and anyone else involved in getting a driver qualified. A timely approach is also important. “Start recruiting before you have vacancies,” Gustafson advised. “School
bus driver recruitment should be an ongoing process rather than some- thing that begins when routes are already uncovered.” Castor in Texas encouraged investing in an internal training infrastructure,
if possible, as well as explor- ing opportunities to become a third-party testing organization. Communication is critical, he
added. “Candidates need to un- derstand what the process looks like, what is expected of them, where they are in the process and what comes next,” Castor said. “If someone is waiting, they should know why they’re waiting and what is being done to move them forward.” Looking outward, cooperation
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40 School Transportation News • OCTOBER 2026
with those in key roles can pay dividends. “Build a direct relationship
with your state’s ELDT and CDL testing representatives, and use it,” Boydo advised. “Don’t hesitate to bring them the oper- ational realities you’re seeing on the ground.”
She explained that many legacy state-level training and testing requirements were created to address challenges that ELDT has since addressed at the federal level. Since state officials may not always have visibility into that overlap, it’s important for industry leaders to bring those issues forward and advocate for solutions. Throughout the recruitment and training process, maintain- ing high standards is paramount. “The challenge is finding
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ways to make the process ef- ficient without compromising those standards,” Gustafson said. “If we can eliminate unneces- sary delays while maintaining strong training, testing and certification requirements, we have a better opportunity to get qualified drivers behind the wheel and keep our school transportation systems operat- ing safely.” ●
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