POV pre-trip and deadhead to first pickup. Check your aisle before you try to walk down it #$%& !! This is a sister bus to the one in the December 2022 video. She's got 75k miles.
A wild and wooly 1st day back here in North Jersey, complete with tripping hazards, and first graders who just couldn't seem to figure out where they were supposed to get off the bus in the afternoon!! (Not featured in the video, sorry 😢) Who of y'all out there are starting school this week, whether as a student, a parent, a teacher, a driver... or all of the above?!
That's a lot of work before you can drive away. I am a school bus driver in the Netherlands, but in the Netherlands we drive small 8-seater electric vans that we have at home. In the morning we check whether there is any damage to the bus, get in and put our driver card in the on-board computer and then log in with a PIN code. The addresses of the children that we have to pick up from home appear on the on-board computer. At each address we register the child on the on-board computer as soon as they have boarded and at school we log them out again via that on-board computer. All seatings have automatic three-point belts with a warning if not worn, and all warnings are via the dashboard (broken lights, low tire pressure, too little windshield washer, etc.) Respect for you, getting up so early, carrying out many checks and then driving a bus with so many children. I think 8 is a lot sometimes, LOL.
I feel your pain with the broom. I hate being in different buses because every time there’s either a wild broom or even a wild squeegee in the isle that you don’t see if your clumsy when coming in at 5:30am
One of the buses I drove had a broken sunvisor that you had to rubber band on the student mirror so it would stay on and I done tripped on that and almost busted my head open on the seat
@yitznewton Shattered sun visor is an immediate out of service here. The bus I drove on a after school run today had a whole ultimate squeegee with a normal squeegee end, but a long ass broom stick on the squeegee
LOL I was driving commuter service to downtown NYC this morning and was fixated on the NEXT intersection... I was entering THIS intersection when I saw the light was red 🚦🛑 I didn't run it... completely... 😅
U must always check and inspect ur bus’s engine before u start the bus up and on walking up to the bus u must also check for any leaks before starting the bus. U are taught this when u are getting ur CDL
Checking fluid levels is included in the CDL road test examination; however, it is not mandated by the FMCSA. The minimum for daily inspection is brakes, steering, lights/reflectors, tires, wheels/rims, horn, wipers, mirrors, and emergency equipment (extinguisher, red triangles, etc.), and coupling devices for tractor-trailers. More details at www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-396?toc=1
How do you guys learn your route? Is it like a gps you use for a few days before school starts to learn it and then during the school year off of memory?
Each route has a route sheet with the stops. The drivers are supposed to maintain turn-by-turn directions with the dispatcher. Depending on how complicated the route is, a driver typically will be able to learn it within a week. We try to do one or more dry runs before a live run with students. Last year they rolled out a tablet navigation app, but it is flawed, and I don't rely on it when I cover someone's route.
I have a question: do you guys get to pick whatever bus you want or do you get assigned one every week? My county assigns buses to drivers and they keep it for a couple years until they get a new one at the beginning of the school year or whenever. My county got new propane buses sometime back in March of 2023...
Im gonna be becoming a school bus driver soon! Should I get my cdl before then should I find a district/company that will hire me and train me? And are there any tips that anyone could share with me?
Based on my experience in NJ, you can get your permit before applying. You can't get the S endorsement without being hired, so your best bet is to find a company that is training, and they will prepare you for the CDL road test. Only tip I can think of is, get ready to exercise patience! It's a process that can feel like it's moving slowly at times. Keep your mind on the end goal and enjoy the learning.
