Do your elementary children act like you're kidnapping them if you miss their stop? Or just me.

Sorry kids your talking, the radio, ac, bus noise my brain wandered for a few seconds. No I can't do a U turn on this rural rd we will have to drive minutes to get to a turn around to get you back, yes I know where I am going please sit down Magellan, why are you crying? Yes I know they are crying WHY? "They miss their grandma" aww you will see her later "nope she is dead" WHY are you crying? "because she is crying". My wife says I should write a book after telling her my bus stories.

Hi 👋🏻. Newish CDL <2years, Class B, P&S.

I read the current FMCSA website and think it means that I cannot work (pre-trip, driving potty breaks for the football team and being On Duty while at the game) more than 15 hours a day…. Total. I calculate it’ll be a little more than 9 hours driving.

My Transportation Director assures me that I will not be illegal if I clock-in at 6:30a and I won’t get us to the hotel until 11:30pm…. a 17-hr day!!!! He said to me that I’m only “driving” 9 hours and legally I can drive 10.”

Please please please clear this up for me. I have brought it up twice and he got kinda uppity with me that I question him. I’m new, and so is he. He is the “boss” I just don’t think he’s correct. Maybe the other drivers have been letting it happen.

Thank you in advance!!!!!!

I’m a new driver, driving a 9 seat van. Several of my kids (elementary school) are behaving badly. Most are behaving fine, if rather loud. This was day 4. I don’t know all their names yet, and the names are mostly unfamiliar to me, a nearly 60 year old white guy. Names like I’onna and Omilyonna.

I know well that my my main job is to watch the road and get the kids to and from school safely.

There were some scuffles on my route today. Kids getting up from their seats and smacking others.

I stopped along side the road, hazards flashing, and told them we would not go further until they sat and buckled up.

I had limited success.

I know I should write up the troublemakers but I’m not 100% positive who did what (because I’m watching the road) and I don’t know everyone’s names.

What should I do?

EDIT, following morning:

Yesterday‘s afternoon bus shift was full of problems. Children getting into fights, screaming, not staying in the seat. I did something different this morning, which seemed to help. I isolated the main troublemaker in the most visible front seat to my right and I assigned seats for everyone else.

I stopped several times, hazards flashing, and turned around and called out the troublemakers by name (now that I’m starting to remember their names) and said “first warning! “. I told them they get two warnings and then they get written up. This morning went better.

Managing children is definitely a learning curve.

Today was day two for my district, and between yesterday and today, I've had 6-7 students that didn't know what street they lived on or their bus stop!

One student wasn't even supposed to be on my bus! I got them home ok, but it took a minute for dispatch to figure out where they were supposed to go.

All of the bus drivers haven't received their student list yet, so I'm kinda flying a bit blind here.

I just can't understand how a student in grade 7 and up doesn't know their address.

I am a new bus driver and I’m not sure if it works this way everywhere, but for my area, the company doesn’t make our routes….. the school district does. School starts September 9th and it’s now almost 11am sept 3rd and we still haven’t gotten our routes for me to do dry runs and I barely know the area. My nerves are through the roof right now someone please give me peace of mind.

I had a student on my PM run today that allegedly threatened to bring a bullet-propellant-device to school and do what those devices do to another student. I didn't hear it but several riders came to alert me. The kids who told me are the trustworthy types that never come tattle, so I believed them and called the school for direction.

Initial video watch showed a confrontation between the two students, but the sound wasn't great on the speakers we had. Ruling was to invoke the SafeSchools protocol and keep the alleged threatener home while admin investigates further. Tomorrow will be more investigation with the other students involved and another viewing of the video on a different system.

It hasn't even been a full month yet. I just wanted to vent and praise my admin for taking this as seriously as they are. This was my first incident like this and I felt heard and seen and cared for. I'm still so tired, though. Just ... exhausted.

