Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 School Bus Driver Guide
No CDL required. Illinois Central School Bus, Waukegan's contractor, hires and trains you, with posted pay of $25.50 to $29.50/hr.
🎁 Limited-time: + free Illinois CDL Passenger & School Bus study guide
Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 is the tenth-largest district in Illinois, enrolling roughly 13,600 students across 22 schools in Lake County. Between 5,000 and 6,000 of them, from pre-K through eighth grade, ride yellow buses each day, and the district's transportation manager reports it has not been hit as hard by the driver shortage as most districts. High school students ride Pace public transit rather than district buses.
Here is what makes Waukegan different: the district does not employ its route drivers. It contracts its bus service to Illinois Central School Bus, so you apply to the contractor, not the district, and the contractor hires, trains, and pays you. Applicants do not need a CDL, and the contractor's network advertises free CDL training, though the Waukegan terminal has not published its trainee rate or training length. This page covers the real hiring path, what the job pays, and what to confirm before you commit.
Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 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 Waukegan
The path in order. The guide expands every step with the exact forms, links, and figures for Waukegan Community Unit School District 60.
Confirm you qualify before you apply
Contractor drivers must be at least 21, which matches the Illinois minimum age for a School Bus Driver permit. You need a valid driver's license held at least 3 years with no revocation, suspension, or cancellation in that period, and a record that meets the contractor's safe-driver standards. Serious moving violations and DUIs disqualify. No experience is necessary.
Apply to the contractor, not the district
Waukegan CUSD 60 contracts its route service, so you apply through the contractor's hiring site. Start at wps60.org, which links to the job board at driveayellowbus.com, and search "School Bus Driver." Late- network postings advertised walk-in interviews Monday through Friday, but one ad listed a different terminal, so call the Waukegan terminal at 847-249-4100 before you drive over.
Interview with the terminal
Expect a phone, virtual, or in-person interview with the contractor. They want to know you will show up every day, drive safely, and stay calm around children. Ask about the current starting rate, whether the trainee posting is full-time or part-time, and when the next training class starts.
Clear the screenings after your offer
After a conditional offer you complete the pre-employment battery: a DOT physical with a Medical Examiner's Certificate, a DOT drug screen, a fingerprint-based criminal background check through the Illinois State Police and the FBI, and the annual Illinois School Bus Driver medical exam. Your driving record, including any out-of-state history, is checked. The Waukegan terminal has not published who pays the 8-hour Illinois course and fingerprint fees, so ask.
Earn your CDL through the contractor's training
School Bus Drivers need a Class B CDL with the P (passenger) and S (School Bus) endorsements. The contractor trains applicants who arrive without one, and its network postings advertise free CDL training and paid training. The Waukegan terminal has not published its trainee hourly rate or program length, so confirm both. Training includes the 8-hour initial Illinois classroom course with first aid and the three-part skills test.
Ride with a trainer, then drive solo
After licensing, you ride your assigned route with experienced trainers until you know it, then drive solo. Contractor drivers work a school-year schedule with summers, holidays, and breaks off, and the Illinois School Bus Driver permit renews annually with a physical and a 2-hour refresher.
What's in the full Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 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 Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 guide at no extra cost, for a limited time.
The real pay tables
Every step of the Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 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 Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 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.
Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 bus driver questions
Does the Waukegan school district hire School Bus Drivers directly?
Not for route service. Waukegan CUSD 60 contracts its buses to Illinois Central School Bus, and route drivers are contractor employees, so you apply to the contractor. The district separately employs about 4 in-district drivers for high school shuttles and field trips. Confirm current openings with the Waukegan terminal at 847-249-4100.
Do I need a CDL, and who pays for training?
You do not need a CDL to apply. The contractor hires applicants with a regular driver's license and trains them for the Class B CDL with P and S endorsements, and its network postings advertise free CDL training. The Waukegan terminal has not published its trainee wage, training length, or who pays the Illinois 8-hour course and fingerprint fees, so ask before you commit.
How much do Waukegan School Bus Drivers make, and are there bonuses?
The Illinois Central Waukegan terminal posted $25.50 to $29.50 per hour. Drivers are represented by Teamsters Local 777, though the current contract status is unconfirmed. Illinois Central postings at other Illinois terminals advertise $3,500 sign-on bonuses, but no bonus has been confirmed for Waukegan, so ask the terminal whether any incentive is in effect.
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 Waukegan Community Unit School District 60.
The whole hiring process in one guide — pay, forms, contacts, and the calendar, all in order.