N
early half of the readers responding to this month’s STN magazine survey about driver pay indicated their school district or bus company does not pay new driver trainees or cover fees
such as physicals and commercial driver’s license (CDL) testing. But a sampling of transportation directors con- firmed that approach is based on sound decision-making and is not a major factor in driver shortages. While the correlation between a lack of trainee pay and
difficulty attracting drivers might seem obvious, the vast majority of the 56 percent of survey respondents whose districts or companies do pay trainees acknowledged that they also face persistent driver shortages.
George West ISD near Corpus Christi, Texas is one of the districts that doesn’t pay trainees, said transportation director Margaret Yarbrough. That’s because many appli- cants fail to pass the state’s stringent driver test. Paying trainees who ultimately won’t become drivers doesn’t make economic sense for a small district, she noted. “Somehow, if they could make it so we’re not in the same category as a truck driver, that would help,” Yar- brough said. “Once they pass their written test and get their permit, we do everything we can to help them get their CDL and work for us.” George West once was among the state’s highest- paying districts but has been eclipsed by its neighbors.
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