Most evaluation forms you'll find online are generic employee reviews with "bus" typed into the title. They ask about teamwork and initiative and say nothing about the danger zone, the child check or a railroad crossing. A school bus driver annual evaluation form template should look at the job itself: the papers a driver must keep current, how they actually drive with students on board, and how they work with the office.
Below is a complete form in five parts. Copy the tables into a document, add your logo, and print one per driver. (For how to run the review meeting, and how to handle write-ups and discipline between reviews, see school bus driver performance evaluation.)
What a school bus driver annual evaluation form should cover
| Part | What it checks | Who fills it in |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Driver and review details | Who, when, which routes and bus. | The reviewer, before the meeting. |
| 2. Records check | License, medical card, training, driving record, incidents. | The office, from the driver's file. |
| 3. Ride-along observation | How they drive and handle students, on a real run. | A supervisor or trainer on the bus. |
| 4. Ratings | Five to eight areas, 1 to 5, with a comment each. | The reviewer. |
| 5. Goals and sign-off | Strengths, goals, training, next review, signatures. | Reviewer and driver, together. |
Some states make a yearly check part of the rules. Washington, for example, requires every school district to evaluate each authorized school bus driver every year for continuing compliance — license, medical certificate, first aid and in-service training dates, the driving record, an updated disclosure and the physical requirements — and report it by the last business day in October. Check what your state asks for and make sure Part 2 covers it.
Part 1: Driver and review details
| Field | What to write |
|---|---|
| Driver's name | |
| Hire date | And years driving for you. |
| Routes driven this year | Route numbers; note special-needs routes or routes with an aide. |
| Usual bus | Fleet number. |
| Review period | From — to (usually the last school year). |
| Reviewer and job title | |
| Date of ride-along | And which run. |
| Date of review meeting |
Part 2: Records check
| Item | What to check | OK / Needs action |
|---|---|---|
| CDL | Class, the P and S endorsements, expiry date. | |
| Medical card | Expiry date; any restrictions. | |
| Driving record | Reviewed this year; any new violations or points. | |
| In-service training | Hours or sessions this year against your state's requirement. | |
| First aid / CPR | Expiry date, if your state or contract requires it. | |
| Drug and alcohol testing | In your testing program, where required. | |
| Traffic violations this year | Number and kind; any charged to the driver. | |
| Accidents and incidents | Number; preventable or not. | |
| Attendance | Days late, days missed, missing clock-outs. | |
| Inspections | Pre-trips done every day; defects reported. |
Part 3: Ride-along observation checklist
Ride one full run — ideally one with tricky stops — and tick each item Yes, Needs work or N/A, with a note:
- Full pre-trip inspection before leaving the yard; defects written up.
- Mirrors set; seat belt on; doors and lights checked.
- Smooth starts and stops; safe speed and following distance.
- Loading and unloading: warning lights and stop arm used correctly, students counted, no student in the danger zone before moving.
- Railroad crossings and turns done the way your state and company require.
- Students managed calmly; rules enforced the same way for everyone.
- No phone use while driving; radio used as your policy says.
- On time at stops and at the school; route followed as written.
- Child check walked to the back of the bus after the run.
- Post-trip inspection done; anything wrong reported the same day.
Tip: Tell the driver ahead of time that you'll ride along. You want to see their normal run, not a nervous one — and nobody should learn about a ride-along from their review.
Part 4: Ratings, 1 to 5
A rating means little unless everyone uses the scale the same way. Print the anchors on the form:
| Rating | Means |
|---|---|
| 5 — Excellent | Sets the example for others; nothing to improve this year. |
| 4 — Good | Does the job well; small things to polish. |
| 3 — Meets expectations | Does what's required; one or two areas to work on. |
| 2 — Needs improvement | Falls short in ways that matter; needs a plan. |
| 1 — Needs a lot of work | Serious or repeated problems; a plan with dates, now. |
| Area | Rating (1–5) | Comment (required for a 1, 2 or 5) |
|---|---|---|
| Safety (driving, loading and unloading, inspections) | ||
| Punctuality and attendance | ||
| Vehicle care (defects reported, bus kept clean, fuel logged) | ||
| Student management | ||
| Communication (with dispatch, schools and parents) | ||
| Professionalism | ||
| Average |
Part 5: Goals and sign-off
- What went well this year — two or three specific things.
