Federal administration relaxing some test requirements to get more school bus drivers

If your child rides a school bus, there’s a good chance you have had to deal with some challenges as districts struggle to find drivers.   

With the hopes to entice more people to drive a school bus, Minnesota and Wisconsin are taking part in a unique opportunity.

At the beginning of the year, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) started allowing states the option of waiving a portion of the commercial driver’s license (CDL) test – the waived part of the test would require potential school bus drivers to identify the ‘under the hood’ engine components.   

Wisconsin has already rolled this out – the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (MNDPS) said they’ve applied to be part of it and expects it to be available for people in March.

“We are convinced that that waiver, of the engine compartment portion of the exam, is not a safety issue for the children that are being bused,” Reggie Paradowski, director of driver’s services for the Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles (WI DMV), said.

“Most of the school bus companies have mechanics that work on those buses,” Paradowski added about why they thought this was a good move for the state. “It’s not like a traditional truck driver that maybe does get under the hood to see what’s going on if there are issues.”

As of Feb. 21, the Wisconsin DMV says seven people have taken their CDL test with the federal waiver. Paradowski says people still have to take the written and driving parts of the test. The state has also reached out to 1,000 people asking them to renew their licenses and help with the shortage.

Both Minnesota and Wisconsin have been struggling to bring on new drivers and retain the drivers they have – a big reason for that is because of the uncertainty of whether there will be classes held in-person.

“It’s just a constant struggle every day,” Cherie Hime, the executive director for the Wisconsin School Bus Association said. “I have seen [school bus driver] shortages anywhere from 5% or 10%, all the way up to 40%,” Hime added about the situation across Wisconsin.

Executive director for the Minnesota School Bus Operators Association, Shelly Jonas, says it’s been a difficult couple of years with shortages averaging around 20% in parts across Minnesota.

Both associations say from increasing wages, sign-on bonuses and offering flexible scheduling, they’ve been trying to bring on more drivers. They appreciate that state officials are taking advantage of the federal waiver, but know it won’t help everyone equally – that’s because of the high number of border communities.

For people who do take the test with the waiver, and pass, they’ll have an ‘intrastate’ restriction on their license – meaning they will not be able to cross state borders.

Many busing companies have also used billboards and commercials, both on radio and television, to entice new drivers. Joe Ludewig, from the St. Cloud area, answered the call.

“I just kept hearing all the advertisements and articles saying they were just so short drivers,” Ludewig said.
He’s been driving for Trobec’s Bus Service in St. Stephen, since October, 2021. Ludewig says his training went well, his bus runs great, and the kids have been wonderful. He’s even been able to drive his son’s wrestling team to matches.

“I was going to go to anyway, now I’m driving the bus for the team and also getting paid to do it,” Ludewig said about his trips to his son’s matches. “It’s kind of a kind of a perk of the job.”

Information on how to become a school bus driver in Minnesota can be found here.

Information on how to become a school bus driver in Wisconsin can be found here.