School Bus Ddriver shortage

[o1marc]

The driver shortage is so bad in Mass. that they have called in the National Guard to fill in for the missing drivers.

[s2mikon]

Same here. Small town and down drivers. Begging for drivers.

[musigenesis]

The driver shortage in PA is so bad they hired me!

[s2mikon]

Why the shortage? I have had 3 bus drivers tell me that the seats are running at less than 50%

[s2mikon]

The bus driver shortage isn't the real problem, its the healthcare worker shortage. Now we won't be able to get our free colonoscopy.

[HamSkoolie]

Originally Posted by s2mikon

The bus driver shortage isn't the real problem, its the healthcare worker shortage. Now we won't be able to get our free colonoscopy.

There is no shortage of health care workers. There is a shortage of health care workers willing to work under the conditions that have been created by mass firings/layoffs as well as vaccine mandates. Locally one hospital is about to lose 8% of it's already depleted workforce due to vaccine mandates. Other hospitals are looking at even higher losses to their already depleted staffing due to mandates.
This in an industry that ROUTINELY operates, by design, at 95% capacity.

Police and firefighters in this state are also suing over vaccine mandates. Shall we send 8-12% or more of them home as well we will see how fast things go south.

[s2mikon]

I guess I should have marked that last one with a sarcasm warning. Just the same, if LEO, medical staff, bus drivers and teachers refuse the mRNA sudo vaccine it will cause service and supply problems.

[Danjo]

Originally Posted by HamSkoolie

There is no shortage of health care workers. There is a shortage of health care workers willing to work under the conditions that have been created by mass firings/layoffs as well as vaccine mandates. Locally one hospital is about to lose 8% of it's already depleted workforce due to vaccine mandates. Other hospitals are looking at even higher losses to their already depleted staffing due to mandates.
This in an industry that ROUTINELY operates, by design, at 95% capacity.

Police and firefighters in this state are also suing over vaccine mandates. Shall we send 8-12% or more of them home as well we will see how fast things go south.

Haha, yeah, health care workers who have no faith in the industry they work for and police and fire personnel who refuse to serve and protect at the most basic level. All who fail to recognize civic duty. All who should rummage around in that old box of memorabilia that has their baby book to find the vaccination card from when they were a baby and realize that they’ve already been shot up with all manner of stuff to keep them and others safe.

And I’d bet nearly all those people would freely spray Roundup on the lawns where their kids play while pugging down a Monster energy drink

[joeblack5]

A nice time to see the free market adjust wages.
Just little waves in the fabric of time... Anyone see any more southern northern light from the solar flare?

Johan

[WIbluebird]

I drove school buses for 6 years. There's a couple big factors at play here.

During Covid a lot of drivers were left out to dry. We got route pay for the first few months of lockdown then we were on our own. Many of those drivers found better paying jobs elsewhere in the interim (including me).

In my area even a Class B CDL gets you a much better paying gig than school bus work. Dump truck and concrete work are full time hours and 30-50% higher hourly pay than what the local bus operations pay. Add in the fact that local trucking companies are starting to offer paid in house Class A training and school bus driving quickly starts to look like a bottom feeder driving job.

The average driver age is very high. Lots of them just threw in the towel and retired rather than come back to a job where they are at risk for contracting Covid again.

You also have to factor in that many school bus fleets suffer from dysfunctional management that favors old time drivers over new ones. The old seniority based method of giving out work is very bad for retaining new drivers. I saw lots of people quit after getting only 20ish hours a week while the guys with seniority were allowed to cherry pick work during the slow seasons. Covid magnified this to the point where mid tier drivers were only getting 8 hours of work per week last year.

There was always a shortage, it was the above factors that just made it infintely worse. Also since a lot of high school sports were postponed last fall it put immense strain on bus operations in my area trying to provide buses for all the sports that got pushed to the spring, as well as the usual spring sports AND cover PM routes at the same time.

[s2mikon]

The bus driver shortage here has been a problem for years. They were competing against the oilfields so as they ordered new buses they got them with a/c air ride deep tinted windows as nice as they could and still could not get enough drivers. They went to hiring without any prior experience and provided free cdl training and sign on bonuses. Still short. Now with the oilfields basically dead and very little competition they are even shorter. For a while if one of the students on the bus tested positive the driver even if vaccinated had to quarantine for 2 weeks they got paid but it was still disruptive to their family life. So some of them just said I'll go to work at McDonald's. I have been told by drivers here that the management has been very good with them and they like their management. It is a private company that contracts with the district to provide service. The buses are well maintained. Most of the problems seem to come from the State of NM with their spastic mis-management of the school systems. The rules change almost daily. I should find out how they dispose of their units someday. If I do I will post it.

[HamSkoolie]

Originally Posted by s2mikon

I guess I should have marked that last one with a sarcasm warning.

I was wondering....if there had been tonal information instead of just written I'm sure it would have come across.
If only we had some way to do that...... oh yeah, people used to use this thing called a telephone.
LOL

[HamSkoolie]

Originally Posted by Danjo

Haha, yeah, health care workers who have no faith in the industry they work for...

Makes one wonder what they know that we aren't being told. Perhaps that untested methodologies, rushed through by political pressure, with no long term studies aren't a good idea?

Originally Posted by Danjo

...police and fire personnel who refuse to serve and protect at the most basic level.

I suspect (because you include firemen) you mean by refusing to be vaccinated? That's a personal choice and if government officials want to fire them that's not on the police or firemen, that's on politicians and bureaucrats.

