Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 School Bus Driver Guide
No CDL needed. First Student and Durham train you, pay for your CDL, and post $24 to $29 an hour in Plainfield.
🎁 Limited-time: + free Illinois CDL Passenger & School Bus study guide
Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 is the fifth-largest district in Illinois, enrolling about 24,500 students in 30 schools across roughly 64 square miles of Will County. The district owns no buses and employs no drivers. Its transportation is 100 percent contracted: First Student runs the regular-education routes, and Durham runs about 108 special-education routes under a three-year partnership. Both contractors advertise active hiring in Plainfield.
That means you apply to a contractor, not the district. Both contractors take applicants with no CDL and advertise paid CDL training, so a regular license and a clean record are enough to start. The training pay rate is not published, so ask before you apply. This page covers the real Plainfield process, how the two employers differ, and what the job pays.
Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 at a glance
The essentials, pulled from official sources. The full pay tables, the exact application walkthrough, and the school calendar are in the guide.
How to become a School Bus Driver in Plainfield
The path in order. The guide expands every step with the exact forms, links, and figures for Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202.
Confirm you qualify before you apply
Illinois sets the floor: you must be at least 21 with a clean 3-year driving history, meaning no revocation, suspension, or cancellation in that window. Serious moving violations and DUIs are disqualifying. A high school diploma or GED is preferred, not required. You do not need a CDL to apply.
Choose First Student or Durham and apply directly
District 202 has two different employers with separate postings. First Student hires for regular-education routes at workatfirst.com. Durham hires for special-education routes through its hiring events page. Search the title "School Bus Driver" and apply early; positions stay open until filled.
Interview with the contractor
Durham holds walk-in interviews Monday through Friday at its lot at 22544 W 143rd St in Plainfield. For First Student, call the Plainfield terminal at 815-726-0033, since its street address is not published. Interviews are practical: they want to know you will show up every day, drive safely, and stay calm around children.
Clear the screenings after your offer
After a conditional offer you complete the pre-employment battery: an Illinois State Police and FBI fingerprint check, a DOT 5-panel drug screen, a DOT physical with a Medical Examiner's Certificate, and the annual Illinois school bus driver medical exam. Your driving record is pulled and checked, including out-of-state history. Ask the contractor who covers these costs.
Earn your CDL in the contractor's paid training
School Bus Drivers need a Class B CDL with the P (passenger) and S (School Bus) endorsements. Durham's postings read "No experience necessary! We train!" and First Student advertises paid CDL training. The program satisfies the federal entry-level driver training rule. Neither publishes program length, so ask for the next class start date.
Finish the Illinois permit and start your route
Illinois requires a separate annual School Bus Driver permit from the Secretary of State ($4, valid one year), an 8-hour initial classroom course with first aid, and a 2-hour refresher each year after. You then ride routes with experienced trainers until you know yours and drive solo. No nights or weekends on regular routes.
What's in the full Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 guide
35+ pages, twelve chapters, written in plain English — everything above in full detail, plus the parts that change year to year.
Right now, includes a free Illinois CDL Passenger & School Bus endorsement study guide — the exact material on the two written tests, so you pass the first time. Bundled with your Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 guide at no extra cost, for a limited time.
The real pay tables
Every step of the Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 pay scale, benefits, and the split-shift schedule — the numbers that decide if this fits your life.
The application, walked through
Exactly what to submit and which documents to attach, so you are not knocked out on a technicality.
The interview
The three things every interviewer is really asking, and what to highlight. (Free in the sample.)
Screenings & paid CDL training
Every screening after your offer, who pays for what, and how you are trained toward your CDL.
The school calendar
This year's Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 calendar — work days, holidays, and breaks — so you know your real schedule.
Managing a bus full of kids
The passenger-management techniques veteran drivers swear by. (Also free in the sample.)
See inside before you buy
A few real pages from the manual — the interview and passenger-management chapters — so you can judge the quality yourself.
Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 bus driver questions
Does Plainfield District 202 hire its own School Bus Drivers?
No. District 202 owns no buses and employs no drivers. First Student drives the regular-education routes and Durham drives the special-education routes, and they are separate employers with separate postings. The district transportation office at 815-436-7800 answers route questions but does not hire.
How much do Plainfield School Bus Drivers make?
Contractor postings list $24 to $29 an hour, and a Durham Plainfield listing shows $26 an hour. The contractor sets pay, and the paid-training rate is not published, so confirm the live figure before you apply. The job is part-time, with 6 hours a day guaranteed on First Student regular routes and 20 hours a week on Durham special-education routes.
Does Plainfield offer a sign-on bonus?
Durham has advertised a hiring bonus of up to $3,500. First Student's Plainfield posting advertises a $5,000 sign-on bonus, but its own fine print says the bonus expired, so treat it as stale and ask First Student what is in effect. Bonus programs come and go with the shortage, so ask both contractors before you choose.
What's the free CDL study guide?
For a limited time, every district guide comes bundled with a free study guide for your state's CDL Passenger and School Bus endorsements — the two written tests you'll take. It covers exactly what's on those tests so you can pass the first time, at no extra cost.
Is this an official guide from the School District?
No. It is an independent preparation guide, not affiliated with or endorsed by any School District. It organizes the public information into one clear manual so you do not have to dig for it.
How do I get the guide after I pay?
Instantly. Checkout takes about a minute, then you get a download link on the screen and by email. It is a PDF you can open on any phone, tablet, or computer and keep.
Get hired in Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202.
The whole hiring process in one guide — pay, forms, contacts, and the calendar, all in order.