Safety-Driven Company Culture
The All-Star Transportation Safety Team is made up of top-notch individuals committed to providing safe, high-quality services. Leading these efforts are our state-certified supervisors who help make us Connecticut’s safest leader in school bus transportation.
Safety Background Checks
Prior to driving a bus or working as a monitor, all employees must pass several background checks, including a criminal history, a motor vehicle history, a Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) check, and a National Sex Offender check. We also obtain feedback from previous employers, and all prospective drivers must pass U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) physical and drug tests. All employees are subject to random drug and alcohol testing, and must attend monthly safety meetings and other required training.
New Hire Training
Prior to driving a school bus or working as a monitor, all new hires must complete 20 hours of classroom instruction that includes commercial driver’s license (CDL) knowledge tests, student management, proper student transportation procedures, state laws, company policies, and defensive-driving procedures. Monitors are provided additional hands-on training about wheelchair use and securement, loading and unloading students, special needs requirements, student management, and emergency procedures.
Behind-the-Wheel Training
Following classroom instruction, drivers obtain a CDL permit and start behind-the-wheel training. This process requires 6-8 weeks, or 60-80 hours, to complete. Trainees learn how to complete pre-trip checks of a bus. This requires trainees to learn about engine components, brake checks, and the entire outside and inside of a bus. The behind-the-wheel sessions also teach defensive driving skills, legal use of the roadway, speed control, zone control, lane position, proper student pickup and drop off, and railroad crossing procedures.
Once training is completed and a criminal background clearance letter is issued by the State of Connecticut, driver trainees are tested on all skills by the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). After passing state (DMV) testing requirements, newly licensed drivers go on the road with an All-Star Transportation trainer. All new drivers must be cleared by their trainers before driving a bus by themselves.
Emergency Training
We partner with the local Watertown-based organization, Prepare To Act, to provide our team with the skills and knowledge they need to quickly and properly respond to any emergency. Prepare To Act’s staff works closely with our Safety Team to develop and deliver training that addresses the specific needs of our drivers and monitors, on the road.
Prepare To Act offers safety courses and programs that cover all areas of preparedness and emergency readiness, from first aid to pistol permits and everything in between. The company provides its clients with up-to-date instruction that enables them to build a safe and secure life for their families, co-workers, and friends – generation after generation.
Workshops & Safety Meetings
Training and safety are daily occurrences at All-Star Transportation. All employees must attend monthly safety meetings that focus on state-mandated topics.
We also provide mandatory seasonal workshops, focusing on such subjects as back-to-school tune-ups, winter driving, “spring into safety,” complacency, danger zones, Prepare To Act emergency training, and much more.
