MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — School districts across Tampa Bay are, once again, in need of more school bus drivers.
For example, in Manatee County, the district said it needs at least 13 more drivers to keep more than 1,800 daily stops covered.
But what does it actually take to get behind the wheel of a school bus? Spectrum News wanted to know.
Before any Manatee County school bus hits the road, drivers are checking for any and all safety issues.
It’s part of the pre-trip inspection, a daily requirement for school bus drivers across Florida.
To an untrained eye, it can look intimidating. But transportation director Jamie Warrington said that with the right training, driving a bus can become second nature.
“At a very minimum, I’ve had folks go through the training process in two weeks — at the maximum, it’s been up to five weeks,” said Warrington.
In Manatee County, it starts with an online application, an interview, and a background check.
Then, it’s into the classroom where applicants study for a CDL Class B learner’s permit.
After passing four knowledge and skills tests, they’re back at the bus barn for hands-on training, learning directly from people like Warrington, who helped write Florida’s bus driver training curriculum.
“In that training, there’s 14 units that cover everything from how to interact with students with disabilities, to proper ways to load and unload students, vehicle familiarization,” Warrington said.
Florida requires at least 40 hours of training for school bus drivers. Manatee County said its drivers get even more. Then comes time behind the wheel, at first without passengers.
“They start with simple driving, and then as they progress and get comfortable, we start taking them into tighter locations, tighter roads, tighter turns,” said Warrington. “All of that is happening at the same time that they’re learning their CDL, and practicing and prepping for their CDL exam.”
Only after passing can they begin driving students, and even then, the training isn’t over.
For at least two days, an experienced driver rides along, watching from the front row and making sure the new driver is ready to go it alone.
“It’s really not difficult at all to do, it’s just slightly larger than your average car,” Warrington said.
Several prospective drivers are now in various stages of training, but the district still needs more. Still, Warrington said no matter how badly they need drivers, there’s one thing they won’t sacrifice.
“I will not compromise safety,” he said. “And I’m not going to put anybody behind the wheel of a bus, with students on board, unless I’m 100% confident that they can do the job, and that they are 100% confident that they can do the job.”
Manatee County is also in the process of buying smaller buses.
Drivers of those vehicles would still go through training, but they would not be required to obtain a CDL, removing what district leaders say can be one of the biggest hurdles for applicants.