News & Insights

Transportation contractors are tasked with the duty to get students to school safely. It is not uncommon for a transportation contractor to discover, either during the interview process with an applicant or through discussion with an employee, that the applicant or employee has a disability. Transportation contractors may immediately wonder how, if at all, the disability could affect the ability to provide safe transportation. But as transportation contractors know, a disability does not automat...

Anyone considering the purchase of an existing Pennsylvania business should be aware of Pennsylvania’s “Bulk Sales” laws. These statutes are designed to protect the Commonwealth’s ability to collect unpaid taxes from a business seller, but also provide the buyer with immunity from successor liability for the seller’s unpaid tax obligations to the state. Wise buyers will comply with the pre-close notice requirements to the Department of Revenue and the Department of Labor in order to mitigat...

Insurance requirements for school bus operators often times differ from state-to-state. Some states have specific requirements for school buses used in home-to-school transportation, while others only impose minimum insurance requirements on specific types of transportation, such as charter work. For school transportation operators, sometimes federal requirements apply as well. Continue reading for a brief overview of what minimum insurance requirements could apply to Pennsylvania school transpo...

If you have never had a fee dispute arising from a buy/sell transaction, congratulations! But, fee disputes can happen to even the most diligent business brokers. Sometimes fee disputes arise simply because the client is unwilling to pay the fee because they may not fully appreciate the effort and value the broker contributed to the result. Other times fee disputes arise when there is a gap between the transaction results and client expectations. Since fee disputes can happen to even the most di...

At the PALA conference this year, we presented on a number of basic concepts in employment law that you may come across in your day to day management of a library. Recall the importance of documentation, and ensuring that you have written policies and procedures in place which govern your practices. Libraries should be mindful to adopt policies and procedures that may be required by law. Under the Pennsylvania Child Protective Service Law (the “PA CPSL”), libraries are required to comply with ...

School bus contractors must assure their drivers obtain clearances, including that their employees have Pennsylvania State Police (“PSP”) Background Checks performed.  Multiple laws dictate when and how often a driver must complete a PSP background check and it can get confusing. However, contractors should know that drivers only need to obtain a pre-employment background and renew it every two (2) years if they are performing Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (“PUC”) runs in vehicles t...

Planning routes and choosing stops for school buses and school vehicles is not an easy task. Stops can vary greatly depending on geographic area – some students may live on or near roads that require pickup or discharge on the road, yet others may require a pickup or discharge off the road. While school transportation contractors typically develop routes and stops in conjunction with their partnering school district, there are statutory and regulatory limitations, and safety considerations, tha...