Craig Beaver’s Final Stop: Lessons from 43 Years in Transportation

From trucking to school busing, Craig Beaver is retiring after 43 years in transportation, but not before sharing some hard-earned lessons from one of Oregon’s largest school districts.

In this episode of The Route, the soon-to-be-former Beaverton School District transportation director sits down with School Bus Fleet to reflect on the evolution of student transportation, his experience with alternative fuels and EVs, the rise of AI, and the leadership philosophy that helped shape his department’s culture.

Together, we cover:

• Building a strong transportation team culture
• Driver recruitment and retention strategies
• Electric buses vs. propane and diesel
• How AI could reshape routing and operations
• Leadership lessons from 43 years in the industry
• Managing organizational change successfully and mapping out how not to fail
• Working with unions and resolving grievances
• Preparing the next generation of transportation leaders
• Why kindness and consistency still matter most

The Route is sponsored by IC Bus, proudly offering vehicles and solutions that are ahead of their class.

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About The Route

The Route is a monthly video and podcast series hosted by School Bus Fleet and sponsored by IC Bus, proudly offering vehicles and solutions that are ahead of their class.

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