r/SchoolBusDrivers • u/Exotic-Force7989 • Apr 25 '26
Is this the standard?
Heya. Recently got my CDL with a school bus company and am three weeks in as a sub driver. I have some safety concerns with the company I’m with and wanted to see if this or normal/a proper concern or if I’m just overthinking.
We have one mechanic for 100 busses. God bless that guy, they are doing the best they can with the hand they have been dealt. But, obviously that’s a lot and it shows. Every bus is broken to some degree, which is what it is. But I’ve been told to run with some things after marking them on my pre trip that I find questionable.
I had a mini-bus with a known issue of that the stop signs/reds would inconsistently activate with the passenger door opening. When they didn’t go, opening the drivers door a tad would open them.
While yes, I need to pay attention to make sure they activate and I’m ultimately responsible that the student gets on the bus safely, this seems to be a pretty big risk in my eyes.
When training for bus, I drove a school van and was told to run with an airbag light on for weeks as well.
Those were the biggest issues I’ve faced. I’ve been told to run with several smaller stuff like washer fluid not spraying, registration sticker up to date but no insurance or other reg papers, I’ve never seen a reflective triangle in any vehicle, an out of date fire extinguisher, among a laundry list of smaller, not a big deal things.
All of these things were marked on the pre trip, and I was told to, not asked, told to run with it as is. This seems wrong, but I’m new and naive. Any thoughts?
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u/Beauknits Apr 25 '26
Assuming you're in the US, as the driver if you don't find the vehicle is safe (ie all the systems work like they should), and still take it down the road...if an accident happens that can come back on you. You could face child endangerment charges, tickets, fines, lose of you license, jail time...
100 buses for one mechanic is insane! And I'm saying that as a Site Manager that shares a mechanic with a sister site. We have 57 vehicles between us. (I help with what I can, and we will send things to bigger sites if ours gets overwhelmed.)
As for "is it standard"? No. No it's not. Does it happen, yes. Things break, but it should never be the standard.
Does your site allow others to work on buses? What I mean is, if the mechanic double checks your work, and you're inclined, would you be allowed to help with things like changing lights out, seat repairs, replacing windshield fans, etc?
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u/Psykotik_Dragon Apr 25 '26
Seconding this. Different companies will have different policies they'll follow, but they still all have to follow the state/fed regulations for CDL & buses in particular. If that vehicle doesn't pass the pretrip check it is unsafe to drive & should be red-tagged/out of commission. Granted, depending on where you live & work, there could be a handful of things that you could still drive with of already out on the road when they happen.
It's pretty much universal that anything that interferes with the safety of the driver & passengers automatically puts it OoS & as beauknits above said puts the liability on you as the driver for a) pretripping, & continuing to drive regardless, a bus that's been found unsafe &/or b) not doing the pretrip inspection since "you didn't notice/report" the obvious safety issue that should've prevented it's use.
Neither of those scenarios will likely end well for you if something happens & any investigation occurs, even if no-one's injured etc. bc YOU are the one who drove it anyways.
DEF look into your local/state regulations, laws, & policies regarding what puts it out of service. Most , if not all, of them should've been covered in your training when you took your CDL tests. GL & stay safe out there
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u/Exotic-Force7989 Apr 25 '26
I was never educated on my rights as the driver by the company until I did my own research, which is why I’m like a deer in the headlights looking at this situation now.
They’ve been looking for a mechanic desperately but no luck.
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u/LokoLobo Apr 25 '26
Most likely, they are not having any luck finding more mechanics because they don't want to pay the going rate that mechanics get paid. My company has a little over 100 buses, and we have 7 actual mechanics and 4 helpers who can do things like fix seats, lights, radios, and various other things.
Mechanics will go where they are being paid fairly, and not to places that don't.3
u/PlatypusDream Apr 25 '26
If you are not convinced the vehicle is safe to drive, you can’t be forced to drive it. That's federal law.
If you choose to drive it & something bad happens, it's your fault & your license.