- Goals for next year — one to three, each something the driver can do and you can see ("no late clock-ins for the first run", not "be more punctual").
- Training needed — a refresher, a ride-along with a trainer, a class.
- Next review date.
- Driver's comments — space for the driver's own words.
- Signatures — the reviewer, and the driver. Add a line under the driver's: My signature means I have seen this review, not that I agree with it.
How to fill it in fairly
- Gather the evidence first: Part 2 and the ride-along notes before you pick a single number.
- Rate the year, not the last week. A great September shouldn't be lost because of one bad morning in May — or the other way round.
- Write a comment for every 1, 2 or 5. Low ratings need a reason the driver can act on; top ratings deserve to be said out loud.
- No surprises. Anything serious should already have been talked about when it happened.
- Use the same form for everyone, every year, so this year's review can be compared with last year's.
Doing it in FleetCommander
FleetCommander doesn't print a ready-made evaluation form — use the tables above for the paper copy. It keeps the review itself, and most of the evidence for Part 2, in the HR section, which is being switched on company by company and is only open to people with HR access.
- Under HR › Records, set Review areas to the areas on your form, one per line (up to 12). You start with Safety, Punctuality, Vehicle care, Communication and Professionalism.
- On the driver's page in HR, press Add review. Enter the Review date, a Title (Annual review 2026–27) and the Comments.
- Under Ratings, give each area 1 to 5 (1 = needs a lot of work, 5 = excellent), or leave one blank to skip it.
- Write the Goals for next time and set the Next review date — the people with HR access are reminded before it (Review due under Settings › Notification rules, 14 days to start).
- Attach the signed paper form as the File (optional), and press Add review to save it.
Click the review on the driver's page to see the ratings and their average, the goals and who added it; HR › Records lists every record across the company, with Reviews coming up beside it. The driver doesn't see their HR records. For Part 2, HR › Certifications shows what's Expired, Missing, Expiring soon or Current for each person; the driver's page has their Violations; their Attendance tab shows Days late for each pay period when driver attendance is on; and Inspections lists every inspection with its inspector.
With HR access, ask Ava (Beta), the assistant in FleetCommander, Which reviews are due? or Any warnings this year? — and for the evidence, Maria Chen's violations or Who was late this week? She answers from your own records with a link to the page, and never tells anyone's pay. See her page.
Related reading
- School bus driver performance evaluation: reviews, write-ups and praise
- School bus driver qualification file checklist
- Tracking in-service training and certifications
- HR software for school bus companies
Good to know: What a yearly driver evaluation must include, and how reviews can be used in pay or discipline decisions, depends on your state, your contracts and any union agreement. Check your state's pupil transportation rules and talk to an employment attorney before you adopt a form.
Questions people ask
- What should be on a school bus driver annual evaluation form?
- The driver and review details, a records check (CDL, medical card, driving record, training, incidents, attendance), a ride-along checklist, 1 to 5 ratings with comments for each area, goals, the next review date and signatures.
- Do school bus drivers need an annual evaluation?
- Some states require one — Washington, for example, has districts evaluate every school bus driver each year for continuing compliance. Even where it isn't required, a yearly review is good practice. Check your state's rules.
- Should a ride-along be part of the annual review?
- Yes, if you can. Records show whether papers are current; only a ride-along shows how the driver loads and unloads, crosses tracks and manages students on a real run.
- Does the driver have to sign the evaluation?
- It's common to ask. Add a line saying the signature means they've seen the review, not that they agree, and give them space for their own comments.