Congressman Morelle Announces Federal Action to Address Local Shortage of Bus Drivers

Press Release

Today Rep. Morelle announced that, per his request to Secretary Buttigieg, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) has taken action to address the critical shortage of school bus drivers by making the necessary licensure requirements more accessible and maintaining strict safety standards. USDOT has issued a waiver to allow school bus drivers to forgo the repair-oriented, under-the-hood vehicle testing requirements of the Commercial Driver's License (CDL), which are unnecessary for school bus drivers and cited as the greatest barrier to hiring new operators.

"Safely transporting our children to school is our top priority--but the shortage of bus drivers has made this challenging. Adjusting licensure requirements would allow more people to apply for these positions while maintaining essential safety standards," said Congressman Morelle. "School bus drivers have long advocated for this very change, and I'm proud to have worked alongside DOT to make it happen."

In September, Rep. Morelle sent a letter urging Sec. Buttigieg to pursue this change, which makes obtaining the license more accessible and, in turn, will increase the number of eligible school bus drivers. This week, USDOT has announced they will allow states to apply for this this waiver. Under the rule, school bus drivers will still be required to obtain a CDL, but the under-the-hood requirements will be waived. School bus drivers complete a pre-trip inspection before each morning and afternoon run, in addition to the normal safety inspections required by states. In the event of a break down, school bus drivers cannot leave students unattended, and are therefore unable to go under the hood to repair their own bus. For this reason, school bus operators have spare buses and have available mechanical support. Having this waiver eliminates what is considered an onerous requirement by many drivers.

School districts across Monroe County have faced a shortage of bus drivers, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the New York State School Bus Contractors Association, the current number of bus drivers is 15% to 20% below full staffing levels, which has meant districts have had to limit routes and lengthen the time some students are on buses.

Sherry Johnson, Executive Director of the Monroe County School Board Association:

For several years now, the MSCBA membership has worked with both our state and federal representatives to address the severe shortage of bus drivers in our districts. The pandemic has only intensified the shortage of drivers and further inhibited the ability to get candidates through the licensure process in a timely manner. One of the components that has kept our districts from attracting drivers and keeping them, once licensed, was the "under the hood" testing requirement. With this waiver, our districts can now work to attract, hire, and retain a diverse pool of drivers and still maintain one of the safest modes of transportation for our children.

We are incredibly grateful to Congressman Morelle for his leadership on this! He worked tirelessly with our members to understand the complexities of this issue and to get it addressed with the US Department of Transportation. Thank you!

"I'm grateful to Secretary Buttigieg for his attention to this matter," continued Congressman Morelle. "It is my hope that with this change, we can return a sense of security to parents while providing more job opportunities for bus drivers."

Source