School bus drivers are the people who transport our most precious resource, our students. They are subjected to pre-employment screening that includes fingerprinting, references attesting to moral character, and state and federal government background checks. They go through over 80 hours of training to determine how the driver responds to stress, child psychology and other variables in the workplace and behind the wheel.
School bus drivers must experience rigid physical examinations and meet federal hearing, vision and agility requirements. Blood pressure, pulse, weight, knee jerks, and urinalysis must conform to established standards. School bus drivers must undergo a biennial physical, an annual review of their driving record, an annual road test of their driving ability and a minimum of six hours of in-service education annually.
If physically and mentally qualified, school bus drivers must then be prepared to learn how to drive a vehicle that could be seven to ten times longer than today's compact car, weigh as much as thirteen elephants, and hold the equivalent of three 20-man football squads. School bus drivers drive in all kinds of weather.
After learning to drive this special vehicle they are trained in advanced first aid, CPR, pupil behavior management, hazard detection and response, transporting children with special needs, emergency driving techniques, public relations and policies as well as preventive maintenance and vehicle inspections.
A school bus driver is a member of the best-screened, best-qualified and best-trained profession associated with the motor transport industry in the country. They are members of the motor transport industry that possesses the safest transportation record in the world.