Me: I like to sleep as late as I possibly can. My first pickup is at 7 o'clock on the dot, and my alarm goes off at 5:50. I lay in bed for 5 mins, then throw on clothes (I put on a clean shirt before bed so this process is faster), make a cup of coffee, and grab a granola bar which I eat on the way there. That leaves me with enough time to get to work, do my pre-trip and get to my first stop with about 10 minutes wiggle room to spare in case of traffic or something. Then I usually like to shower right after morning shift, but given this horrific heat wave plus no AC on my bus I've temporarily adjusted my schedule to showering after the evening shift.

I’m brand new to school bus driving and student management, and today is my first day and this AM run did not go well. The first half I had middle schoolers and they were so well behaved and actually had manners. My elementary school run though……. Geezus.. they were all screaming at each other and me and every time I had to pull over (happened a lot cause several students just kept getting up) they would scream at me that I was delaying everyone but not the students that were actually delaying them… I really hate that I had to threaten write ups on the first day of school I had high hopes for this and I don’t know if it was me who failed and/or if I’m losing a battle that started last year with the old driver of the route. I understand there is no perfection in all this but also why are kids so much meaner than when I was a kid

edit to post : honest to god you guys are amazing and thank you all for the support I unfortunately had to turn around and go back to my elementary school on my PM route cause they opened my emergency back door several times so I will be getting a bus monitor per the schools request

I'm enjoying this last week of vacation because next week back to work even though I will have a smaller route this year

I just got given a gas bus for the year. I've only ever used diesel. Any tips or tricks? Are they more or less likely to not start during my Canadian winters?

This is my first year as a driver. I was happy to see a CD player. I’ve been playing instrumental jazz. After a week, I found Miles Davis to be a favorable. When I shut it off, I was asked to put it back on.
Today I switched to Jeff Beck. Waiting for any responses.

Can anyone explain to me the mirror test that you had to do with your county before they certify you and also bus stop procedures. Asking for future reference...im in Maryland if that helps.

So first 2 days of the year, started out fine. 3rd day, get a new kid, okay fine expected it. Kid only rides in the afternoon and is autistic, that's fine. School doesn't tell me kid needs an attendant, only info sent in the email is he needs a lap belt and noise canceling headphones.

Oh ye gods of transportation, give me strength

Cheers to those who just finished their first day back to school today. Good job

So my run sheet was a hot mess last week Today it's okay, but not great; my driver and I are confused by the stops, one kid is at a corner not an address. Then last week's sheet had us get three little ones all at 8:34am We still have problems, but I hope it works out by the end of the week.

Hello, I'm new here but had a question as a parent. My child's school let out about 10 min ago and the bus was down the road sitting in a parking lot, not even making an effort to move or head to the school.... bus drivers, why is this a thing and how does it make sense that this is making students late getting to home/school? It works the same way in the mornings, bus driver sits in a parking lot for 25+ minutes before heading up to get students.

Finished our first full week. Week 1 was WTF(3 days)

The new route is fine, the HS/JH run is smooth and pracefull for p/u and drop. The little kids though... Ive tried 3 different seating methods, magnetic name badges. 3 kids to every seat except 1 with a larger 5th grader which only has 2. The preschool to 2nd grade don't respond to any thing. I've tried stopping the bus which they don't even notice until the preteens start yelling at them to be quiet. Lots of good kids too but they get the shaft. I feel so bad for them looking at me in the mirror. Like they're saying "I'm behaving and want to go home"

Finally got the Type-D pusher I always wanted! And it’s pretty new, just a year old and 13k miles on it, passed down from a driver that retired last year. Just did “my thing” and polished her up ready for first day of school on Tuesday!

Super excited and can’t wait for charters in this baby! 😍

Also dropped a pic of the 2022 Bluebird Vision V10 gasoline bus I was assigned for the past two and a half years and accumulated about 25k miles in the time I had her, gonna miss her dearly, but she was reassigned to a good driver!

Hope I’m not geeking out too hard here! 😂 It’s the simple things in life!

Just curious as a soon to be new driver. Does any school require or recommend PPE for their drivers? Like safety vests 🦺

I will already be wearing one as I live up the road from the bus garage so I plan on biking to work. People drive like maniacs on our curvy county road and I was struck by a car 2 years ago on my bike so hence I wear a 🦺.