Paulding County Transportation had 30 bus drivers to compete in an obstacle course to see who is the best bus driver. There were 8 difficult obstacles that tested their driving skills. The 8 events were Parallel Parking, Rail Road Crossing, Stop line, Back Up, Diminishing Clearance, Straight Line, Curb Line and Student Bus Stop. The top 2 contestants will move on to compete in the State Competition June 3-4.

Congratulations to our winners: (L-R) 3rd Place Bobby Foster, 1st Place Sissy Summerville, 2nd Place Margaret Blackburn

Here is a description of the events:

1. Curb Line- Driver is to pull bus close to the curb without hitting it within a limited distance.
2. Parallel Parking- Driver is to parallel park as close to curb without hitting curb or cones within a limited amount of space.
3. Back Up- Driver is to back a bus from a 90 degree angle into a stall with a limited amount of space without hitting any cones or boundary lines and stop back bumper 4-5 feet from rear barrier.
4. Diminishing Clearance- Driver is to drive the bus in a straight line as the clearance narrows.
5. Straight Line- Straight Line where the bus driver drives the passenger side tires through the balls without hitting any.
6. Railroad Crossing- School bus drivers are required by law to stop at all crossings and driver must complete all procedures used in crossing.
7. Stop Line- Driver is judged on how close they bring the bus to a stop line without having the bumper on top of the line.
8. School Bus Stop- School bus drivers are required by law to use certain procedures when making a bus stop and the driver is judged on all procedures.