Online CDL Training Success in a School District (Case Study)

How Meade County Schools Solved Their Bus Driver Shortage
This guide is written for transportation directors and school administrators facing bus driver shortages. Meade County Schools in Kentucky exemplifies how Driving-Tests.org’s CDL Premium Corporate online training platform can meet all federal training requirements and quickly turn candidates into licensed school bus drivers.

Background

Like many school districts in the United States, Meade County faced a severe bus driver shortage. In 2022, they were reporting up to 10 unstaffed bus routes daily. They did not have a certified trainer on staff, which compounded the issue and made it nearly impossible to onboard new drivers quickly. When FMCSA’s Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) rules took effect in 2022, requiring federally approved theory instruction, the situation only got worse.
Pain points:

Severe driver shortage: At peak, several bus routes had no dedicated driver, resulting in 5–10 unstaffed routes on any given day. This resulted in double-duty drivers and students losing valuable instructional time as late arrivals.
No in-house trainer: The school district’s transportation department had no certified CDL instructor, so training new drivers relied on external classes, which could not quickly meet the urgent need.
Timely licensing process: It typically took 4–6 weeks for a new hire to attend classes, pass the CDL written permit exams, complete behind-the-wheel practice, and finally test for their Class B license with a School Bus (S) endorsement. These demands left the district understaffed for months.
Complex compliance requirements: The new ELDT rules introduced in 2022 included the formal theory training requirement for all new drivers. As a result, the school district had to scramble to design a curriculum or find an external course that met FMCSA standards. In an already short-staffed situation, this was an additional burden. Meade County needed a faster, ELDT-compliant way to turn interested applicants into licensed school bus drivers. Their efforts would make them a bus driver training success story.

This school district CDL training case study will illustrate how an online CDL training school buses program helped the district meet their challenges successfully.

Solution: CDL Premium Online Training

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Meade County’s Transportation Director, Donna Foushee, implemented Driving-Tests.org’s fully online, FMCSA-compliant theory program: CDL Premium Corporate for Kentucky. It covered all required Class B, passenger, and school bus content, including the following:

Self-paced mobile learning
ELDT certification and automated FMCSA reporting
Permit test simulators and state-specific practice exams
Administrator dashboard to track trainee progress

Program Implementation:

Enrollment of Trainees: New driver candidates were enrolled by the county in the CDL Premium online program. Each candidate’s login allowed access to the curriculum on any internet-connected device.
ELDT-Compliant School District Curriculum: The online coursework met all FMCSA’s ELDT theory requirements for school bus drivers. The content was pre-approved and up-to-date with 2024 regulations.
Self-Paced Online Learning: Candidates engaged in interactive lessons and quizzes at their own pace and on their own schedule. Because of this freedom of scheduling, candidates could train during free hours or evenings and were able to avoid conflicts with work or school duties. This arrangement also eliminated travel time and distance for in-person classes. The program included over 1,500 practice questions, realistic exam simulators, and videos, as well as a progress tracking admin dashboard for county supervisors to monitor each candidate’s progress.
Instructor Support (as needed): Meade County’s transportation staff checked in regularly with candidates to answer any questions.
Preparation for Permit Exams: The CDL Premium curriculum emphasized exam preparation, including state-specific practice tests and AI-driven question banks. By the end of the online course, each participant had earned their ELDT certificate and felt fully prepared to ace the General Knowledge, Passenger, and School Bus written exams at the DMV.

Results

The district’s switch to online training produced significant improvements:

A 95%+ first-time permit test pass rate
Nine new drivers licensed in 3 months, a 20% increase in staff
An 80% reduction in route coverage gaps (from 10 down to two unstaffed routes)
Full ELDT compliance

Incorporating CDL Premium into the district’s training resulted in the following outcomes:

Much Faster Driver Certification: New candidates quickly moved from onboarding to licensed status. Most candidates completed the online theory program and obtained their CDL permits within 2–3 weeks (compared to 4–6 weeks previously).
Increased Permit Exam Pass Rates: Candidates achieved a first-attempt pass rate of over 95% on their CDL written exams. (In comparison, many districts attain barely 50–60% pass rates.) Meade County’s experience reflects the national average for the program’s results (a 99+% permit exam pass rate).
More Drivers Licensed and Routes Covered: Over a three-month period, the district licensed nine new school bus drivers (a driver pool increase of 20%). This reduced the number of unstaffed bus routes from 10 down to two (an 80% reduction in coverage gaps). By the start of the next semester, almost every bus route had a permanent driver.
Compliance and Safety Assured: Every new driver who graduated from the program met all federal and state requirements. Training records (ELDT certification) for each driver were automatically filed with regulators, simplifying the district’s compliance needs.
Donna Foushee, Director of Transportation for Meade County Schools shared this comment about their experience with the CDL Premium Corporate training program: “To me, it’s a teaching tool. A good one. If you need a program that’s going to get your drivers on the road as quick as possible, Driving Tests is what you need. It was just a win-win, and we knew right away that this was something we needed.”

Key Takeaways

This school district CDL training case study shows how Driving-Tests.org’s FMCSA-compliant CDL Premium Corporate training platform can address driver shortages while ensuring ELDT compliance. This case study has shown that a bus driver training success story is possible even in tight labor markets. School districts can grow their driver pool quickly and safely by incorporating this online ELDT training platform.

How Driving-Tests.org Can Help You

Meade County is one of a growing number of success stories of school systems throughout the United States that are turning to the ease and efficiency of Driving-Tests.org’s CDL Premium Corporate for Schools platform. Incorporating this platform into your training is beneficial to learners and especially helpful in creating a well-rounded training approach for your employees. It also provides these advantageous features:

Comprehensive CDL Test Preparation: Access to up-to-date practice tests and study materials aligned with FMCSA guidelines.
Progress Tracking and Reporting: Easily track each driver’s progress and test results to streamline record-keeping.
Multi-User Management: Add and remove drivers or training coordinators quickly; keep everyone accountable with assigned modules.
Engaging Mobile-Friendly Content: Drivers can study on their own schedule, reducing classroom time and improving pass rates.

References
Driving-Tests.org. (2024). CDL Premium Corporate for Schools.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). (2022). Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) Requirements.
Foushee, D. (2023). Meade County Transportation Testimonial [Video].
Kentucky Teacher. (2022, Feb 24). Meade County Schools navigates bus driver crisis.
Michigan Public Radio. (2022, February). ELDT regulation and online training initiative background. Michigan Public Radio.

Ross Media Solutions. (n.d.). Case study: Example of metrics from a district that solved a bus driver shortage (Westerville City Schools).

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