By Liz Beavers
lbeavers@newstribune.info
managing editor
KEYSER — It was like boot camp for bus drivers.
That's how Mineral County School bus operators Wayne Ketterman, Steve Liller and Bill Umstot describe the intensive training they underwent in September in order to earn a certificate as Certified School Bus Operator Trainers.
“We were in class from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; we didn't even stop to eat, Umstot recalls, adding that food was brought in to the students while they studied.
“We studied every night. I never studied that hard when I was in school,” he said, laughing.
Umstot, who serves as area crew leader for the Frankfort District bus operators, participated in the training as part of his job description. Ketterman and Liller volunteered for the sessions, with hopes that the training would help them improve their skills and to eventually be able to advance within the system.
All three have been operators in the county for quite some time. Ketterman, whose run includes the Wiley Ford area, and Liller, who drives the Keyser-Piedmont run, have each been operators for 19 years.
Umstot, who drives the Reeses Mill run, has been an operator for 28 years.
They each readily admit, however, that many things have changed since they first got behind the wheel of the big yellow bus.
“I learned a lot from these classes,” Ketterman said.
“There's a lot more involved than just getting on a bus and going down the road,” Umstot said, adding that bus operators now have a whole big checklist of things that must be done before they pull out to pick up children.
The students spent their mornings in class taking lessons on the computer on such topics as dealing with blind spots and danger zones, accidents and emergencies, field trips, proper techniques of loading and unloading students, railroad crossings, and more.
After each lesson, they would take a quiz. Once all the lessons were completed, they had one large overall exam.
In the afternoons, they broke up into groups and participated in more hands-on type of activities.
“We learned how to take care of wheelchairs and wheelchair ramps, how to install tire chains, and things like that,” Liller explained.
And if you didn't get something right?
“They told you in no uncertain terms, and you did it again until you got it right,” Umstot said.
“The final test was the worst,” he said. “IT was a written test consisting of 100 multiple choice questions. They said if you pass that test, you'd go on to a test on air brakes, and if you passed that, you go to a test on pupil loading.
“I hate taking tests,” he signed.
The three Mineral County operators passed all their tests, however, and are now certified to train any new hires taken into the system or other operators in need of brushing up on their skills.
“We can now train anyone in the state of West Virginia,” Umstot said.
According to Liller, the intensive training was well worth it.
“I enjoy my job; I really do,” he said. “That's why I did it.”
Transportation director John Haines, noting that this week is National School Bus Safety Week, praised the three operators – and all county 59 drivers – for their dedication and professionalism on the job.
“Last year, we drove about 900,000 miles and didn't have one accident that was our fault,” he said.
“This is just an outstanding group of drivers.”
Ketterman, Liller and Umstot join Chuck Burgess, who had previously undergone the state training, as the county's four certified trainers.
Keyser, W.Va. —
