Some of the CDL training that bus drivers complete is
geared toward over-road-truck driving in New York. The training also involves hours behind the wheel. “One thing we have to do is break people’s bad driving habits,” said Rugg. “A lot of people learned bad driving habits from their parents or other family members. We want people to know what to do in every situation a driver may get into. We want people to get a better understanding of what it means to be a safe driver. Transporting students is an important job. We want drivers to know about student management.” Meanwhile, David Hartzell, Jr., director of transpor-
tation for Harrison School District 2 in Colorado, said his operation increased training to comply with federal guidelines. “The drivers are meeting more requirements and new requirements,” he shared. “They are learning about new drug and alcohol tests and the consequences of failing such a test. Drivers are learning about engines and suspensions and the various engine parts. They learn about air brakes and how to complete a work order. They learn how to negotiate a railroad crossing.” A culture of safety is important to Hartzell. “We are teaching people to become better drivers. We want to create a culture of safety and get people on board about following safety protocols,” he added. “We have an acci-
dent review committee. We have a select group of people from the department who talk about safety. We offer safety bonuses for accident-free driving. Those drivers who are accident-free get additional pay. We do monthly trainings for all our staff on safety and that helps estab- lish a safety culture.” Patrick Willi, product director of School Training
Solutions for Smart Horizons, said that the new man- dates are about standardizing bus driver training and licensing and that there will be few changes in what his company does or offers. “We have developed our strategy and it has not changed much as a result of the new regulations. This is being done so that all the states are following the same training and are on the same page. We cover many of the same topics on theory and behind the wheel,” said Willi. Smart Horizons offers online school bus driver courses
that are generally geared toward initial certification and annual in-service. They are theory courses and often paired with the local entity’s behind-the-wheel practice for a solid, blended approach to training. “We’ve been touting the benefits of online training since 2005. This means no travel, flexible scheduling, self-paced, instant feedback, relaxed learning environ- ment, and consistency,” said Willi. ●
38 School Transportation News • FEBRUARY 2022
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
