Blythe Drake and Mike Counterman are two very well known Fair Grove R-X School District bus drivers. Drake has been driving the bus for seven years and Counterman has been driving the bus for six years.
Drake explained that becoming a bus driver is a process that has many hoops to jump through. First, the future drivers must complete ELDT, Entry Level Driver Training. Once the training is completed, the drivers must then go to the Missouri DMV and take three electronic tests: the first for Class B CDL (Commercial Drivers License), the second for Passenger Endorsement, and the third is for School Bus Endorsement. This process alone only earns a permit, which has to be held for 14 days before the drivers are allowed to go to a CDL testing site for the license.
In these 14 days, the drivers are taught how to look at the bonus prior and post taking students to and from school, ensuring the bus is in quality condition to harbor students. Once these steps have been completed, the drivers are permitted to go to a Missouri Highway Patrol CDL Testing Site to complete the test for the full license…