To become a school bus driver in the United States you will need to get your Class B CDL (commercial driver’s license), passenger endorsement, and school bus endorsement among other things.
The process to getting all three of these things is no doubt what you have questions about and probably why you are here.
Your first step is to apply to a school district so that their bus company can begin training you so that you pass all of the necessary tests and get out on the road as soon as possible.
Use my free job board to find unique, local bus driving jobs where you live. The link to the job board is right here, it’s free to use.
Don’t go away, in this article I’m going to only focus on the large, 72 passenger school buses (usually yellow in color) that you see all across the United States driving kids to and from school.
I’m going to tell you everything you need to know about becoming a bus driver, their responsibilities and duties, salary, requirements, and explain why driving a school bus is a part-time job.
Before you read any further you need to understand why you need the Class B CDL, passenger endorsement, and school bus endorsement.
Why Do You Need A Class B CDL To Drive A School Bus?
There are 3 types of CDL’s that a person can get. They are the Class A, Class B, and Class C CDL. If you want to know the specific differences between them you need to read this.
Again, if you want to become a school bus driver you need to get a Class B CDL.
Why a Class B?
With a Class B CDL you are legally allowed to drive a single vehicle that has a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,00l lbs. or more and is pulling a trailer that has a gross vehicle weight rating of less than 10,000 lbs.
First of all forget the part about pulling a trailer of less than 10,000lbs, school buses never pull any kind of trailer.
Secondly, the gross vehicle weight rating means the manufacturer weight rating of the axles (the amount of weight the axles can hold), not the actual weight of the vehicle.
If the school bus has a vehicle weight rating of 26,001 lbs or more you will need a Class B CDL. All of the large, 72 passenger school buses have a manufacturer weight rating well over 26,0001 lbs. They usually have a weight rating about 33,000 lbs.
This means the school bus is legally rated to carry 33,000 lbs. of total mass/weight or more. This included the mass/weight of the bus itself and the passengers in it. Since the weight rating is over 26,001 lbs you will need to have a Class B CDL.
Below is a picture I took of a typical school bus that holds 72 passengers:
What About The Passenger Endorsement?
If you want to drive the 72 passenger school bus you also need to get your passenger endorsement with your Class B CDL.
What is the passenger endorsement? First let me explain what an endorsement is. An endorsement of any kind (read about all of them here) means that you have additional certifications to drive specific vehicles or vehicles with special components.
In the case of a school bus driver the special component that you have to be certified to drive are school children, the most precious component on Earth.
The passenger endorsement is required if you are going to drive any passenger vehicle (not just school buses) that can carry at least 17 passengers, including the driver.
You have to know how to load and unload the children safely, respond to emergencies correctly, and other specific tasks related to passengers.
The passenger endorsement is usually (depending on the state you are in) a 20-30 question multiple choice test that you have to pass (answer at least 80% of the questions correctly) in order to get your passenger endorsement (more about that the school bus endorsement next).
Honestly, it’s not that difficult if you prepare for it ahead of time. The company that trains you will prepare you for it. Don’t worry.
What if you don’t pass the passenger endorsement test?
You won’t be able to drive a bus with school children in it if you don’t have your passenger endorsement, even if you have your Class B CDL. Having the Class B CDL alone
is not enough.
Don’t freak out if you don’t pass it your first try. You can take the test multiple times until you pass it. If you can’t pass it after a few tries you probably shouldn’t be driving kids around.
You need to first get your passenger endorsement and then school bus endorsement, which I talk about next.
What About The School Bus Endorsement?
Once you have your Class B CDL and your passenger endorsement the final step to being certified to drive a school bus is to get your school bus endorsement.
In order to get this endorsement you will need to pass another written test as well as a driving test. The driving test will be done with an inspector from the state you are in seated next to you in the school bus.
During this test you will have to demonstrate that you know how to use the equipment unique to school buses.
Here are some of things that you will have to show that you can do safely and effectively:
Mirror Adjustment
Loading and Unloading Procedures
Approaching The Bus Stop
Post-Trip Inspection
Pre-Trip Inspection (probably the most difficult part of the test)
Emergency Exit and Evacuation
Railroad Crossings
School Bus Stalls
Student Management
Backing
Proper Use Of Safety Devices
Those are just a few of the things you will need to know but I think you get the idea. Again, the company that trains you is going to teach you everything you need to know.
Okay, up until now you know that you will need a Class B CDL, the passenger endorsement, and school bus endorsement.
What’s next?
Go find a school bus company in your area that is hiring!
Once you find a company that hires you they will walk you through these steps and train you to pass all of the tests I listed above and get all of the licenses and endorsements.
The company will tell you exactly what you need to do in order to get school bus driver certification.
Did You Know That School Bus Driving Is A Part-Time Job?
That’s right, driving a school bus is considered a part-time job.
But why? School bus driver don’t work full days. They have 2 shifts, one in the morning (picking up students) and one in the afternoon (taking them back home).
