These days, it seems like being in the school system is a pretty thankless job all around, especially if you follow news reports on schools.  However, you know who never gets thanked?  The folks whose job it is to ensure the busses keep running on time.  Even bus drivers occasionally get a package of sweets on holidays from happy parents.  Those in the background providing transportation management services are totally forgotten.

There are a lot of things which happen on a day-to-day basis which people take for granted. The mail carrier arrives to drop off and pick up the mail just as the weekly garbage truck comes by for your trash. So it is easy not to think about all those yellow school buses traveling around unless you’re stopped behind one. Few people wonder, as they wait, how do the schools know how many kids to pick up, where to pick them up and which drivers are trained for the appropriate ages of their passengers?

A very stressful moment for both the driver in the fleet and the transportation team keeping track of the fleet is that moment of no communication. Whether it is because there's a problem with the radios or phones currently implemented or something else entirely, you need to be prepared with communication technology that won't suddenly fail or break contact with the fleet. There are several different ways to ensure this, but one of the best methods happens to be dispatch software.

A transportation coordinator's job is a round the clock operation. The job entails many different duties and often times involves taking on the tasks of multiple positions. They have numerous responsibilities and must answer to their manager, school staff and parents when issues arise. Needless to say then that their job should not be taken lightly. Therefore, how do you get the most out of your transportation coordinator?

Before we begin this blog, I just wanted to say something:  Thank you, school bus managers and school transportation officers.