Sick days are where driver attendance and payroll meet, and where the arguments start: how many does a driver have left, did last year's carry over, does a half day count, and was Tuesday a sick day or a no-show? A simple system for school bus driver sick leave tracking answers those in seconds and makes sure every absent driver's route is covered.
What to decide
| Question | Common answer |
|---|---|
| How many days a year? | Set by your policy, your state's paid sick leave law and any union contract |
| When does the year start? | January 1, the school year, or each driver's hire date |
| Do unused days carry over? | Often some, up to a limit; some laws require carry-over |
| When is a doctor's note needed? | Often after several days in a row, such as three or five |
| What counts as a day? | Only days the driver would have worked; a split shift may count as one or two |
Tip: Count sick leave only on days a driver was scheduled to work. A driver out on a snow day or a holiday shouldn't lose a sick day.
Tracking it
- Ask drivers to request it the same way every time, as early as they can.
- Approve or record it the same day, so it's never guessed later.
- Cover the route straight away with a sub.
- Keep each driver's balance for the year: days, used, carried over and left.
- Check before payroll that paid sick time matches the record.
Covering the route
- Know in advance when a driver will be out, so the sub is set the day before.
- Keep a list of free drivers for each morning and afternoon run.
- Tell the sub the route, the bus and anything special about the students.
Good to know: Many states and cities have paid sick leave laws that set how much drivers earn, what they can use it for, carry-over and notes. Union contracts may set more. Check yours before writing the policy.
Doing it in FleetCommander
The balances. Under Settings › Company › Time off, give Sick its days a year, how many unused days carry over, and when the time-off year starts (January 1, another month, or each person's hire date). Time off under HR shows what everyone has left of each kind, such as 3 left of 5, with what carried over and what's been asked for. One driver's days can be changed on their page. The Leave balances report lists Days a year, Carried over, Used, Asked and Left for each person. See the HR guide.
The requests and the route. Drivers ask for time off in the app, and the office approves it under Drivers › Time off. Paid time off counts on weekdays that aren't bank holidays, and shows in Driver hours & pay. While a driver with a route is off, the route shows Needs a substitute, with the best free drivers to cover it, and Drivers › Attendance shows them as Off, not missing.
Ava (Beta), the assistant in the app, answers How many sick days does Maria have left? or Which routes need a substitute this week?. More on her page.
Related reading
Questions people ask
- How many sick days do school bus drivers get?
- It depends on the employer's policy, the state's paid sick leave law and any union contract. Many give a set number of days a year, some with carry-over.
- Should sick leave count on days a driver wasn't scheduled?
- No. Count it only on days the driver would have worked, so snow days and holidays don't use up sick time.
- When should a driver need a doctor's note?
- Many policies ask for one after several days in a row, such as three or five, but some laws limit when you can ask. Check yours.
- How do you track sick leave balances?
- Keep each driver's days a year, carry-over, days used, days requested and days left for the current leave year, and update it the day leave is approved.