A driver who calls in sick at 5 a.m. is a problem you can solve: a sub takes the route. A driver who simply doesn't show up is worse, because nobody knows until the bus should already be rolling. Children wait at stops, a school calls, and the dispatcher is driving a route themselves. A clear school bus driver no call no show policy makes the rule plain and the response fair.
What counts
A no call no show is missing a shift without telling the office before a set time, often an hour or more before the first pick-up. Write that time into the policy, and say how drivers must call: a phone number that's answered early, or a message in the app, not a text to a friend.
The steps
| Occurrence | Typical step |
|---|---|
| First | A talk and a written note in their file; the shift isn't paid |
| Second (within a set period) | A written warning |
| Third | A final warning, or the end of employment |
| Two in a row, or more | Many policies treat this as quitting the job |
Tip: Count occurrences over a rolling period, such as 12 months, and say so. A no-show three years ago shouldn't count the same as one last month.
Covering the route that morning
- Know who's in before the first route leaves, not when the school calls.
- Call the driver once, and an emergency contact if you're worried about them.
- Send a sub or a spare driver, and tell them the route and the bus.
- Tell the school if the run will be late.
- Write it down the same day: the time, who covered, and whether the driver called later.
Being fair
- Allow for real emergencies: a hospital stay or an accident on the way in. Say how drivers can show it.
- Apply it the same way to every driver, senior or new.
- Give drivers a copy and have them sign it, in the handbook.
Good to know: Union contracts, state law and leave laws (such as family and medical leave, or paid sick leave) affect what you can count and how. Check them before you write or enforce the policy.
Doing it in FleetCommander
Who's in. With driver attendance on, drivers Clock in on My Day (or by sending the pre-trip). Drivers › Attendance shows each driver with a route as On duty, Late or Not in yet, and an earlier day as Didn't clock in. A driver who's approved to be off shows as Off, not missing. See the Driver attendance guide.
Covering and recording. A driver's approved time off flags their route Needs a substitute, with the free drivers to cover it; for a no-show, assign a driver on the route's page and they're told straight away. Write it up in HR with Add warning (Verbal warning, Written warning or Final warning), and it's kept under Records on their page. Time off is asked for and approved in the app, so a real absence is on record. See the HR guide.
Ava (Beta), the assistant in the app, answers Who hasn't clocked in yet? or List written warnings. More on her page.
Related reading
Questions people ask
- What is a no call no show for a school bus driver?
- Missing a shift without telling the office before a set time, often an hour or more before the first pick-up.
- How many no call no shows before termination?
- Many policies give a warning for the first, a final warning for the second and end employment at the third within 12 months; two in a row is often treated as quitting. Union contracts and state law can change this.
- Is a no call no show shift paid?
- Usually not, since no work was done. Check your state's wage law and any contract.
- How do you cover a route when a driver doesn't show?
- Know who's in before the first route leaves, send a sub or spare driver with the route and bus, tell the school if it will be late, and record what happened.