Before a person can become a school bus driver and obtain a commercial driver's license registered with the federal and state government, he or she must apply for an open position with a school district or a private carrier that contracts transportation service. This effectively begins the background check process to ensure the driver has no previous convictions that could potentially put children in harm's way.

States have laws that ensure all prospective school bus drivers are subject to pre-employment fingerprinting and state and FBI criminal background checks, drug and alcohol screening, Department of Transportation medical examination and driver record checks. According to the National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures, drivers should at least have a high school degree or an equivalent.

It's important to note that most school bus drivers that perform regular home-to-school transportation do not fall under jurisdiction of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which oversees interstate passenger and cargo transport. Some school bus drivers who are employed by private bus companies that contract service with school districts are bound by federal rules, however, especially if the company is required to have a U.S. Department of Transportation ID number and engages in interstate charter service.

The reason for this is the way the federal government originally set up the Interstate Commerce Commission, which evetually became the FMCSA, and because of state control of education and related services. Congress would need to amend federal law to allow more oversight of regular school bus drivers. There has been some discussion in the industry on lobbying Congress to clearly prohibit certain activities by school bus drivers, such as cell phone usage while also allowing them to use approved two-way radio devices necessary for communication with dispatch.

A good resource is the NHTSA School Bus Driver In-Service Safety Series. The program is geared toward transportation directors and supervisors responsible for overseeing or implementing on-going training programs for drivers.