CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools board member said the board is considering changing the laws regarding school bus drivers in North Carolina.
District 1 Representative Melisssa Easley updated leaders at the Huntersville Town Council meeting Tuesday night, saying the board was considering pursuing a different type of license for school bus drivers as part of its legislative agenda.
Currently, under state law, school bus drivers must have a commercial driver’s license, or CDL. Easley noted that CDL holders are being lured away by trucking companies, offering wages that cannot compete with school districts.
“This is a huge hurdle that we have to do with…having qualified bus drivers,” Easley said Tuesday night. “They currently need to have a license that’s state required, but the bus driver doesn’t necessarily need the CDL.”
While the idea is something of note for the school system, there were no additional details on what this plan would ultimately look like.
CDL licenses come with their own proverbial weight, and can keep costs like liability insurance down for districts.
“Your safety has to be the number one priority,” said State Sen. Caleb Theodros of Mecklenburg County, who is on the Senate Transportation Committee. “So, what that actually looks like, what the requirements would be like, is something that we have to kind of do our due diligence and continue to do work on.”
Theodros noted that districts often pay for CDL holders to get their certifications, but noted the challenges in paying a competitive wage.
He also noted that if this were to be pursued legislation in Raleigh, it likely would not be an immediate fix.