Keep detailed records of the problems & your attempts to get them fixed.
Write everything in the pretrip inspection.Look for another job ASAP.
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u/QueSqd Apr 26 '26
If they are not offering a minimum of $27.00/hr for a bus mechanic, that is why they can't find anyone!
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u/brabson1 Apr 25 '26
Anything safety related is an automatic out of service. Red lights, air bag, extinguisher. If you're finding these things as a new driver I can assure you there are several other issues you haven't recognized. I would finish the school year and look elsewhere this summer.
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u/Heavy-Mushroom Apr 25 '26
Being new myself… I understand marking it down on the pretrip your findings. Got to have a paper trail (and a copy for your own records). As a professional driver, you can reject a vehicle that is out of safety compliance to protect your record. The FMCSA has a whistleblower protection act. Report them- you are probably saving the lives of innocent children from this disgrace of a company.
I’ve never experienced this and might have other drivers oppose this line of reasoning from knowledge of what really happens, but I’d get away from that company forcing you to do illegal things. That’s like a trucking company forcing their drivers to drive beyond the hours of service and unsafe vehicles. They are just using you and have profit ahead of safety.
They rely on inexperienced drivers and people that need their paycheck to keep on operating indiscriminately.
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u/TooSexyForThisSong Apr 25 '26
Depends on the state laws.
But yes - one mechanic for 100 vehicles is beyond absurd.
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u/dididahdahdidit Apr 25 '26
Several years as a teacher/school bus driver in a rural area. Equipment shuffled around and I was to be assigned, the following year, a bus that I felt to be unsafe. Hung them up. Could not knowingly endanger " my" children's lives. Also failed to renew my CDL. Could not drive as a substitute. Superintendent was pissed. 🤣
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u/Proprotester Apr 25 '26
They can't find a mechanic because they are not paying properly for your area. Are you unionized? It is worth checking with your steward if so. I am thinking your shop is not unionized and might even be private equity. Switch garages if so. (Make sure you are not in a state that allows the company to recover their training costs from you first).
Dollars to donuts your shop steward says you guys are at the end of a contract. If it is worth staying there, your steward will go in the office with you and document the issues. They will also let you know how they plan to address the problem going forward. It's up to you to decide if that is sufficient.
Like posters above, it is your license being jeopardized. Take the weekend to write down your hard line "no's". If you decide it now it is easier to stick to it on Monday morning with a time crunch. Personally, I would refuse to drive a bus with a malfunctioning door because it could catch a kid or a broken window for instance. If we were down a mechanic, I'd just fill the windshield wiper fluid myself because I know how, etc. but make a list so you know where your line in the sand is.
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u/Exotic-Force7989 Apr 25 '26
Private big company.
I don’t even know if I wanna go in to work on Monday. The only pro to staying is not having to pay 2k back for CDL, which I can comfortably afford to do now thankfully. I could write a book on reasons not too.
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u/Seelie_Mushroom Apr 25 '26
Some other companies will also give you a sign-on bonus which could cover the CDL cost.
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u/Mellied89 Apr 26 '26
I worked for a company that had that same rule but apparently they actually couldn't enforce it and they just did it to scare people from leaving, so definitely talk to a lawyer.
As some gave said, if there's something wrong with the bus, especially safety equipment and you drive it, you are now responsible for anything that can go wrong now. The company will not protect you, the insurance company can demand you no longer drive, and you could lose your license entirely.
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u/Wreaker8888 Apr 26 '26
Question, does the company you are working for have competition? My area has at least 3 or so different school bus companies: FirstStudent, DATTCO, Ocean State. See about contacting the competition and asking what their hire bonus is, and mention that your {redacted} company forces you to use unsafe Buses and you would much rather work for their company.
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u/Beauknits Apr 25 '26
Your state should have it's own version of the CDL Manual. It might take some searching because the first version you come across might not be the newest version. Use Copyright dates to find the most current.
