NAPT Announces School Bus Driver Safety and Risk Index™

ALBANY, N.Y., Aug. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- School bus drivers are among the most scrutinized drivers on the road; their performance is expected to be near perfect, every time, which means they must consistently make the right call in challenging situations. But how do we know if they will – or won't?

The National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) has partnered with an Atlanta-based consulting firm called The Dash Group to create a unique, customized way for employers  to assess a school bus driver's capacity for sound judgment.

The School Bus Driver Safety and Risk Index™ is tailored to measure a school bus driver's decision-making ability.  The assessment is available online and should take most job applicants no more than 10-12 minutes to complete.  Afterward, employers receive a confidential, downloadable report that gives them a sense of a candidate's:

• Problem solving ability
• Task accomplishment, dependability and work ethic
• Capacity to deal with difficult people and situations
• Ability to notice, sense, absorb clues
• Focus and concentration
• Following directions
• Personal and work stress, coping skills and attitude
• Understanding what's most important

The School Bus Driver Safety and Risk Index™ is not a personality test, or an IQ test. It cannot be "gamed".  The core product was developed during WWII by German scientist Robert Hartman who was nominated for a Nobel Prize for his work proving that one's values, or what someone holds important, directly affect one's behavior. His Hartman Value Inventory has been subjected to hundreds of validity studies and is used by corporations around the world to assess leadership.

"Most school transportation service providers check a driver's police and DMV records and test for drug use, but haven't previously had a specific way to assess an intangible like good judgment that is unique to each individual," said Keith P. Henry, CDPT, President of NAPT.  "We see this as an important additional component of driver recruitment and training."

Dash Group CEO Catherine Hickem, said, "Just as we assume and expect airline pilots behind the locked flight deck door to have good judgment as things unfold at 35,000 feet, parents expect no less of their child's school bus driver. Knowing more about someone's capacity to exercise good judgment is an important piece to mitigating risk out on the road."

This unique service can be used as a first line assessment in hiring. If a driver candidate scores poorly the process can stop before money is spent on DMV checks, background checks or drug screenings.  It can also be used to assess current employees and help employers ensure those employees receive appropriate training or support.

For more information contact NAPT at (800) 989-NAPT or www.napt.org/driverindex or visit www.saferschoolbusdriver.com

SOURCE National Association for Pupil Transportation