Background: Federal School Bus Training Requirements. School bus driver qualifications are based primarily on federal law. Federal regulations require that school bus drivers have a commercial driving license (CDL) issued by a state and meet certain age, driving record, and testing requirements. Adding a sentence here.
Federal law also contains standards for CDL tests, including that the tests measure drivers on necessary knowledge and skills. To obtain a school bus endorsement for a CDL, applicants must also pass a knowledge and skills test covering, among other things, loading and unloading children, emergency exits, operating practices, and laws related to railroad-highway grade crossings.
State School Bus Training Requirements. Washington law also requires a CDL for drivers of school buses of any size in conformance with federal law. Currently state requirements for a CDL include, in part, 80 hours of instruction and particular trainings as part of a driver training program or certification by an employer, five years of driving experience, multiple background checks, and drug and alcohol testing. However, school districts are considered an employer for the purposes of CDL requirements and may certify instruction and training.
In addition the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is required to adopt rules governing the training and qualifications of school bus drivers, which presently include completion of an approved school bus driver training course, an annual school bus driver in-service training course, and various other requirements.