Deb Trafton joined New Hanover’s human


resources department in 2019. She said that she worked closely with then transportation directors to find creative ways to recruit and retain drivers, sort out personnel issues and assist with budget concerns. “We would joke about me joining their


Deb Traſton | Director of Transportation


New Hanover County Schools, North Carolina


team, but honestly, not many folks in education want to deal with school buses, and [they] see it as a high-stress job,” she shared. “It wasn’t until last January [2022] that I took the leap and became the assistant director with a focus on hiring and personnel management.” An opportunity to serve as the director became available this past January. “I dove right in,” she said. “Not having ever driven a bus or worked in a garage, it wasn’t an easy transition, but the challenges are the same on a bus lot as they are in lots of industries. With the right team, you can overcome anything.” While working in HR,


Eddie Anderson, the assistant superintendent for operations at the district, said Trafton earned the state Employer of the Year recognition from the National Rehabilitation Association for her work in the recruitment of people with disabilities.


He added that currently she’s focused


on growing her team during a nationwide shortage of bus drivers, mechanics and routing specialists. It’s during this time that Anderson said she’s also rebranding bus drivers into educators through a book initiative, de-escalation training. and rehiring and retaining drivers. Trafton added that the school bus driver shortage remains the biggest challenge amid school start up. To combat this, she said the district offers incentives to attract candidates, such as a $1,000 sign-on bonus, weekly $100 attendance bonus, full-time hours, overtime pay, and full reimbursement


for costs associated with commercial driver licenses. She noted that the district also hires candidates as bus aides first, so that they are able to get paid as they go through the licensing process. She noted this helps ensure the district doesn’t lose them. “Once on our team, they get all the support they need to pass the road test and can be promoted to driver,” she said. “Of course, retention is key to keep our staff numbers up so we’re constantly looking for ways to promote a positive work culture. We’ve created new committees such as recruitment, social, safety, and book drive and held weekly “A Chance to Talk” meetings where drivers and aides can speak with directors to address any concerns and share updates. Going forward, Trafton said her goal is to continue to increase driver numbers, as well as modernizing processes to become more efficient in daily operations. She noted the district has installed illuminated lights to their stop arms to help decrease illegal passing violations. New Hanover is also piloting new telematic and camera systems to


obtain live data on their buses and drivers. “Having live data hosted on the cloud that can be seen while in the shop or at your desk will allow us to easily collect data such as mileage, fuel and depth levels, diagnostics when buses break down, and visuals of driver performance and student behavior,” she shared, adding that the district is also receiving its first electric bus this year. Anderson added that Trafton’s leadership has changed the culture to one of listening and caring about employee concerns. “She has created a collaborative work


environment where employees have the opportunity for input and feel valued,” he said. “Through her efforts she gained the respect and trust of drivers, colleagues, and school principals.”


44 School Transportation News • OCTOBER 2023


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  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60