Safety

The Driver Shortage Playbook

Driver shortages are still a major challenge for student transportation fleets, but the real issue has shifted. It’s no longer just about filling seats quickly. It’s about finding safe, reliable drivers who meet performance expectations and want to stay. The Driver Shortage Playbook covers why traditional recruitment tactics are falling short and how school fleets are adapting with smarter hiring, stronger retention strategies and a greater focus on driver quality.

Graphic for an opinion article on illegal school bus passing. A school bus with its stop arm extended is stopped as children cross the street, while a black SUV drives past. Headline reads, “America’s School Bus Blind Spot.” School Bus Fleet branding appears in the corner.

Articles

America Has a School Bus Passing Problem — and Distraction Is Making It Worse

Products

Pro-Vision Launches AI-Powered 360° Camera System

News

N.Y. & N.J. Coalitions Call for Modernized Transportation for Vulnerable Students

News•by Staff•December 14, 2010

Federal agencies speak out on passenger van use

NHTSA and FMCSA administrators send a letter to all 50 states’ motor vehicle administrators to remind them that 12- or 15-passenger vans should not be used to transport students because they do not provide the same level of safety as school buses.

News•by Staff•December 13, 2010

Man sentenced for hitting teen with bus

A judge sentences school bus driver Timothy Whalen to six years with the Montana Department of Corrections with 18 months suspended for striking 15-year-old Eleanore Dykes at a crosswalk while driving under the influence of alcohol. Dykes suffered a broken leg in the 2009 incident.

News•by Staff•December 9, 2010

Bus aide who kissed student did not commit crime, police say

Police conclude an investigation of alleged inappropriate behavior by aide Bobby Shrout, who was accused of kissing a student on the cheek. After conducting interviews and reviewing bus surveillance footage, authorities determine that Shrout did not commit a criminal offense.

News•by Staff•December 8, 2010

Judge rules to continue school bus service for Staten Island students

State Supreme Court Justice John Fusco says that New York City’s decision to take away the service was made without concern for the welfare and safety of the seventh and eighth graders who are affected. The city’s Department of Education has vowed to appeal Fusco’s decision.

News•by Staff•December 8, 2010

NCST’s 2010 manual now available

The new edition of National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures, which covers everything from school bus inspection to operations to special-needs transportation, can be ordered via the NCST website.

News•by Staff•December 7, 2010

Feds take aim at back-up accidents

New NHTSA proposal would expand the required field of rear view for vehicles up to 10,000 pounds. The agency requests comments on whether small school buses should be excluded from the final rule.

News•by Staff•December 6, 2010

More praise for Dealer of the Year

Seon Design offers its congratulations to Nelson's Bus Service for winning the Thomas Built award. Nelson's is the exclusive Wisconsin dealer for Seon, which supplies mobile surveillance systems for school buses and other vehicles.

News•by Staff•December 3, 2010

Driver, aide use training to calm autistic student

The student became agitated due to the high volume of traffic on the freeway, broke a window in his school van and attempted to lean out and touch other vehicles. The driver and aide created a game for the student, urging him to count traffic lights until they were able to exit the freeway; they then pointed out familiar landmarks to help him keep track of his location on the drive to school.

News•by Staff•December 2, 2010

Senate committee passes DERA

The five-year reauthorization of the program, which provides funds to reduce emissions from school buses and other diesel vehicles, is approved by the Environment and Public Works Committee. The passage is called a key step in continuing "a vital clean air program that has benefited communities in every single state in the nation."

News•by Staff•December 1, 2010

Student Transportation to acquire three school bus companies

The acquisitions are scheduled to close in the next 30 to 45 days and will add more than 550 vehicles to the company’s fleet, with annualized revenues of more than $28 million. Company Chairman and CEO Denis J. Gallagher says the acquisitions will open two new areas of growth for the company, and one will tuck in to an existing operating location.

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