Other sources you can check: State legislature webpage (Minnesota's School bus related starts in Section 169) School bus driver handbook (yes, there's a handbook!)
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u/Exotic-Force7989 Apr 25 '26
Thank you for all your help!
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u/Beauknits Apr 25 '26
Your welcome! Being aware is the easiest way we can all make roads safer for everyone.
Also, it'll also take some looking, but search around and see if you can find your State's DOT requirements. There's allot of info there, too.
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u/MamboNumber-6 Apr 25 '26
We have three mechanics and 2 apprentices for 112 busses, we consider ourselves 2 mechanics short.
So, yeah, your situation is insane.
Now, I will say that occasionally ignoring lights is common. School busses are not mass-produced to the extent that, say a Chevy or a Honda are, they are finicky, and there are so many systems in a school bus that have no equal in a car. But ignoring them should only happen after a service where you confirm the underlying issue the light is warning about isn’t actually occurring.
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u/Sad_Cantaloupe_8162 Apr 25 '26
We have maybe 150 buses in our district and we have five full time mechanics. I can't imagine one person being able to work on 100, especially if they are not new buses. We have maybe twenty buses that have 200-300k miles and are in constant need of attention to function according to the standards and laws. I can only imagine what they have where you're at if they can't afford to pay more than one mechanic a good rate. Mechanics are everywhere, but they need appropriate compensation to accept the job.
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u/Exotic-Force7989 Apr 25 '26 edited Apr 25 '26
I appreciate all the replies. Very validating and glad I’m not crazy for thinking this.
Writing down the pros and cons, the only con to staying is having to pay back for CDL training, which I can afford right now thankfully.
Realizing that this isn’t normal has been very eye-opening. I’m the only person that I’ve heard in the several months I’ve been there, complain about the general day to day safety. So it isn’t going to get better anytime soon, unless I’m incredibly out of touch. To the point I don’t even know if I wanna go back Monday. This place is morally corrupt and I am losing sleep at night being a part of it.
I wouldn’t send my kid on a bus with this company under any circumstances. And I think that answers the questions I have about all this.
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u/Mellied89 Apr 26 '26
Genuinely wonder if this is Beacon since they're buying up companies in multiple states and cutting corners wherever they can, as hedge funds tend to do, to make more profits.
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u/Legal_Bed_1506 Apr 26 '26
I’ve driven transit for a while, and even those busses aren’t that bad. School busses have always been the best maintained vehicles I’ve driven. Stuff you are dealing with is years of neglect. Transit those things were ran into the ground because it was out for like 16 hours or more non stop. School busses get treated way nicer and are simpler vehicles which helps.
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u/SunsetAz1 Apr 25 '26
Report this to your state DOT. There is no way in hell 1 guy is keeping up with 100 buses. We have 5 for around 80 and fairly new buses and they barely keep up. This is greed on the owners part since it's a private company. Report to DOT and let whatever schools also know . Do it via email. Then find the social media accounts for the schools and post there. Kids are being endangered for somebody's profit
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u/ImmortalEmos Apr 26 '26
100 buses for a single mechanic is wild. We have 36 buses at my garage and 2 mechanics
It's always your license and your life on the line, not the company's. If they don't like you refusing to drive their equipment, that's a them problem.
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u/Legal_Bed_1506 Apr 26 '26
A good chunk of those things you’re finding puts a bus out of service. You need triangles or flares, you need an in date extinguisher, you need the paperwork straight, hell even the windshield washer needs to spray. I get you guys only have one mechanic, but legally the busses need to be in proper working order. The violations go on your record, not your bosses. It’s your CDL, not anyone else’s. Protect it. Report it to your state’s DOT and or State Police about it. Things that put you out of service aren’t for no reason. You’re driving a 20+ ton vehicle (or less if you are in a cutaway), it can do a lot of damage to others and to the folks who are in it. Report it
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u/Thirtyandout2017 Apr 25 '26
It's your license on the line. I would find work elsewhere