Employee Level Exams
No individual may perform work or be employed in any capacity requiring contact with LP-gas until he or she has passes the required Railroad Commission qualifying examination.
In addition to passing the exam, every applicant for certification as a bobtail driver, DOT cylinder filler, service and installation technician, appliance service and installation technician, motor/mobile fuel dispenser or recreational vehicle technician must complete 8 hours of approved training by the next May 31 after passing the examination. (NOTE: If the examination is passed between March 1 and May 31, then the training must be completed by May 31 of the next year.)
Applicants for and holders of employee-level transport driver or engine-fuel certification are not required to comply with training or continuing-education requirements.
In many cases, an applicant can attend the required 8-hour training class and take the examination on the same day.
Below is a description of each employee level examination and the activities they cover.
Bobtail Driver. The Bobtail examination qualifies an individual to operate a bobtail, to perform all of the LP-gas activities authorized by the Transport Driver, DOT Cylinder Filling, and Motor/Mobile Fuel examinations, and to perform leak checks and pressure tests, light appliances, and adjust regulators and thermocouples. The Bobtail examination does not authorize an individual to connect or disconnect containers, except when performing a pressure test or removing a container from service.
Service & Installation Technician. The Service and Installation examination qualifies an individual to perform all LP-gas activities related to stationary LP-gas systems, including LP-gas containers and appliances. The Service and Installation examination does not authorize an individual to fill containers or operate an LP-gas transport.
Transport Driver. The Transport Driver examination qualifies an individual to operate an LP-gas transport equipped with a container of more than 5,000 gallons water capacity, to load and unload LP-gas, and connect and disconnect transfer hoses. The Transport Driver examination does not authorize an individual to operate a bobtail or to install or repair transport systems.
Engine Fuel Technician. The Engine Fuel examination qualifies an individual to install LP-gas motor or mobile fuel containers, cylinders, and LP-gas systems and replace container valves on motorized vehicles, including trailers, catering trucks, mobile kitchens, tar kettles and similar vehicles, and non-road vehicles such as industrial trucks and stationary engines such as generators and pumps. The Engine Fuel examination does not authorize an individual to fill LP-gas motor or mobile fuel containers.
DOT Cylinder Filler. The DOT Cylinder Filling examination qualifies an individual to inspect, requalify, fill, disconnect and connect cylinders, including industrial truck cylinders, and to exchange cylinder valves. The DOT Cylinder Filling examination does not authorize an individual to fill ASME motor or mobile fuel containers.
Motor/Mobile Fuel Dispenser. The Motor/Mobile Fuel (Fuel Dispenser) examination qualifies an individual to inspect and fill motor or mobile fuel containers on vehicles, including recreational vehicles, cars, trucks, and buses. The Motor/Mobile Fuel (Fuel Dispenser) examination does not authorize an individual to fill LP-gas cylinders or ASME stationary containers.
NOTE: Any employee who fills both DOT cylinders and ASME motor/mobile fuel containers, e.g., tanks on motor vehicles, motor homes, catering trucks, etc., must pass both the DOT cylinder filling examination and the motor/mobile fuel dispenser examination.
Recreational Vehicle Technician. The Recreational Vehicle examination qualifies an individual to install LP-gas motor or mobile fuel containers, including cylinders, and to install and repair LP-gas systems on recreational vehicles. The Recreational Vehicle examination does not authorize an individual to fill LP-gas containers.
Appliance Service and Installation Technician. The Appliance Service and Installation examination qualifies an individual to perform all LP-gas activities related to appliances, including installing, repairing and converting appliances, installing and repairing connectors from the appliance gas stop through the venting system, and to perform leak checks on the new or repaired portion of an LP-gas system. The Appliance Service and Installation examination does not authorize an individual to install a container, install or repair piping upstream of and including the appliance gas stop, or to install, repair or adjust regulators.
