School-bus drivers don't work a normal day. Most drive a split shift — a morning run, a break, an afternoon run — some add a mid-day kindergarten run or a field trip, and many are paid per run or per shift rather than by the hour. Paper timesheets turn into a weekly argument: when did the shift really start, was the field trip on top, who covered Tuesday's afternoon run?
A time clock on the driver's phone settles most of it. Here's how to set one up so it works for drivers, dispatch and payroll.
1. Decide how you pay
- Per hour — clock-in to clock-out, for each part of a split shift.
- Per shift or per run — a set amount for each run driven, whatever the minutes.
- A mix — a run rate, plus hourly for field trips, training or shop time.
Write down your pay period (weekly, every two weeks, twice a month) and when a driver counts as late — for example, clocking in less than 10 minutes before the first pick-up, so there's time for the pre-trip.
2. Make clocking in part of the morning
Drivers forget a separate time clock. Tie it to something they already do: the pre-trip inspection. When they send the inspection, they're clocked in. At the end of the day, a single tap clocks them out.
Tip: Let drivers see their own hours. Fewer questions reach the office when a driver can check How many hours have I worked this pay period? themselves.
3. Watch the morning from one screen
Dispatch needs to know, before the first run leaves: who's in, who's late, who's not in yet, and who's off today. Late drivers are a pattern worth seeing week by week, not only on the morning it happens.
4. Fix times the right way
- A driver forgot to clock out: the office fixes the time, with who changed it and when kept.
- A missed shift is added by the office, not typed in later by the driver.
- Time off is requested in the app and approved, so payroll knows the day was off — not a no-show.
5. Hand payroll a clean report
At the end of the pay period, export hours and pay per driver — runs, hours, rate and total — for your payroll provider. If the numbers came from the phone, there's nothing to re-type.
Doing it in FleetCommander
With driver attendance on, drivers clock in and out on My Day — sending the pre-trip inspection clocks them in, if they haven't clocked in already. The office sees who's in, late or not in yet on Drivers › Attendance; fixes a time or adds a missed shift with Add shift on the driver's Attendance tab; and approves time off on Drivers › Time off. You choose when a driver counts as late in Settings › Company › Driver attendance (Late if clocked in less than … minutes before the first pick-up). Pay is worked out per hour or per shift from your company settings, and the Driver hours & pay report exports it for payroll.
Drivers can also just tell Ava (Beta), the assistant in the app: Clock me in, Clock me out, Am I clocked in? or How many hours have I worked this pay period? — she shows a card, and the time is when they press it. The office asks her Who hasn't clocked in yet?, Who was late this week? or How many hours did Maria work last week?, and fixes a shift by saying it: Fix Maria's shift yesterday: out at 3:10 — she shows the old and new times before anything is saved.
Still on paper? The free bus driver timesheet and bus driver pay calculator help in the meantime.
Good to know: Overtime, breaks and minimum pay for split shifts follow your state's wage laws — check them when you set up pay rules.
Questions people ask
- How are school bus drivers usually paid?
- By the hour, by the run or shift, or a mix — often with a run rate for regular routes and hourly pay for field trips, training and shop time. Many work a split shift with a morning and an afternoon run.
- Can school bus drivers clock in on their phone?
- Yes. In FleetCommander drivers clock in and out on their phone — sending the pre-trip inspection clocks them in — and the office sees who's in, late or not in yet.
- How do I track late school bus drivers?
- Set when a driver counts as late (for example, clocking in less than 10 minutes before the first pick-up), have drivers clock in on their phone, and review late arrivals week by week rather than only on the day.