Doing extra driving for things like field trips or after school activities is one way to earn some more money though. The bad thing is they often don’t pay very much.
Due to it being a part-time jog you can’t expect any benefits like health, vision, or retirement. This is a huge reason why school bus drivers don’t last a long time.
A lot them move on to a full-time job doing something else as soon as they are able to.
For some people though they are perfectly fine with the part-time status. If being part-time is okay with you and your circumstances than being a school bus driver is a great option.
School Bus Driver Training
The first step to becoming a school bus driver is to apply to a school district for the school bus driver position.
If you need help finding a school district to apply to in your area then use my free job board to find a ton of them.
Once you have been hired by the school district the company that they use for bus transportation will provide all the necessary training that you will need to get your commercial driver’s license and bus driver endorsement.
After you complete all the necessary training and tests you are hired by the school district to drive for them. Then, you start driving!
Often these bus companies will train you at no cost to you.
The company that trains you will let you know exactly what you need to do to get the CDL and endorsements.
Don’t worry about it, just follow their directions/training and you shouldn’t have any problems.
If you are able to get trained without paying cash or taking a loan then you have nothing to lose. You may be required to sign a contract that says you will continue driving for that specific company for a specific amount of years after you complete your training.
It’s not a bad deal though, you are basically guaranteed a job after training.
School Bus Driver Responsibilities And Duties
Driving a school bus is an important job that entails a lot of responsibilities.
School bus drivers are an important pat of the education system in the United States. Unlike other commercial vehicle drivers you will have to watch out for the safety of children every single day.
Most of your workday will be spent with children of all ages and special training is needed in order to transport them safely. The following are some responsibilities that a typical school bus driver will have on a daily basis.
1. As the bus driver it is your responsibility to make sure children can enter and exit the school bus safely.
2. The bus driver will have to follow specific pickup and drop off routes given to them to ensure children are getting to school and going home safely.
3. School bus drivers often have to drive children to and from filed trips that take place during the school day. You usually get extra pay for this though.
4. For students that play sports of after school activities you will have to transport them safely from their school to other schools. These events can sometimes go well beyond the traditional school day. Again, this is usually extra pay for the bus driver.
5. The bus driver should be trained to complete vehicle maintenance such as getting fuel, making sure the inside and outside of the bus are in good working condition, and make sure all controls in the bus are functioning properly.
The school bus driver should be able to inspect the turn signals, brakes, tires, doors, as well as other mechanical equipment to make sure they are working correctly. The training you receive will prepare you for this.
6. Daily trip reports showing mileage will need to be prepared.
7. A school bus driver must obey all traffic laws. Getting driving violations is a quick way to lose your job and CDL.
8. The school bus driver must maintain safety on his/her bus. This means contacting the appropriate authorities when necessary as well as advising children of the bus rules. The bus driver needs to be able to deal with difficult passengers as well as pleasant passengers.
School buses generally have large mirrors in them that can help the drive see what is happening on
the school bus at all times. Many school buses also have cameras that can be used to monitor passenger safety.
School Bus Driver Requirements
In this section I will outline some of the requirements to become a school bus driver.
First of all a college education is not needed but many school bus companies do require at least a high school diploma in order to become a driver.
You will also have to have a clean background check and limited moving violations. Be prepared to have a criminal background check that will ensure you are allowed to interact with children that are under 18 years of age.
Another thing, alcohol/drugs and school buses don’t mix. School buses drivers have to be clean and are subject to random drug testing.
If you are caught with alcohol or illegal drugs in your body then you can say goodbye to your bus driving career.
For good reason too, I wouldn’t want you driving my children around if you were drinking alcohol or taking drugs.
Your employer will be required to immediately remove you from driving if you test positive for alcohol or drugs.
You won’t be able to return to driving again until you have undergone an evaluation by a Substance Abuse Professional, successfully completed a course, attended counseling or treatment prescribed by the SAP prior to returning to service, undergone a follow up evaluation by the same SAP, and provided a urine specimen that test negative for drugs or alcohol.
On top of that you will also be subject to unannounced follow up testing (surprise drug test) for at least 6 times during the first 12 months after returning to duty.
By the way, the source for this information is the U.S. Department of Transportation.
School Bus Driver Salary
According to the BCL (Bureau Of Labor Statistics) school bus drivers make an average salary of $32,130.
If you are wondering how much this would be per hour it’s about $15.45. A pretty good salary for a job that you don’t need a college degree to get.
There are a lot of jobs out there that pay the same amount and require you to spend thousands of dollars for a degree.
Compared to other CDL holders there is some bad news though. School bus drivers tend to be the lowest paid of all CDL drivers, regardless of whether they have a Class B or Class A CDL.
Another negative is that since it is a part-time jog you can’t expect any benefits or insurance.
Being a school bus driver is a great career choice that comes with a lot of responsibility.
Stay safe driver!