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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

The Chilton County Schools Transportation Department extended their highly impressive streak of perfect bus inspection scores to five consecutive years following their 2025 inspections. Conducted by the Alabama State Department of Education, the inspections happen each year across all 67 counties in Alabama. With the addition of buses into its fleet bringing the total number north of 130 buses, CCS had over 10,000 checkpoints throughout its buses that were inspected. After it was all said and done, not a single major safety infraction was found by inspectors on buses that transport thousands of Chilton County students twice a day from August to May.

“We take our job seriously, and put pride and dedication into it,” Glen Johnson, CCS Transportation Shop Foreman, said. “We are not hauling products, we are hauling momma’s babies. We take it seriously, and to see the kids at the schools getting on the buses it hits you and you feel like you are responsible for a lot.”

CCS is continuing to keep older buses in commission with some buses up to 18 years old in the fleet still running at top shape. They added 14 new buses this school year that will allow older buses to be decommissioned and the fleet will be steadily upgraded as well. The state inspector said with the volume and age of the CCS fleet, just one perfect score ever would be great. Five-in-a-row is unheard of.

“It takes us all to do it,” Johnson said. “To know we are still running 18-year-old buses with over 165,000 miles on them is big time. It is phenomenal when you keep that old of a bus up to par like we do and still score a 100%.”

The state inspections consist of everything to do with the safety of the school bus from inside and out. From the emergency exits and motor, which have the most time and checkpoints issued to them during inspections, to cracked windshields, burnt out safety lights and more. The state raises each bus with a lift and goes under it with flashlights to conduct a thorough inspection as well. Things as small as a faded front sign or too soft of padding on seats are major infractions that could dock points during the inspections. The inspections can find minor issues that do not affect the perfect score. As minor infractions are found during the state inspections, the CCS shop’s mechanics will fix them on the spot to make sure they are tended to promptly.

“Our preparations do not start the day before the state inspector gets here,” Johnson said. “It begins the minute he walks out from doing our state inspection to the minute he walks back in the door a year later. It takes every day, and it is a lot. We have a great group of mechanics and a whole great staff.”

The shop conducts its own monthly inspections of every bus in its fleet, averaging about six buses per day. All the work leading up to landing another perfect score and keeping the monumental streak going.