PHOTO: Courtesy of WLUK
FOX VALLEY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — With the new school year approaching, there is usual concern about school bus staffing and how children will be transported to and from school.
While there’s a gap in the workforce, Fox Valley Technical College is seeing an uptick in people wanting to get their CDL for bus driving.
FVTC is booking out into October with people wanting to go through their driver training program to obtain the correct CDL for driving a school bus.
“We’re just short in the transportation industry as a whole and school bus is no different than any other part of it,” said Rob Behnke, Director of Truck Driving at FVTC.
For more information about how to obtain your CDL, click here.
Behnke says finding bus drivers can be hard because of the hours.
“Sometimes people are looking for more flexibility, sometimes it’s the pay, maybe benefits,” he said. “But I think there’s also a lot of competition right now, there’s a shortage of workers as a whole, right? So all industries are competing against each other for people.”
Numbers of people wanting a CDL may be up, but many bus companies and school districts are still struggling to find drivers for the school year.
The Kaukauna School District changed its bus routes starting this fall, blaming the ongoing bus driver shortage.
“It’s about the same, there’s still a need,” said Alex Eisch, manager of Lamers Bus Lines Fox Cities terminal. “There could always be more drivers, more trips come up through the school year as well.”
Eisch says their location is specifically looking for charter drivers and athletic event drivers.
Lamers also provides complete training, including classroom and behind-the-wheel instruction.
“Our athletic times do sometimes have to get bumped a little later so that we can have a driver come from route to charter, so more drivers would be able to get those kids to their games on time and no delays,” said Eisch.
Lamers’ Fox Cities terminal serves five school districts throughout the Fox Valley.
“This terminal we cover Appleton, Kimberly, Menasha, Stockbridge and Hilbert,” said Eisch.
Both Eisch and Behnke say it’s common to see an increase in bus driving interest right before the school year.
“Our office staff, including myself, are out driving pretty much every day just to make sure all the routes are covered,” said Eisch.
Lamers raised their starting wage to $22 dollars an hour for drivers to stay competitive.
“It’s a really fun job, if you have kids, you can bring your kids with you, no daycare costs there,” said Eisch.
With the uptick in interested bus drivers, Eisch and Behnke are hopeful it will help alleviate the ongoing shortage in the area.
“Driving a school bus is just an incredible need right now and what a better way to serve your community than to move kids around from home to school, it’s just a great opportunity,” said Behnke.
For more information about how to become a bus driver with Lamers, click here.
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