With the new school year approaching, some districts are still looking for bus drivers

GRAND CHUTE, Wis. (WBAY) - Fox Valley Technical College’s Transportation program is offering the training needed to help get more drivers on the road this fall.

“‘We need drivers, you know, we need good drivers,” said Rob Behnke, director of truck driving at Fox Valley Technical College.

Fox Valley Technical College’s truck driving program can train students specifically to operate school buses.

“This time of the year, typically fall, schools around the area start up again and we’re looking for drivers, we need to move the children,” Behnke said.

In two to four weeks, you can get a Class B Commercial Driver’s License or CDL plus three days to earn the school bus and passenger vehicle endorsements.

It costs around $2,000.

If you already have a CDL, you only need to complete the endorsements.

But there are also other options.

“There are some bus companies that do training and they hire their own, they train their own and then we have bus companies that hire some of our graduates,” Behnke said.

Some companies cover the cost of training and pay their new hires without requiring a contract, but the most important factor is finding dedicated and safe drivers.

“You’re working with children and helping them with their education so it’s a great career and I’m hoping people would consider it, especially now because there is such a need,” Behnke said.

Serving as a school bus driver could be the right fit for many different lifestyles.

“It could be a single parent, it could be the mom, the dad, maybe it’s a second job. We see retired folks operate school buses quite often…. Flexible hours, good pay, I mean there’s a lot of benefits,” Behke said.

And it’s a career with little hassle if you need to relocate.

Class B CDLs are valid across the country, but the endorsements must be completed in-state.

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