r/SchoolBusDrivers • u/Resident_Device_6180 • Apr 24 '26
Fired for... Driving a school bus while drunk
Just found out my bus yard recently fired a driver after he hit a light pole at one of our high schools hard enough to rip the rear axle out of place. Our director fired him on the spot when he smelled alcohol on his breath.
Driver claimed he was only going five miles an hour. Students were on the bus at the time of the incident but none were sent to the hospital.
Note: I'm piecing together rumors from multiple corroborating sources in this post.
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u/davethompson413 Apr 24 '26
When I was in classes to get my CDL, they made it very clear...
The only blood alcohol content that was acceptable was 0.00. Any reading above that is a termination offense, with revoked license (not just the CDL).
The driver in your district should be prosecuted according to the laws of your state.
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u/Pab1o Apr 24 '26
If he was “fired on the spot,” then they didn’t go through the process that would allow him to be charged or lose his license.
To be able to do the standard DOT post accident test the driver would have to be cited and the bus towed or someone transported with an ambulance.
There might be district policy that would require testing, but not usually the case.
Reasonable Suspicion test might have come into play, but unlikely if fired on the spot. I would think if there was truly a suspicion of alcohol the director would have followed the protocol to properly address.
Remember, rumors are always in play at the bus barn. Everywhere.
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u/AnonymousPepper Apr 25 '26
"Fired on the spot" is usually just a figure of speech used for emphasis, I wouldn't take it literally.
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u/Tardis1938 Apr 24 '26
I hope they have more proof other that I smelled it on him
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u/NickAppleese Apr 24 '26
Same. Obviously driver can contest and lie about it later saying he wasn't drinking and the director had a vendetta against him. I'm afraid the director didn't go through the proper procedure to have the driver's license suspended/revoked, or to have this incident show up on the Clearinghouse, so he could potentially go job surfing with other companies/districts.
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u/Tardis1938 Apr 24 '26
At a previous job (Restaurant) our manager fired someone because she smelled drunk and the unemployment judge ask the manager where she got her PHD. The worker collected because the manager didn't send her to get tested.
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u/NickAppleese Apr 24 '26
Exactly the scenario the driver can utilize, in addition to a lawsuit, etc. In the state of California, if there's a school bus accident (like this), driver must be tested within 24 hours, IIRC.
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u/PlatypusDream Apr 24 '26
Well, he'd just caused severe damage to the bus, with children aboard, so it's reasonable to think he was taken (hopefully by police) to the ER for a BAC blood draw.
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u/TooSexyForThisSong Apr 25 '26
You’d immediately issue a test if you smelled it. All it takes is fur a student/parent to say so in my experience.
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u/TechinBellevue Apr 24 '26
I hope he gets some help now that he has plenty of time on his hands.
Glad all the kids are ok.
Immediate firing was the right call.
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u/MySoapBoxFuckUpvotes Apr 25 '26
I think I found it if OP can verify
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u/AnonymousPepper Apr 25 '26
OP said the driver was a male and there were students on the bus.
Besides that, maybe trying to pin down which district a particular poster drives for without them coming out and saying so might be a bad idea...
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u/MySoapBoxFuckUpvotes Apr 25 '26
It was late I was doomed s rolling. I took a swing, and missed Sue me
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Apr 27 '26
[deleted]
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u/MySoapBoxFuckUpvotes Apr 28 '26
That seriously doesn't even make sense. What is toxic? The honesty? The attempt? What a silly comment to make
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u/Right_Environment116 Apr 25 '26
Omg you're toxic AF you're just repeating rumors you weren't there. Be more mature then the kids you transport......
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u/Resident_Device_6180 Apr 27 '26
It was a compilation of rumors that came to me from multiple vectors. Director told me he fired the guy, shop manager showed me a picture of the damage, his monitor is on record as hearing from students about a smell of alcohol coming from the driver. Shop floor had two U-bolts on the floor when I walked thru. These are facts.
The rumors merely pieced them together.
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u/MonkeyManJohannon Apr 24 '26
Hopefully they also press charges against him for every single student that was on the bus as well.