House Transportation committee debates lowering school-bus driver age; two amendments fail

The Tennessee House Transportation Committee on March 11 debated a bill that would change the minimum age for exceptions to the school bus driver endorsement and considered two amendments that would lower the exception age to 21 and to 23; both amendments failed in committee votes.

Committee members heard extended testimony from the Department of Safety and outside witnesses explaining the tradeoffs between safety requirements and a widespread shortage of bus drivers. The Department of Safety described federal training and licensing requirements and cited a high-profile fatal bus crash that had informed a previous increase in the minimum age for drivers.

Committee context: The bill under consideration would preserve a 25-year-old standard age for the S endorsement but change the age used in limited exceptions for certain applicants (teachers employed by the local education agency, honorably discharged members of the armed forces, or members of the National Guard or reserves). Representative proponents offered an amendment (drafting code 004147) to lower the exception age to 21; another amendment (drafting code 004588) would have set the exception at 23. The committee rejected both amendments.

Why it matters: School systems across Tennessee report shortages of qualified school-bus drivers; committee members and witnesses said shortages have forced late arrivals, longer routes and cancelled field trips. Supporters of lowering the exception age argued that permitting younger, vetted applicants could help staffing. Opponents and the Department of Safety cautioned that experience and federal training requirements affect safety.

Key testimony and evidence

Elizabeth Stroker, legislative director and assistant general counsel for the Tennessee Department of Safety, described changes after a fatal crash in the Chattanooga/Hamilton County area and said lawmakers raised the minimum age in subsequent legislation. Stroker told the committee that the crash prompted a legislative response that included raising the endorsement age and adding vetting safeguards: "He didn't have a full driving history, and he was, I believe, 24 years old." She also explained obstacles younger applicants face, including a federally mandated entry-level driver training program and multi-part skills testing, and gave current licensing figures: "We only have 20 people who are 25 years old who even hold a school bus license, and there are only 4 people who are 24 who hold one. And there are 0 people who are 23." The department said those training and testing requirements are a principal constraint on the supply of drivers.

Joel Hayes of the Office of Legal Services explained the language of the amendment before the committee, confirming that the 004147 drafting code would keep the standard endorsement age at 25 but lower the exception from 23 to 21 for the enumerated categories.

Colonel Matt Perry of the Tennessee Highway Patrol said the agency would obtain and provide crash-age statistics upon request; he noted that driver-counts for younger age groups are small and produce limited sample sizes.

Supporters of lowering the exception age emphasized recruitment benefits. Isaiah Honeck, testifying on behalf of Representative Mike Sparks, said lowering the minimum age would "help alleviate the driver shortage" and argued younger people could view bus driving as a career opportunity. David Settles, a Metro Nashville school bus driver and Murfreesboro City Schools board member, described the demands of the job and the training regimen: "I transport around 85 kids on my bus... If you're 21 years old and you can get through the strenuousness of the training, you're qualified for the most part to drive a school bus."

Opponents stressed experience and judgment. Several legislators referenced the Chattanooga crash and urged caution before lowering age-based limits; Representative Bridal urged maintaining higher age and experience standards for safety reasons.

Votes and procedure

- Amendment drafting code 004147 (lower exception age to 21): failed, 6 ayes, 12 nays, 1 present not voting. (Recorded on the committee floor.)

- Amendment drafting code 004588 (lower exception age to 23): failed on voice vote; the chair announced "No's have it. Amendment fails."

At the close of the hearing recorded in the transcript, the committee had not adopted either amendment and the bill remained under consideration for further action.

Clarifying details recorded in committee

- Standard endorsement age discussed: 25 years.

- Current exception age before the amendment: 23 years; proposed exceptions considered were 21 and 23.

- Department of Safety cited license-holder counts: 20 persons age 25 with a school-bus license, 4 persons age 24, and 0 persons age 23 (as described to the committee).

- Department of Safety referenced the 2022 Open Roads Act and federal entry-level driver training rules as factors affecting testing and training timelines; the department told the committee that current maximum wait for a skills test had been reduced to about five days in many areas.

What the committee heard about causes of the shortage

Witnesses and several members said the shortage reflects multiple causes: federal training and testing requirements that can take weeks and be costly; pay and market comparisons (many commercial drivers earn more in the private sector); and the day-to-day demands of the job, including managing large numbers of children on routes.

Next steps

The transcript ends with committee action on the two amendments described above; the committee did not record a final passage vote on the underlying bill in the provided transcript. The bill therefore remained pending at the conclusion of the recorded proceedings.