Petermann Bus drivers advance to national school bus safety competition after Ohio road-e-o wins

Petermann Bus team members from Lakota, Kings and Nordonia, Ohio, earned top finishes at regional and state school bus road-e-o competitions, with several qualifying for the 2027 NSTA International School Bus Safety Competition. The results highlight the company’s safety training and put multiple drivers on a path to compete nationally next summer.

Why it matters: - Petermann Bus drivers earned recognition for safety skills that directly affect student transportation. - Several team members advanced to the 2027 NSTA International School Bus Safety Competition, extending the impact beyond Ohio. - The results reinforce Petermann Bus’ focus on training, service quality and operational safety.

What happened: - Petermann Bus team members from Lakota, Kings and Nordonia competed in the Ohio School Bus Driver Safety Regional and State Road-e-o Competitions. - Participants completed a general knowledge written test and a driving skills event. - Judges evaluated pre-trip inspections, turns, railroad crossings, diminishing clearance, post-trip inspections and other operational tasks. - Several drivers posted top finishes at both the regional and state levels.

The details: - At the regional Road-e-o, 16 Lakota drivers competed and five placed in the top 10. - Lakota’s Matt Hull finished 2nd, Victoria Allen 3rd, Kenya Wehner 4th, Tara Paquette 5th and Ricky Nelson 8th. - Four Lakota drivers advanced to the state Road-e-o. - Lakota also earned team rankings: Victoria Allen, Rick Nelson, Jack Knoll and Amanda Thompson took 1st place, while Tina Flynn, Ryan Andersson, David Hoffman and Matthew Hull took 2nd place. - In Kings, 10 drivers participated and two earned individual rankings. - Kings driver Miko Hearston placed 10th, and Cole Wagers placed 11th and was named Rookie of the Year. - Kings team rankings included Shumiko Hearston, Cole Wagers, Michelle Smith-Landon and Austin Ivkovic in 3rd place. - Alisha Lemaster and Miya Maxberry finished 4th in the Special Needs Team Challenge. - In Nordonia, three drivers competed and Greg Hendrix advanced to the state Road-e-o after finishing 3rd regionally. - Rebecca Lovejoy placed 12th in the regional competition, and Lillian Bryant placed 26th in her first competition. - At the state Road-e-o, 36 participants competed. - Matthew Hull finished 2nd and Kenya Wehner finished 6th, qualifying both for the 2027 NSTA International School Bus Safety Competition. - Greg Hendrix finished 17th at the state competition and also qualified for the 2027 NSTA International School Bus Safety Competition.

Between the lines: - The competition results show a pipeline of skilled drivers across multiple Petermann Bus locations, not just one standout team. - The strong finishes suggest the company’s training and coaching efforts are producing measurable performance gains. - Mike Settle, senior vice president at Petermann Bus, said the competitions let team members showcase their skills and gain recognition from peers and the industry. - Settle also said the company supports professional growth and safety-focused development.

What's next: - Qualifying drivers will compete in the 2027 NSTA International School Bus Safety Competition next summer. - Petermann Bus is likely to continue using road-e-o participation as a way to build skills, recognize performance and reinforce safety culture. - The company said it will keep supporting employee growth and safety excellence across its transportation operations.

The bottom line: - Petermann Bus turned regional and state competition results into national qualification spots, underscoring safety as both a performance metric and a core business priority.