Sevier County Schools School Bus Driver Guide
Sevier County Schools trains applicants without a CDL. Apply on paper in Sevierville; Tennessee requires age 25.
🎁 Limited-time: + free Tennessee CDL Passenger & School Bus study guide
Sevier County Schools, based in Sevierville, is the tenth-largest district in Tennessee, with about 14,400 students. Roughly 9,500 of them ride a bus, about 66 percent of enrollment, on a fleet of 183 buses. The district has not published a driver headcount, but it has a record of shortage pressure: it closed schools partly because seven bus routes could not be staffed, and it recruits year-round.
SCS employs its own School Bus Drivers, and applicants do not need a CDL to apply. The district states that applicants without a CDL can be trained to earn one. What it has not published is the starting pay rate or whether trainee hours are paid, so call before you plan around either. SCS also takes paper applications only, with no online portal. Tennessee sets the strictest entry standard in the country: age 25 and five years of unrestricted driving. This page covers the process, the paperwork, and the questions to ask.
Sevier County Schools 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 Sevier County
The path in order. The guide expands every step with the exact forms, links, and figures for Sevier County Schools.
Confirm you meet Tennessee's age and driving standard
Tennessee law requires School Bus Driver applicants to be at least 25 and to have five consecutive years of unrestricted driving experience. The age floor drops to 23 for honorably discharged veterans, National Guard or reserve members, and licensed teachers employed by a school district. A high school diploma or GED is preferred, and your driving record must meet the district's safe-driver standards.
Call Transportation, then submit a paper application
Call the Transportation Department at (865) 453-3568 first to verify you meet the licensing and medical requirements. Then fill out the Support Staff Application, sign and date it, and mail or hand-deliver it to the Sevier County Board of Education, Attn: Human Resources, 226 Cedar Street, Sevierville, TN 37862. There is no online portal. Certify your driving and employment history accurately.
Interview and ask the questions that matter
The Bus Garage at 1856 Jack Delozier Dr in Sevierville is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. SCS has not published its starting rate, trainee pay, or training schedule, so ask for the current hourly rate, whether any incentives are in effect, how many hours the posting carries, and when the next training class starts.
Clear the screenings after your offer
After a conditional offer you complete a TBI and FBI fingerprint check, the county board of education's criminal-offense investigation for your driver certificate, a DOT drug screen, a DOT physical, and Tennessee's annual school bus driver physical and mental exam. A DUI, vehicular assault, or controlled-substance conviction within the past five years bars the certificate. Confirm with Transportation who pays for screening.
Train for your Class B CDL with P and S endorsements
SCS trains applicants without a CDL to earn one and provides the training through its own program. You need the Class B with Passenger and School Bus endorsements plus the Tennessee county board driver certificate. The district's program satisfies the federal entry-level driver training rule. Training length and whether trainee hours are paid are not published, so get both answers before you commit.
Finish route training and start solo
New drivers pass the CDL knowledge exams and the three-part skills test in a School Bus, then ride routes with experienced trainers until they know their assignment and drive solo. SCS drivers are district employees on the school-year calendar with TCRS pension and district health plans. Buses run the BusRight badge-scan system, where each rider scans on boarding and exiting.
What's in the full Sevier County Schools 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 Tennessee CDL Passenger & School Bus endorsement study guide — the exact material on the two written tests, so you pass the first time. Bundled with your Sevier County Schools guide at no extra cost, for a limited time.
The real pay tables
Every step of the Sevier County Schools 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 Sevier County Schools 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.
Sevier County Schools bus driver questions
Do I need a CDL to apply to drive for Sevier County Schools?
No. SCS states that applicants without a CDL can be trained to earn one. You must hold the Class B with Passenger and School Bus endorsements and the county board certificate before you transport students. The district has not published training length, trainee pay, or whether it covers screening fees, so ask the Transportation Department at (865) 453-3568.
How do I apply to be a School Bus Driver in Sevier County?
On paper. SCS has no online portal. Complete the Support Staff Application, sign and date it, and mail or hand-deliver it to the Sevier County Board of Education, Attn: Human Resources, 226 Cedar Street, Sevierville, TN 37862. Call the Transportation Department at (865) 453-3568 before you apply to confirm you meet the licensing and medical requirements.
How much do Sevier County School Bus Drivers make?
SCS does not publish its bus driver pay schedule or starting rate, so no verified figure exists. The position is a 10-month, roughly 180-day job with a minimum of 5 hours per day, with the TCRS pension and district health plans. No bonus program is confirmed for 2026-27. Ask Transportation for the current hourly rate and any incentives before you apply.
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 Sevier County Schools.
The whole hiring process in one guide — pay, forms, contacts, and the calendar, all in order.