School Bus to Class A

TNwalkinhorse, If you can, I'd recommend paying an accredited independent school for the upgrade and then getting a job as a trucker. Many places that take new drivers have a tuition reimbursement program. By using a local school, you can maintain the current job and take the night class. If you attend a company school, that's 6 weeks of no paycheck and having expenses while away from home. After that, it's another 6 weeks of driving with a trainer for little pay.

It can be done and it is worth doing. Just enter with your eyes open.

 

The fulltime school bus drivers in my town for the BOE make a lot of money OT on weekends driving to sports events.12 hours at double time (Sunday)= good money.I prefer working night shift in the schools as a custodian, much quieter,but if I could get fulltime as a driver I think I would,they can double their pay with OT.

 

God knows if you can deal with a load of kids you can go to school to get your class a!
Good luck!

 

My school district (area I live) will pay for full time bus drivers. But you have to go part-time/on call until your probation is up. But they will pay for the CDL, and pay you as you work. They start you at $14.48 an hour, too.

 

Personally I'd rather get my Class A, and then get a Passenger Endorsment/bus endorsement thingy.... That way I could do either one...

 

TNWH, I drove a school bus briefly (1 year) before deciding to drive a big truck full time. My biggest problem with school bus driving was not the kids. It was the parents.

I went through Swift's training program and have been a solo driver for Swift since early August. I do not regret my decision to go with Swift. I firmly believe that every "training" carrier has its' own set of issues that new drivers have to contend with and, so far, I've been able to contend with Swift's.

There may be avenues that I'm not aware of that can propel you into the driver's seat of a big rig more quickly than the traditional route, i.e., private or carrier-sponsored schooling to prepare for the CDL A exam and then carrier-provided OTR training. In my humble opinion, going the traditional route is taking the path of least resistance. The path to solo status is laid out for you and, with a good bit of determination and patience, you can find yourself at the wheel solo in a pretty short period of time.

There are many new drivers who make good money right off the bat. These are the drivers who WORK, use the 14 hour work period for WORK, and accept the WORK they are offered without whining and complaining.

The job of a trucker is not easy. It is largely NOT what many people think it is. Even though it is basically taking a product from one place, where it is produced or stored, to a place where it can be used, or, in some cases, stored again, there are lots of little things that can happen along the way that can be frustrating, confusing, maddening, etc. How a driver handles those little things (sometimes they're not so little) is, in my opinion, the determining factor in their success or failure, particularly in the case of a new driver.

I'm not sure if this is the kind of response you were looking for but I hope it helps in some way.
Good luck,
Oldnew...

 

I'm employed by the school district to drive an activity bus, and that's all I do. They're road buses only, and have no lights or stop signs or anything related to school buses. Luckily, the teams are mostly JV/V. Our runs are from 150 to 450 miles one way (New Mexico & west Texas schools) and I never have to say a word to the kids. The coaches handle all of that. There's NO WAY I could be a school bus driver. You guys are hard core!

I found a school that'll take my CDL-B, and as long as my DOT physical is current, and my combinations, doubles/triples, tanker and haz-mat endorsement tests are passed (and my background is done), they'll run me through the two-week road portion, and schedule me for the CDL-A exam, all for two grand. I'll be doing that in mid-May, after the sports travel season ends.

The school's a partnership between two universities and a federal training academy, so I know it's legit. They also have a job placement program, though I don't yet know with whom. Hopefully, some of the majors come in to recruit.