. Any individual seeking a certification or a certification renewal shall complete the “Application Form—MoDOT Technician Certification Program.” Any individual seeking registered intern status shall complete the “Application Form—MoDOT Intern Status Registration.” These application forms can be obtained from the Internet at the MoDOT website at http://www.modot.mo.gov or by contacting the technician certification coordinator (TCC). Completed applications are to be forwarded to the TCC. (3) Certification Requirements. Any individual seeking certification shall— (A) Complete an “Application Form— MoDOT Technician Certification Program” in accordance with section (2) of this rule; (B) Attend the classroom instruction required by MoDOT for the desired certification in accordance with section (6) of this rule; (C) Pass the written examination in accordance with section (7) of this rule; (D) Pass the performance examination in accordance with section (8) of this rule; (E) Be eligible, upon passing the required examinations, for a certification that is valid for five (5) years after issuance, and may be perpetually renewed in accordance with section (4) of this rule; and (F) Be subject to certification suspension or revocation pursuant to 7 CSR 10-23.030. (4) Certification Renewal Requirements. Any individual seeking certification renewal shall— (A) Complete an “Application Form— MoDOT Technician Certification Program” in accordance with section (2) of this rule; (B) Attend the classroom instruction required by MoDOT for the desired certification renewal in accordance with section (6) of this rule, but that individual is ineligible for certification renewal if said classroom instruction is not taken within ninety (90) calendar days after expiration of the certification desired for renewal; (C) Pass the written examination in accordance with section (7) of this rule; (D) Pass the performance examination in accordance with section (8) of this rule; (E) Be eligible, upon passing the required examinations, for a certification renewal that is valid for five (5) years after issuance, and may be perpetually renewed in accordance with this section; and (F) Be subject to certification suspension or revocation pursuant to 7 CSR 10-23.030. (5) Registered Intern Status Requirements. Any individual seeking registered intern status shall— (A) Complete an “Application Form— MoDOT Intern Status Registration” in accordance with section (2) of this rule; (B) Be eligible, upon approval of the application, for registered intern status that is valid for six (6) months after application approval; (C) Not be eligible for application approval unless the individual is a new hire, a student working over the summer, or a seasonal employee, and that individual shall not be eligible for application approval if he or she has held a technician certification under MoDOT’s Technician Certification Program; (D) Not be eligible for application approval more than once per calendar year; (E) Be working under a supervisor who is certified through reciprocity or MoDOT TCP for all applicable test methods the intern shall perform; and (F) Be subject to registered intern status suspension or revocation pursuant to 7 CSR 10-23.030. (6) Classroom Instruction. Classroom instruction is required for certification and certification renewal. (A) Course Schedule. The course schedule and list of locations shall be available to any interested person. It is available via the Internet on the MoDOT website at http://www.modot.mo.gov or by contacting the TCC. (B) Application. To apply for a course, an application must be completed and submitted pursuant to section (2) of this rule. (C) Costs. A fee schedule for courses can be found via the Internet on the MoDOT website at http://www.modot.mo.gov or by contacting the TCC. Charges for the courses will be invoiced upon acceptance of enrollment. (7) Written Examination Requirements. (A) For both certification and certification renewal, the scores required for passing the written examination are— 1. Eighty-five percent (85%) for the following certification(s): Aggregate Technician, Bituminous Technician, Plasticity Index, Soil Density, Concrete Field, Concrete Strength, IRI, Binder Ignition, Compressive Strength, Aggregate Specific Gravity, Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) Aggregate, Tensile Strength Ratio (TSR), AASHTO T85 Absorption, and Low Slump; and 2. Eighty percent (80%) for the following certification: Superpave Quality Control/Quality Assurance (QC/QA). (B) The reported information for the written examination will be Pass or Fail. Actual written examination scores shall be provided upon request. (C) If an individual seeking certification fails to achieve a passing written examination score for the desired certification in accordance with this section, that individual shall be permitted to take another written examination for that certification within sixty (60) days of the reporting of that failing written examination score. If that individual fails to achieve a passing score for the second written examination attempt, then he or she must start anew to complete the certification requirements pursuant to section (3) of this rule. (D) If an individual seeking certification renewal— 1. Fails to achieve a passing written examination score for the desired certification renewal in accordance with this section, and achieves a written examination score of sixty percent (60%) or less, then that individual must start anew to complete the certification requirements pursuant to section (3) of this rule. 2. Fails to achieve a passing written examination score for the desired certification renewal in accordance with this section, but achieves a written examination score greater than sixty percent (60%), then that individual shall be permitted to take another written examination for that renewal certification within sixty (60) days of the reporting of that failing written examination score. If that individual fails to achieve a passing score for the second written examination attempt, then he or she must start anew to complete the certification requirements pursuant to section (3) of this rule. (8) Performance Examinations. The performance examinations given are demonstrations of the test procedure by the individual in the presence of an evaluator or instructor. To pass the performance examination, the individual must present a demonstration of all critical items of the test procedure. In a given performance examination, an individual is allowed two (2) opportunities to demonstrate the test procedure. (A) If an individual seeking certification fails to successfully demonstrate the test procedure for the desired certification after exhausting both opportunities, then that individual shall be permitted to take another performance examination for that certification within sixty (60) days. If that individual fails to successfully demonstrate the test procedure for the second performance examination attempt, then he or she must start anew to complete the certification requirements pursuant to section (3) of this rule. (B) If an individual seeking certification renewal fails to successfully demonstrate the test procedure for the desired certification renewal after exhausting both opportunities, then that individual shall be permitted to take another performance examination for that certification renewal within sixty (60) days. If that individual fails to successfully demonstrate the test procedure for the second performance examination attempt, then he or she must start anew to complete the certification requirements pursuant to section (3) of this rule. (9) Reciprocity. Any individual certified by any other certification program as a qualified sampling or testing technician may be considered, upon request for reciprocity, as meeting the certification requirements pursuant to section (3) of this rule. Requests for reciprocity shall be submitted in writing to the TCC for consideration. The consideration of granting reciprocity rests with the TCC and his/her interpretation of the equivalency of the program content in which the individual was certified. (A) Upon approval of reciprocity by the TCC for a specified certification, the individual requesting reciprocity shall be eligible for a certification that is valid for the time remaining until expiration of the equivalent certification or five (5) years after reciprocity approval, whichever is of shorter duration. (B) A certification by reciprocity approval may be perpetually renewed for five (5)-year periods in accordance with section (4) of this rule. (C) Any individual approved for certification by reciprocity shall be subject to certification revocation pursuant to 7 CSR 1023.030. AUTHORITY: sections 226.020, 226.130, and 227.030, RSMo 2016 and 23 CFR Ch. 1, Part 637.* Original rule filed May 7, 2002, effective Dec. 30, 2002. Amended: Filed Nov. 12, 2008, effective June 30, 2009. Amended: Filed Dec. 8, 2016, effective July 30, 2017. *Original authority: 226.020, RSMo 1939; 226.130, RSMo 1936, amended 1993, 1995; and 227.030, RSMo 1939