Metro Bus staff part of award-winning group
The Metro Bus Training & Safety Department was part of the Minnesota Rural Transit Assistance Program (RTAP) Entry Level Driver Training (ELDT) Working Group that was recently awarded the Management Innovation Award by the Minnesota Public Transit Association (MPTA) at its yearly conference in St. Cloud in October. MPTA presents the Management Innovation Award to individuals or organizations that have implemented a project that is innovative to the field of transit or have established a creative new partnership or method of addressing concerns of transit users.
The Working Group developed a training curriculum that all Minnesota transit agencies can use to be compliant with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) new ELDT requirements for first-time or upgraded commercial driver’s license (CDL) applicants. EDLT is part of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) Surface Transportation Act (2012) and the requirements went into effect February 7, 2022, following delays in implementation due to COVID. National RTAP is now sharing the resource with other states, and Minnesota has been mentioned at national conferences as an example of excellence.
The Metro Bus Training & Safety Department members are Manager Scott Stark, Specialist Dean Henkemeyer and Specialist Josh Sachs. Stark has been in his role for 5 years; Henkemeyer and Sachs for 4.5 years. All three began their careers as Operators for Metro Bus and have over 50 years of combined driving experience.
tark began initial ELDT-related conversations with Metro Transit in 2018 and made other Minnesota transit agencies aware of the ELDT requirements in January 2020. He also represented Metro Bus on the Minnesota RTAP Work Group throughout the process. Henkemeyer and Sachs spent time reviewing the Metro Bus curriculum for compliance and participated in the development of the final exams which require applicants to demonstrate commercial driving proficiency. All members of the department contributed to the formation of the ELDT content, documentation and evaluation criteria.
The members of the Metro Bus Training & Safety Department are committed to developing employees who deliver on the Metro Bus Mission to provide safe, reliable and friendly public transportation to St. Cloud, Sartell, Sauk Rapids and Waite Park. Their work on this project is just one example of the great work they do to ensure all Metro Bus employees have the tools to do their jobs effectively!