The August Route Report: The Final Countdown to School Start

Welcome to the August edition of the Route Report — SBL’s monthly recommendations to keep transportation teams stay ahead. August is all about stress-testing your routes like they’re live, because soon, they will be.

August is here, which means transportation departments are in the home stretch of route prep. With the first day of school just around the corner, it’s time to put routes to the test and make sure they actually work in the real world. The experts at School Bus Logistics have pulled their top tips for making the most of your preparations so your team can go into the new school year with confidence. 

Here’s what to focus on as the countdown begins:

1. Route Bidding and Driver Pick 

Transparency with your drivers and an organized bidding system will help set the tone for a smooth launch. 

• Print, package, and hang finalized routes for bidding 

• Provide clear details on start times, stops, and vehicle assignments

• Ensure all bidding materials are accurate and up to date 

2. Dry Runs 

This is the time to catch errors and inefficiencies early, so you can avoid day one chaos.

• Schedule driver dry runs to test timing and stop placements 

• Encourage drivers to take notes and report back with any red flags 

• Use this as a feedback window to make edits before the first student boards 

3. Make Final Edits, Then Freeze 

After you tweak what’s necessary, hit pause on route changes. 

• Incorporate driver feedback and correct any known issues

• Put a freeze period in place where no changes are allowed so routes can stabilize until school begins (except for Special Ed) 

• Choose a date post-start to resume adjustments 

4. Using RouteHub? Keep Up to Date Data 

SBL’s cloud-based platform, RouteHub, can help your team stay on top of route requests and changes. Here’s how to prep the platform: 

• Create a new school year in RouteHub

• Import current student and routing data 

• Train or refresh staff on how to use the platform to log and manage requests 

• Upload the most updated IEPs and make sure appropriate staff can access them

Need Support for the Final Push?
If your team is feeling stretched thin, you’re not alone. School Bus Logistics offers hands-on help with routing — whether with operational consulting, training, or implementing RouteHub (or any routing software you use). We’ve supported hundreds of districts through school start, and we know what makes the difference. 

Stay Tuned for September’s Route Report

We’ll determine what’s needed once school is back in session.