It’s back-to-school season, which means the stores are advertising sales, teachers are getting their classrooms ready, and families are enjoying their last vacations before heading into the school routine. But they’re not the only ones getting ready for a new academic year. The Dean team of bus drivers, attendants, monitors, service technicians and office staff are all preparing to welcome students onto the bus and transport them to school and back safely!
Summer School Bus Rodeos
While many drivers enjoy much-deserved time off during the summer, there are several events to keep them refining and practicing their skills, like school bus “rodeos” where drivers test their knowledge with written quizzes and navigate challenging obstacles. Here at Dean, we host our own regional and championship rodeos while also encouraging interested drivers to participate in the Michigan Association of Pupil Transportation (MAPT) Roadeo. This year, we celebrated as Betty Nelson, a dedicated Dean Transportation driver from west Michigan, placed first in the Conventional Bus (Type C) category at the 2025 School Bus Driver International Safety Competition.
Getting Back-to-School Ready
Each summer, we hold an annual leadership conference to deliver training and professional development for our operations supervisors. Then, throughout the month of August, our supervisors meet with their staff to prepare for the start of the year. They share information on training, policies and procedures, credentials, safety, employee benefits and much more, along with district-specific topics.
Throughout the year, drivers, attendants and monitors also participate in school bus health care classes, Heartsaver First Aid and Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Training. Every two years, all Michigan school bus drivers must attend a six-hour continuing education course covering legal updates and best practices in the industry. Many Dean drivers are completing this training over the summer to refresh their knowledge and maintain their State of Michigan school bus education credentials.
“At Dean Transportation, safety is our dedication, and so continuous education takes place all through the year,” said Fred Doelker, Director of Training Programs at Dean Transportation. “Summer is a great time for some of that review and updating.”
As drivers receive their routes in the weeks before school starts, they practice these runs in advance and ensure that the stops are both legal and safe. Attendants take time to learn any necessary information about students they support. Summer is also a great time for cleaning equipment to make sure everything is ready to go!
As the first day of school approaches, be sure to follow Dean Transportation on social media for school bus safety tips and reminders!
