Managing Emergencies Smartly as a Bus Driver
Being a bus driver is about more than driving a vehicle from point A to point B; you must constantly be on guard for the unexpected. Of course, your class B CDL training and help from professionals in the school bus services industry has probably taught you well to mind the roads in front of you. After all, other drivers and weather conditions are impossible to control, and you are the one person who stands between your passengers’ safety and the capricious world outside.
However, the smart employee in group transportation services knows to keep an eye on those inside their bus too. Medical mishaps, extreme temperatures, substance-use problems, and bullying incidents all can demand a bus driver’s attention, rendering a snappy pull-over and immediate action. Indeed, as safety-oriented and as well-trained as bus drivers are, there always remains the threat of unplanned incidents, whether from inside or outside the bus itself. Smart school bus contractor companies know that keeping a constant eye out for these threats is all in a day’s work.
But what if, despite your best efforts, a hazardous situation escalates into a bona fide emergency? Even if you’ve pulled your bus over and are trying your best to minimize the threat, the fact of the matter is that, just like the roads in front of you, you cannot always control how your passengers act. When things feel out of your control, it can be hard to behave in a professional, authoritative, and appropriate manner, even if you know that’s what the situation requires of you—managing an entire bus-load of anxious people while also taking care of the emergency itself? Sometimes that can feel as though it’s enough of a job for several people!
American Student Transportation Services, as a Blaine provider of school bus rental services, is here to help. Because we pay new drivers to learn how to keep their busses safe, we know all about taking the proper emergency actions in the face of your own nerves and in the face of what appears to be a very messy circumstance on the service. Below, we’ll dish out some practical tips that all bus drivers can use to tame the chaos and get the outcome of an emergency situation back into their own hands.
Discover What Smart Bus Drivers Do to Remain Calm and In Control
The types of emergency situations a driver might face depending on where that driver works and what types of people they carry. However, many good training programs (like ours!) strive to teach their future employees every skill imaginable that might come in handy when it comes to bus emergencies—no matter if those emergencies occur inside or outside the vehicle.
If you can’t recall at this very moment, off the top of your head, how to respond to common emergencies, perhaps it’s time you reviewed the study materials you used for your Class B CDL exam!
On the other hand, a driver’s failure to respond appropriately in an emergency situation can also be due to a lack of faith in one’s skills, which can cause paralyzing anxiety. If you fall into this camp, it can be helpful to
Talk to other bus drivers about your concerns | If your driving community is as tight-knit as ours, you’ll find heaps of support in speaking with your fellows. Every experienced bus driver has had to tackle the unexpected. As we said above, it’s all in a day’s work! Learning how other drivers you admire learned to step up to the plate and become leaders can prove faith-restoring and soothing.
Take classes in leadership | Bus drivers are just that: leaders. Day in and day out, they must practice calm and collected control as they shepherd passengers safely through busy streets, and they must be the person those passengers look to should something unprecedented occur. If you’re truly struggling to adopt the characteristics needed for the job, leadership classes through a local community college can help.
Practice positive self-talk | Encourage yourself! We’ve all heard that attitude can make or break one’s workday, but it also can make or break something as dire as one’s response in an emergency. It may seem trite or silly, but when an emergency happens, remember that you’re trained in how to handle it in a way that other people aren’t. Praise your own skill-set and your mastery of it, even if you don’t quite believe yourself. It might just be the thing you need to save your passengers’ lives.
Contact American Student Transportation Services for Top-Notch School Bus Services
We truly understand the weight of what bus drivers do and the importance of proper emergency protocol. Our employees have all mastered such protocol—we just told you all about how to achieve said mastery, after all! We’re ready and willing to serve your school, so give our Blaine office a call now at 651-621-8900.