Correct. For about 20 years I held a CDL with passenger endorsements. I could drive a private bus, coach, any truck except semi’s, but I could not drive a yellow school bus. That required a different endorsement.
One of the buses our camp had was a school bus model, but it was white instead of yellow. Same bus, just wrong color, so I could drive that.
Our run up to the camp was a 1000 mile round trip. We made very good time, but absolutely never at the risk of safety.
We’d run two drivers per bus and trade of every couple hours. Sometimes we’d make the whole trip same day, sometimes stay over. I never came home more than road weary. Not exhausted. Lot’s of sleep when not driving.
Responsibility for 50 people sitting in the seats behind you is huge and serious. So huge and serious, I didn’t even use the traditional FReeper slang. It’s never to be forgotten. If this moron wasn’t even licensed, the bus company needs to be prosecuted. Hard.
A company in Baltimore that just had a fatal collision jut had their entire contract cancelled because the driver didn’t have a current DOT medical certificate. I have some serious issues with the way they DOT certifications are handled but it is what it is.
In my case, I no longer drive the bus because DOT has a bizarrely low threshold for sleep apnea. I failed the test, but not the actual sleep study. M sleep specialist said I didn’t need treatment, but some bonehead at DOT said I did. It wasn’t worth a couple thousand dollars a year for needless treatment to keep a license I use for a volunteer job.
Something is way off about the situation. In AZ, I think most, if not all, school bus drivers work for the school districts.
I hear you about the responsibility. I’m a substitute teacher now. I actually miss driving the bus and the relationships I formed with the kids. I don’t miss getting up at 4:30am.