A Day in the Life of a School Vehicle Driver
If you don’t currently drive a school bus or van, it might be hard to imagine what actually goes on in the day in the life of a driver! We’re going to walk you through what an average working day looks like for one of our drivers, and you might just discover a few things that surprise you:
6:00 – 9:00 AM
The day starts bright and early for school bus and van drivers! In the morning, our drivers arrive at “the lot,” an area where we park all of our buses and vans for any particular school district, and perform a pre-trip inspection on their assigned vehicle. This means that they check all of their lights, tires, windshield wipers, brakes, gauges, engine fluids, etc. are all in proper working order before they start picking up kiddos!
Once the pre-trip inspection is completed and everything’s in top shape, our drivers start picking up their kiddos. Every driver has an assigned route which they follow every day, although, every day is a different experience! Changing weather and traffic conditions make each new day a new challenge, as our drivers follow a schedule to pick up each student and drop them all off at school.
After all of the students are dropped off at school, our drivers head on back to the lot, drop off their school vehicles, and are free to do what they please until the afternoon! The whole process of taking kids to school takes about 2-2.5 hours; we give the timeframe of 6:00 – 9:00 since some of the schools we serve start earlier than others.
9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
During this timeframe, our drivers are free to do whatever they need to do! Some of the activities our drivers choose to do include running their errands, attending their doctor’s appointments, doing their laundry at home or prepping meals, doing some work for their personal small businesses, spending time with their young children, or even taking a nap! Having midday’s free is just one of the perks of driving a school bus or van!
There is also an option for our drivers to pick up extra work during this timeframe. We have so much midday work to do between special transports, shuttling vehicles to and from service facilities, and other work around the office and lots. Some of our employees also become trainers and train new drivers during the day. Often times, drivers hang out with one another, as well. The possibilities of what to do during your midday are almost endless!
2:00 – 5:00 PM
At this time in the afternoon, our drivers head on back to the lot, and get started on their pre-trip inspection (yes, they perform one before EVERY bus or van run!) They then drive to the school, pick up the kids, drop them back off at their houses, and return their bus or van to the lot. Like in the morning, our drivers typically drive for 2-2.5 hours in the afternoon, somewhere in the timeframe of 2:00-5:00 pm. After they park up their school vehicles, our drivers head home, eager to jump back into the same routine the next day!
5:00 PM – Bedtime
Sometimes, our drivers pick up some extra work in the late afternoons and evenings, driving field trips, band trips, sports trips, you name it! Other times, drivers enjoy having dinner and winding down in the evenings with their families. Those with children especially enjoy being on the same schedule as their kids!
Ultimately, a day in the life of a school vehicle driver follows a general schedule, but every day presents unique opportunities and challenges, and no day is exactly the same! Did you read anything that surprised you about a day in the life of a school vehicle driver? Did you find a newfound respect for all the effort our drivers put into a part-time job, or are you starting to think about entering this rewarding career field yourself? Let us know in the comments! As always, if you have any questions, feel free to drop them in the comments, reach out to us at info@rohrerbus.com, or give us a shout at (717) 957-3811! We’d love to hear from you!
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