Bus Driver in Training

Job Summary

Position is responsible for operating a school bus and transporting school-aged children and other authorized personnel safely and efficiently over specified routes to and from schools and various activities.

About the Role

Communicates with the dispatcher or Area Transportation Supervisor for any changes in normal duties or new student passengers, including communicating orally while the bus is in motion when needed.

Responsibilities

• Ensures the bus can be operated safely before driving and conducts pre-trip safety inspections as required by federal and state laws to include observing visual defects and checking operating systems to include brakes, horn, lights, emergency flashers, extended stop arms, and door-opening devices.
• Operates the vehicle safely over an assigned route, picking up and delivering only authorized students at assigned bus stops, and watches to ensure that no one hurrying for the bus is left.
• Keeps assigned time schedules, which may require driving during pre-day light and dusk periods, and makes every effort to be on time while ensuring safety.
• Obeys all traffic laws and transportation practices as outlined in the CDL manual, Bus Driver Handbook, School Board Policy and local.
• Observes all mandatory safety regulations for school buses and keeps all emergency exits clear of obstruction.
• Secures wheelchairs, car seats, and other restraining devices on the bus as per regulations.
• Maintains student discipline on the bus and enforces rules governing student conduct, including through oral communication when the bus is in motion.
• Reports undisciplined students to the proper authority and compiles written reports as requested in accordance with the bus driver handbook and the Student's Rights and Responsibilities Handbook.
• Counsels students who have been suspended or expelled from school and prepares written reports as requested in accordance with the Student's Rights and Responsibilities Handbook.
• Conducts semi-annual bus evacuation drills as required by the Department of Education and implements evacuations as required in an emergency to include safely exiting from the rear of the school bus.
• Reports all accidents immediately, requesting police or ambulance service as needed; assists injured persons until services arrive; and completes required accident reports.
• Notifies the proper authority in cases of mechanical failure, safety deficiencies, when off schedule, or other incidents.
• Regulates heating, cooling, and ventilating equipment provided on the bus for the comfort of passengers.
• Drives students and teachers on field trips, extracurricular activities, and other special events, often in evenings and at night, as needed.
• Exercises responsible leadership and appropriate behavior when on out-of-division school trips.
• Returns the bus to the assigned bus lot, performs a final inspection, and secures the bus according to procedure.
• Submits to drug testing when required.
• Maintains a commercial driver's license as required by the State Department of Transportation and maintains Red Cross First Aid/CPR certification.
• Hear and communicate orally when the bus is in motion. Communicate orally on a two-way radio with transportation dispatch and emergency services while the bus is in motion. Communicate effectively and positively with parents, students, staff and colleagues.
• Models nondiscriminatory practices in all interactions.

Requirements

• Must possess a high school diploma or GED.
• Must possess a valid commercial driver's license to operate a school bus or must acquire one prior to the completion of the division's classroom training course.
• Must possess basic first aid and CPR certification or must acquire such prior to the completion of the division's classroom training course.
• Must possess an excellent driving record in compliance with division standards, excellent driving skills, and must successfully complete the school division's bus driver training course.
• Must possess a good knowledge of procedures and federal/state laws governing the safe operation of a school bus prior to the completion of the division's training course.
• Must possess knowledge of, or the ability to accurately and quickly learn, local street and road systems.
• Must possess knowledge of, or the ability to accurately and quickly learn, how to properly secure a wheelchair, car seat, and other restraining devices on a school bus.
• Must possess the ability to maintain student discipline and ensure that student behavior is not a distraction to safe driving.
• Must possess the ability to recognize and report any unsafe act or condition.
• Must remain in compliance with state/division regulations regarding the use of controlled substances and alcohol as applied to school bus drivers.
• Must meet the mandated physical and mental requirements established by the state and the US Department of Transportation.

Qualifications

• Must be capable of working independently and possess the ability to understand and follow through on oral and written instructions.
• Must possess the ability to communicate effectively and positively with students, parents, and faculty.