Fleet Operations and Safety Manager

Hamilton County Department of Education; Chattanooga (TN); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Hamilton County Department of Education in Chattanooga seeks a Transportation Fleet and Safety Manager to oversee the district's fleet and fuel programs, ensuring safety, compliance, and operational efficiency. The role includes delivering driver training, conducting assessments, and ensuring adherence to transportation regulations.

This position coordinates with school administrators, HR, procurement, and legal; manages maintenance scheduling, asset tracking, and GPS/telematics systems; and

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED required.
• Valid Tennessee Class B CDL with Passenger and School Bus endorsements.
• Five years of CDL driving experience.
• Teaching or training experience preferred.
• Knowledge of federal/state/local school bus transportation laws.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Good planning, organization, problem-solving and time management.
• Proficiency with PC software including MS Office and transportation systems.

Responsibilities

• Manage and oversee the district's fleet and fuel programs, ensuring safety and compliance.
• Provide classroom and behind-the-wheel instruction to bus driver trainees and ongoing training for district drivers.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local transportation regulations.
• Develop, enforce, and monitor fleet policies, safety standards, and maintenance programs.
• Investigate accidents and incidents involving district vehicles; coordinate reporting and corrective actions.
• Coordinate with school admins, HR, Procurement, and Legal to enforce standards and compliance.
• Schedule driver training, remedial training, and post-crash instruction as required.

Skills

Safety training

Verbal and written communication

Planning and organization

PC proficiency

Education

High School Diploma/GED

Tennessee Class B CDL with Passenger and School Bus endorsements

Job description

Overview

The purpose of this classification is to manage and oversee the District’s fleet and fuel programs while ensuring safety, compliance, and operational efficiency. This position supports and delivers driver training programs, conducts assessments and investigations, and ensures compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local transportation regulations.

Overview

The purpose of this classification is to manage and oversee the District’s fleet and fuel programs while ensuring safety, compliance, and operational efficiency. This position supports and delivers driver training programs, conducts assessments and investigations, and ensures compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local transportation regulations.

Responsibilities

Since every duty associated with this position may not be described herein, employees may be required to perform duties not specifically spelled out but may be considered incidental in the performance of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the duties herein described.

• Maintains the qualifications for listing on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Trainer Provider Registry


• Provides classroom and behind-the-wheel instruction to bus driver trainees, maintenance drivers, and continuing education for all authorized district drivers.


• Manage daily operations of the district’s fleet and fuel management programs, ensuring compliance with all federal, state, and local regulations.


• Oversee fleet procurement, preventative maintenance scheduling, lifecycle planning, and asset tracking for all fleet vehicles and equipment.


• Monitor fuel usage, inventory, and contracts; implement controls to prevent misuse and ensure cost-efficient operations.


• Develop, manage, and enforce fleet policies, safety standards, and preventive maintenance programs.


• Analyze operational, safety, and cost data; prepare reports and recommend performance improvements or budget adjustments.


• Administer and optimize HCS GPS/telematics systems to monitor vehicle performance, ensure data accuracy, and support data-driven decision making.


• Schedule, plan, and conduct driver training, remedial training, and post-crash instruction as required.


• Investigate accidents and incidents involving district vehicles, coordinate reporting, corrective actions, and follow-up.


• Collaborate with school administrators, vendors, Human Resources, Procurement, and Legal to ensure enforcement of standards and compliance requirements.


• Maintain effective communication with department leadership regarding operational concerns, incidents, or emerging risks.


• Organize work schedules to meet deadlines and respond to operational demands, including occasional non-standard work hours.


• Operate a motor vehicle as required to perform job duties.


• Stay current on all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations governing school transportation operations and driver training.


• Identifies and prioritizes improvement programs and processes; makes recommendations to the director for improvements to the program.


• Communicates through the proper channels to keep the director and other appropriate personnel informed of impending problems or events of unusual nature.


• Complies with applicable district, state, and federal codes, laws, rules, regulations, standards, policies, and procedures.


• Adheres to the Teacher Code of Ethics as defined by Tennessee Law.


• Acts in a professional, respectful, and courteous manner at all times.


• Maintains confidentiality.


• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Education, Experience, and Qualifications

• High School Diploma/GED required;


• Maintain a valid Tennessee Class B CDL with both Passenger and School Bus endorsements;


• Five (5) years of driving CDL driving;


• Or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities for this job.


• Experience in teaching or training is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Ability to understand and disseminate all federal, state, and local laws regarding school bus transportation.


• Ability to develop and administer safety training classes.


• Demonstrates excellent verbal and written communication skills to work with students, parents, school personnel, community, and court systems.


• Demonstrates excellent planning, organizational, problem-solving, decision-making, and time management skills.


• Ability to operate a personal computer with proficiency. This includes, but is not limited to, Microsoft Office Suite and all applicable programs for the Transportation department.

Compensation

Salary is based on a combination of relevant education and experience. Grade: 2001