Marking its 52nd annual competition, the National School Transportation Association (NSTA) hosted its School Bus Driver International Safety Competition (SBDISC) on June 27-28, 2026, in Austin, Texas.

Two competitors returned to the winner's circle in 2026, with Brian Rickmann of Beaverton School District repeating as both the Transit Bus (Type D) winner and Bill Loshbough Grand Champion, while Betty Nelson of Dean Transportation earned back-to-back Conventional Bus (Type C) championships.

Hays CISD's transportation facility in Uhland, Texas, once again served as the host site for the competition. NSTA announced in 2023 that the facility would become the competition's permanent home.

The SBDISC gives school bus drivers from across the United States and Canada the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, driving skills, and professionalism while competing for an international title. To qualify, drivers must win or place in a state or provincial competition in their designated school bus category during the previous year. Competitors must enter the same bus class in which they qualified.

Drivers completed a written knowledge test before navigating a challenging driving course designed to assess precision, safety, and vehicle-handling skills. Contestants competed in one of three school bus categories based on vehicle type.

The highest scores in each category determined the winners, while the driver with the highest overall score received the Bill Loshbough Grand Champion Award.

The following winners were recognized June 28 during the NSTA Safety Competition Driver's Awards Banquet at the Austin Marriott Downtown.

Small Bus (Type A)

• First Place: James Tiensvold, Dickson County School District – Tennessee, with a score of 628
• Second Place: Betsy Grove, Dickson County Board of Education – Tennessee, with a score of 535.07
• Third Place: Kimberly Doyle, Southland Transportation Ltd. – Calgary, Alberta, Canada, with a score of 500.4

Conventional Bus (Type C)

• First Place: Betty Nelson, Dean Transportation – Michigan, with a score of 624.67
• Second Place: DanHill Marantal, Plano ISD – Texas, with a score of 604.33
• Third Place: Stephanie Johns, Auburn Washburn USD 437 – Kansas, with a score of 600

Transit Bus (Type D)

• First Place: Brian Rickmann, Beaverton School District – Oregon, 694
• Second Place: James Hethcock, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD – Texas, with a score of 571.53
• Third Place: Kevin Beck, Salem-Keizer Public School District – Oregon, with a score of 545.87

Bill Loshbough Grand Champion Award

• Brian Rickmann, Beaverton School District – Oregon

School Bus Fleet caught up with Rickmann to find out his reaction to winning the competition again. He expressed excitement that the event grew and the competition was stiff, and surprise for his second title in a row despite little time to practice this year. More than that, he’s grateful for the support he had from his home state.

“I was able to share some of my past experiences with drivers who hadn't been to internationals before and helped them navigate a bus with buttons that they aren't used to,” he told us.

His advice for future competitors? Study all the rules for the driving test. “The wording can be tricky, and it's important to know how the judges are going to deduct points,” he said. “It's much better to get only a few points than to lose them all because you didn't read the rules carefully. It's also a good idea to practice the events that you are the worst at until you can do them consistently before moving on to another.”

“We had a great planning process from 2025 into 2026,” NSTA’s executive director Curt Macysn said. “We wanted to support a lot of the feeder competitions — those state, provincial, regional competitions — who serve as the source of drivers who can ultimately compete at the international safety competition. I'm really pleased with the results this year and enthusiastic about the future of the safety competitions, not only at NSTA, but at the local level too. It's really an event where we have the opportunity to support our bus drivers to highlight their training, professionalism, and skills. The more that you're involved with it, you see the passion that these drivers have for their trade.”

Macysyn said they saw about 40% more drivers competing this year over last year, and had more attendees, making it a great event.

Save the date for next year’s competition: June 26-27, 2027, back at Hays CISD.