Analysis on the Hawaii wildfires’ impact on school transportation, industry business updates, and conversations planned for the TSD conference in November.

It all started with a school project on student transportation for 20-year-old Tyson Decluette, who shares his experience training for and serving as the youngest bus driver in Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8 in Colorado. 

His Director of Transportation Robert Leach discusses the love of the yellow bus and removing barriers to CDL acquisition to remedy the driver shortage. 

Read more at stnonline.com/tag/driver. 

The STN August issue, newly released TSD Conference agenda, and federal clean school bus funding top today’s headlines.

John Benish, Jr., chief operating officer of Cook-Illinois Corporation, joins us to discuss his family’s trailblazing legacy through the largest school bus provider in Chicagoland, as well as his recent induction into the National School Transportation Association Hall of Fame.

Read more at stnonline.com/tag/contractor. 

Learn more about awards and recognitions for leading organizations and members of the school bus industry. We also recap security & weapons training from STN EXPO Reno.

Heather Schnitker-Blume with contractor Petermann Bus, also a 2023 STN Garage Star who appears in the STN August issue, talks entering a male-dominated field and using technology in the school bus garage.

Read more at stnonline.com/tag/maintenance.

Recap the insightful and forward-thinking conversations and experiences at STN EXPO in Reno. Listen as attendees and vendors share their thoughts! 

Bill Griffiths, named the Innovator of the Year by School Transportation News and the National School Transportation Association, discusses directing fleet management & maintenance at fast-growing transportation contractor Beacon Mobility. He weighs in on garage efficiency, technology, the mechanic shortage, and green buses. 

Read more at stnonline.com/tag/maintenance.

Chris Ellison, the new director of transportation and fleet services for Reynolds School District in Oregon, talks co-leading the “So You Want to be a Transportation Supervisor” class at STN EXPO Reno and analyzes challenges ahead for district electrification plans after Oregon adopted California Air Resources Board guidelines curtailing diesel bus purchases starting in 2024. 

Ben Englander, CEO of technology provider Rosco Vision, talks technology progression in the industry and breaks down new innovations from Rosco to address school bus safety issues like unsafe driving and student dragging. 

Read more about what went on at STN EXPO Reno at stnonline.com/tag/stn-expo/reno. 

The World Resources Institute releases a tool tracking clean school bus adoption. 

Klein ISD in Texas was a winner of Transfinder’s inaugural Top Transportation Teams challenge. Director of Transportation John Fergerson and Transfinder President and CEO Antonio Civitella highlight the importance of workplace culture as an effective recruitment strategy during driver and mechanic shortages. 

Read more at stnonline.com/tag/teamwork. 

Ryan and Tony break down governmental interest in school bus Wi-Fi, road safety via automated braking systems and cleaner school buses. 

“They’re like kernels ready to pop.” School psychologist and safety/security expert John Van Dreal discusses challenging student behavior and the school bus as an extension of the classroom. He previews his keynote “Youth Aggression: Identifying Risk Factors and Prevention Strategies on the School Bus” at STN EXPO Reno later this month. 

Learn more at stnonline.com/tag/government and stnonline.com/tag/student. Read our July issue, out now: stnonline.com/go/july23.

Tony and Taylor discuss the rising prices of diesel school buses in the shift toward zero-emissions and electric.

Director of Transportation Kim Crabtree shares how Bend-La Pine School District in Oregon is fully staffed with drivers and mechanics, discusses EV integration and challenges in the state, and previews the electrification panel she’ll be on at STN EXPO Reno in July. 

Read more at stnonline.com/tag/operations.   

Headlines include a look into STN survey data and what it indicates about industry trends in clean school buses, as well as more federal focus on illegal passing. 

Fraud-busting body language expert and STN EXPO Reno keynote speaker Traci Brown shares how student transporters can use her lie-detection and interpersonal interaction techniques when dealing with district administration, parents, students and more. 

Learn about more cutting-edge conversations coming up at stnexpo.com.

If you weren’t able to attend STN EXPO Indy last week, here’s the recap you need! Tony, Ryan and Taylor review key takeaways on how first impressions and driver behavior reflect on an operation, why recognizing one’s triggers helps with de-escalation on the school bus, how districts are using clean energy to make their bus fleets greener, and ways that technology and training make students safer. 

Read more at stnonline.com/tag/stn-expo-indy.