| (a) Requirements and application for a new certificate.
(1) In addition to NFPA 52 §§1.4.3 and 4.2,
and NFPA 55 §4.7, no person shall perform work, directly supervise
CNG activities, or be employed in any capacity requiring contact with
CNG, unless that individual is employed by a licensee and:
(A) is a certificate holder who is in compliance with
renewal requirements in subsection (h) of this section;
(B) is a trainee who complies with subsection (f) of
this section; or
(C) holds a current examination exemption pursuant
to subsection (g) of this section.
(2) Any person transporting CNG on a public roadway
must be properly certified, even if the unit is operated by an ultimate
consumer.
(b) Rules examination.
(1) An individual who passes the applicable rules examination
with a score of at least 75% will become a certificate holder. AFS
will send a certificate to the licensee listed on the CNG Form 1016.
If a licensee is not listed on the form, AFS will send the certificate
to the individual's personal address.
(A) Successful completion of any required examination
shall be credited to and accrue to the individual.
(B) An individual who has been issued a certificate
shall make it readily available and shall present the certificate
to any Commission employee or agent who requests proof of certification.
(2) An applicant for examination shall bring to the
exam site:
(A) a completed CNG Form 1016; and
(B) payment of the applicable fee specified in this
subsection;
(3) An individual who files CNG Form 1016 and pays
the applicable nonrefundable examination fee may take the rules examination.
(A) Dates and locations of available Commission CNG
examinations may be obtained on the Commission's web site. Examinations
may be administered:
(i) at the Commission's AFS Training Center in Austin;
(ii) at other designated times and locations around
the state; and
(iii) through an online testing or proctoring service.
(B) Individuals or companies may request in writing
that examinations be given in their area. AFS shall schedule examinations
at its discretion.
(C) Exam fees.
(i) The nonrefundable management-level rules examination
fee is $70.
(ii) The nonrefundable employee-level rules examination
fee is $40.
(iii) The nonrefundable examination fees shall be paid
each time an individual takes an examination.
(iv) A military service member, military veteran, or
military spouse shall be exempt from the examination fee pursuant
to the requirements in §13.76 of this title (relating to Military
Fee Exemption). An individual who receives a military fee exemption
is not exempt from renewal fees specified in subsection (h) of this
section.
(v) Beginning February 7, 2023, individuals who register
for an examination to be administered by a testing or proctoring service
shall pay any fee required by the testing or proctoring service in
addition to paying the examination fee to the Commission.
(D) Time limits.
(i) An applicant shall complete the examination within
two hours.
(ii) The examination proctor shall be the official
timekeeper.
(iii) An examinee shall submit the examination and
the answer sheet to the examination proctor before or at the end of
the established time limit for an examination.
(iv) The examination proctor shall mark any answer
sheet that was not completed within the time limit.
(E) Each individual who performs CNG activities as
an employee of an ultimate consumer or a state agency, county, municipality,
school district, or other governmental subdivision shall be properly
supervised by his or her employer. Any such individual who is not
certified by AFS to perform such CNG activities shall be properly
trained by a competent person in the safe performance of such CNG
activities.
(c) The following examinations are offered by the Commission.
(1) Employee‑level examinations:
(A) The Service and Installation Technician examination
qualifies an individual to perform all CNG activities related to stationary
CNG systems, including CNG containers, piping, and equipment. The
Service and Installation examination does not authorize an individual
to fill containers or operate a CNG transport.
(B) The Delivery Truck Driver examination qualifies
an individual to operate a cargo tank, load and unload CNG and connect
and disconnect transfer hoses, and operate a cylinder delivery unit.
(C) The Cylinder Filler examination qualifies an individual
to inspect, fill, disconnect, and connect CNG cylinders.
(2) Management‑level examinations:
(A) Category 1 examination qualifies an individual
to assemble, repair, test, sell, install, and subframe ASME and DOT
containers.
(B) Category 1A examination qualifies an individual
to assemble, repair, test, sell, install, and subframe ASME containers.
(C) Category 1B examination qualifies an individual
to assemble, repair, test, sell, install, and subframe DOT containers.
(D) Category 2 examination qualifies an individual
to sell, install, service, and repair CNG systems, including cylinders.
(E) Category 3 examination qualifies an individual
to sell, store, transport for delivery and dispense CNG for use other
than by an ultimate consumer, and to sell, install, service, and repair
CNG systems as described in Category 2 and 5 examinations.
(F) Category 4 examination qualifies an individual
to test CNG cylinders.
(G) Category 5 examination qualifies an individual
to operate a CNG service station, including filling CNG cylinders,
or operate a cylinder exchange dealership, including filling CNG cylinders,
selling CNG in cylinders, selling CNG cylinders, and replacing cylinder
valves.
(d) Within 15 calendar days of the date an individual
takes an examination, AFS shall notify the individual of the results
of the examination.
(1) If the examination is graded or reviewed by a testing
or proctoring service, AFS shall notify the individual of the examination
results within 14 days of the date AFS receives the results from the
testing or proctoring service.
(2) If the notice of the examination results will be
delayed for longer than 90 days after the examination date, AFS shall
notify the individual of the reason for the delay before the 90th
day. AFS may require a testing or proctoring service to notify an
individual of the individual's examination results.
(e) Failure of any examination shall immediately disqualify
the individual from performing any CNG related activities covered
by the examination which is failed, except for activities covered
by a separate examination which the individual has passed.
(1) Any individual who fails an examination administered
by the Commission at the Austin location may retake the same examination
one additional time during a business day.
(2) Any subsequent examinations shall be taken on another
business day, unless approved by the AFS director.
(3) An individual who fails an examination may request
an analysis of the individual's performance on the examination.
(f) Trainees.
(1) A licensee or ultimate consumer may employ an individual
as a trainee for a period not to exceed 45 calendar days without that
individual having successfully completed the rules examination, as
specified in subsection (b) of this section, or registered as specified
in subsection (g) of this section, subject to the following conditions:
(A) In addition to NFPA 52 §4.2, the trainee shall
be directly and individually supervised at all times by an individual
who has successfully completed the Commission's rules examination
for the areas of work being performed by the trainee.
(B) A trainee who has been in training for a total
period of 45 calendar days, in any combination and with any number
of employers, shall cease to perform any CNG activities for which
the trainee is not certified until the trainee successfully completes
the rules examination.
(2) A trainee who fails the rules examination shall
immediately cease to perform any CNG related activities covered by
the examination failed.
(g) General installers and repairmen exemption.
Cont'd... |
