W
hat good is a school bus without a quali- fied driver? Currently, the ability to maintain a full staff of credentialed drivers presents an
ongoing challenge for many school districts. Along with a troublesome lack of interest in the job that has become all too commonplace, bottlenecks in getting prospec- tive drivers certified can make the situation even more problematic. “Delays can definitely pose a challenge,” said Hilma Gustafson, administrator of transportation at Arizona’s Glendale Union High School District. From the first steps in recruiting candidates to shep-
herding them through completion of the various legal requirements, the possibility of losing them along the way is always a reality. “The longer that process takes,” she noted, “the greater the possibility of losing a candidate.” Gustafson said that many applicants are looking for immediate employment and may not be in a position to wait several weeks to draw regular paychecks. From an operational standpoint, every week that a candidate remains in the training or certification queue can mean another week that an existing driver is covering addi- tional work, routes are being combined, supervisors or other CDL-qualified staff are tasked with driving, or alternative transportation arrangements must be made. For transportation departments already operating with
limited staffing, even one or two drivers waiting for cer- tification can have a significant impact, Gustafson said. Multiple challenges also extend to the private sector. “Delays remain one of the biggest bottlenecks in our hiring funnel,” said Renee Boydo, VP of HR experience for First Student. Despite efforts to improve efficiency on the company’s
side of the process, candidates still average more than 60 days from first applying to becoming a fully cleared driver, with many of the constraints outside First Stu- dent’s control. Boydo indicated that the biggest driver of that time- line is road test availability at local DMVs, particularly in states that restrict third-party testing. In addition, many states maintain training and testing requirements that predate federal Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) re- quirements and can overlap with the curriculum already delivered by the company in full. “Several states also limit who can facilitate state-
specific training, adding another layer of scheduling complexity,” she said. “As a result, we can have dozens of drivers who are trained and ready to work but are waiting for a state road test slot or a seat in a state training program.”
34 School Transportation News • OCTOBER 2026
She pointed to national research
indicating the realistic timeline for obtaining a commercial learner’s permit (CLP) to a full CDL is typically four to 10 weeks, with several states routinely reaching six to 10 weeks because of backlogs in scheduling DMV skills tests. One issue typifying possible bar-
riers is the variance in approaches to the “under-the-hood” waiver. Since 2022, the Federal Motor Car- rier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has allowed states to waive the engine compartment portion of the CDL pre-trip inspection skills test for school bus applicants, as school bus drivers are more likely to seek help for breakdowns than try to perform repairs themselves. “It’s a sensible, low-risk fix, but
it’s temporary, adopted on a state- by-state basis and inconsistently implemented,” Boydo explained. “That inconsistency can mean a driver’s timeline varies by weeks depending on where they live.” Medical certification timing can also be problematic,
with a frequent lack of medical cards appearing as at- tached to the CDL or permit when motor vehicle records are run, creating delays for records that should otherwise be complete.
Battling Bottlenecks When certification delays occur at the district or state
level, there typically isn’t a single factor at play. “It’s a combination of requirements that can create the bottleneck,” Gustafson said. In Arizona and nationwide, a prospective school
bus driver must successfully complete multiple steps involving training, licensing, medical requirements, background clearance, testing, and state school bus driv- er certification requirements. “Each individual step serves an important safety pur- pose. But when appointments or testing are not readily available, the overall process can become lengthy,” she noted. Training capacity can also pose barriers. “Smaller districts may have limited training staff,
while larger operations may have several new drivers going through the process at the same time,” Gustafson said. “Having qualified trainers and sufficient time and equipment available for behind-the-wheel instruction is
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