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Wake County transportation chief outlines 95% fleet readiness, new vendor accountability metrics
Summary
Transportation director reported fleet readiness at about 95% (760 of 800 buses), a driver vacancy of about 32 positions and new vendor performance metrics (safety 25%, on‑time 20%, student management 15%, others) to reduce single‑vendor risk and improve service for special needs and EC routes.
Mr. Tuckett, the district’s transportation director, told the board the fleet is operationally ready for 2026–27 with about 95% of buses available and a suite of vendor accountability tools the department will use to monitor performance. "every bus will have a driver in that bus. It's CDL certified driver to drive for Wake County Public Schools," he said, describing staffing and certification goals.
He reported roughly 723 CDL‑capable positions system‑wide, 533 active drivers, 565 jobs and a 32‑position vacancy. Mr. Tuckett described recruitment steps — job fairs, CDL training cohorts, incentive payments, and referral bonuses — and said the department graduated 12 participants from a CDL program and expects another class to begin in mid‑August.
On vendor oversight he outlined a performance rubric to be applied twice a year weighing student safety (25%), on‑time performance (20%), student management/customer service (15%), EC transportation/compliance (15%), communication (10%), staffing reliability (10%) and contract compliance (5%). He said the district is deliberately spreading routes across multiple vendors so no single contractor becomes a single point of failure; the district has added nine schools to some no‑transport (NTZ) designations while also creating options to scale vendors up or down.
Board members asked about resignations and driver turnover; Mr. Tuckett described the turnover as consistent with sector norms and cited alternative employment that attracts CDL‑qualified drivers. He and the board discussed NTZ effects on families and asked staff for route‑level analyses as part of upcoming budget and service planning.
