tween states, a common occurrence for schools near state lines or driving field trips and athletic teams. “Removing the under-the-hood requirement alleviates
a process that is mostly not utilized in student trans- portation,” said NSTA Executive Director Curt Macysyn, noting that it does not eliminate the requirement for drivers to perform pre-trip inspections. “The physi- cal act of lifting the hood and then identifying engine components has been intimidating for many school bus driver candidates. Some candidates don’t even get to the behind-the-wheel test before they wash out, or they feel the overall process of qualifying and getting the license is too long.” In 2021, the Pennsylvania state legislature adopted
a resolution to study and address the state’s bus driver shortage, with the resulting advisory committee report recommending adoption of the school-bus-only CDL. The report notes that more than 3,000 drivers were lost between 2013 and 2021. Eighty-two percent of 230 respondents to the same STN survey said a school bus driver-specific CDL should be implemented.
“School buses are inspected twice a year, and there
are rigorous ongoing OEM requirements we all meet. If a bus does have a breakdown, a mechanic is usually no more than 25 minutes away,” said Shawn McGlinchey, president of the Pennsylvania School Bus Association and vice president of risk management at Krapf Bus, a family-owned provider in the state. He added the under-the-hood requirement “is a barri- er to bring people in because it’s overwhelming. “They’re not mechanics,” he continued. Meanwhile, Macysyn added that because most school
bus drivers are not allowed to leave students unattend- ed on the bus, they should not undertake repairs to the vehicle either. “In short, we are losing bus driver candi- dates to a mostly obsolete requirement,” he said. In comments filed in response to the waiver extension
proposal last year, the Iowa Department of Transporta- tion noted that it had instituted the waiver and found it bureaucratically burdensome. The Wisconsin School Bus Association and Augusta School District, mean- while, noted that the waivers did help with recruitment of drivers.
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