Now if you are including cops for not enforcing mandates there's a bigger issue called the 4th amendment.

Originally Posted by Danjo

...realize that they’ve already been shot up with all manner of stuff to keep them and others safe.

Well, which fallacious argument shall we attribute to this one? Take your pick:
INFORMAL FALLACIES
Historians Fallacy
False equivalence
Baconian Fallacy
FAULTY GENERALIZATION
False Analogy

Originally Posted by Danjo

And I’d bet nearly all those people would freely spray Roundup on the lawns where their kids play while pugging down a Monster energy drink

WOW, not one but TWO Red Herrings in one sentence! Awesome!

[orangebus]

Congress and staff, all USPS nonworkers and others are exempt from shot mandates ...Why?

[s2mikon]

Originally Posted by orangebus

Congress and staff, all USPS nonworkers and others are exempt from shot mandates ...Why?

Easy. They, meaning congress critters, want to send you mailers telling you how good they are doing!

[Mekanic]

Originally Posted by HamSkoolie

..... Locally one hospital is about to lose 8% of it's already depleted workforce due to vaccine mandates. Other hospitals are looking at even higher losses to their already depleted staffing due to mandates.
This in an industry that ROUTINELY operates, by design, at 95% capacity.
.....

Not sure I want to be a customer of a place that is still doesn't have a vaccine mandate at this point in time.

Originally Posted by s2mikon

Why the shortage? I have had 3 bus drivers tell me that the seats are running at less than 50%

I'm a driver here in southern Ohio. My bus has 24 seats and 42 K-5 students. Schools have completely abandoned the social distancing on the buses here.

Originally Posted by WIbluebird

I drove school buses for 6 years. There's a couple big factors at play here.

During Covid a lot of drivers were left out to dry. We got route pay for the first few months of lockdown then we were on our own. Many of those drivers found better paying jobs elsewhere in the interim (including me).

In my area even a Class B CDL gets you a much better paying gig than school bus work. Dump truck and concrete work are full time hours and 30-50% higher hourly pay than what the local bus operations pay. Add in the fact that local trucking companies are starting to offer paid in house Class A training and school bus driving quickly starts to look like a bottom feeder driving job.

.........

In my county We have 8 school districts. Every district here is short drivers in the next week my school should Not be short. There is a direct line between driver shortage and pay here. Here I get More that the concrete drivers BY WIDE Margin. (Concreate drivers in this area are non union)

Where I work we got somewhat lucky when the schools shut down. we still got paid our base pay. (starts at $22K for a 4hr day-180 day year) this year the drivers just got a $1500 raise in the contract. Custodians and cooks got a $1 per hours raise. WE were told ALL school employees are getting a $1K Bonus before thanksgiving.

[Vineyardseashell]

Originally Posted by WIbluebird

I drove school buses for 6 years. There's a couple big factors at play here.

During Covid a lot of drivers were left out to dry. We got route pay for the first few months of lockdown then we were on our own. Many of those drivers found better paying jobs elsewhere in the interim (including me).

In my area even a Class B CDL gets you a much better paying gig than school bus work. Dump truck and concrete work are full time hours and 30-50% higher hourly pay than what the local bus operations pay. Add in the fact that local trucking companies are starting to offer paid in house Class A training and school bus driving quickly starts to look like a bottom feeder driving job.

The average driver age is very high. Lots of them just threw in the towel and retired rather than come back to a job where they are at risk for contracting Covid again.

You also have to factor in that many school bus fleets suffer from dysfunctional management that favors old time drivers over new ones. The old seniority based method of giving out work is very bad for retaining new drivers. I saw lots of people quit after getting only 20ish hours a week while the guys with seniority were allowed to cherry pick work during the slow seasons. Covid magnified this to the point where mid tier drivers were only getting 8 hours of work per week last year.

There was always a shortage, it was the above factors that just made it infintely worse. Also since a lot of high school sports were postponed last fall it put immense strain on bus operations in my area trying to provide buses for all the sports that got pushed to the spring, as well as the usual spring sports AND cover PM routes at the same time.

You hit the nail on the head!


Also need to add that every Tom, Dick & Harry- from the facility manager, coaches, committee members run the transportation department and not the actual transportation department heads; transportation dept personnel are just puppets, given no respect, severely unappreciated, and bullied.


Clyn

[incubus]

Yep, retired Feburary, started driving bus September. You gotta jump threw so many hoops to get your license then make $18.00 an hour,an they wonder why they cant get drivers.

[nightanole]

Originally Posted by orangebus

Congress and staff, all USPS nonworkers and others are exempt from shot mandates ...Why?

The lawyers had to go through everything with a fine tooth comb. They hit a snag with small business and sectors.

Plus OHSA still has no clue on guidance on how this is even possible. It takes weeks to get 25 million tests made, and you want unvaxxed tested weekly????


As to what the healthcare workers know that we dont, i see tons 50ft from the building smoking...

And yes my local sub contracted school buss garage is closed, due to 11 drivers getting popped for covid. One just got put on a ventilator, 52 years old, double jabbed, fat, recovering diabetic, with asthma. Not sure why he took the job 12 months ago after band shut down...

[Zork]

Originally Posted by s2mikon

I guess I should have marked that last one with a sarcasm warning. Just the same, if LEO, medical staff, bus drivers and teachers refuse the mRNA sudo vaccine it will cause service and supply problems.

Most of the large healthcare orgs are losing maybe 1% of their staff. Not a problem. And don't you wonder how good an LEO can be if he/she is terrified of a little jab with a needle?