Bus Ride Magazine (March 1999)

Finding driver applicants has never been a problem for Bob Prince.

As division superintendent for Gray Line of San Antonio/Lonestar Trolley Tours, a Coach USA company, Prince says he receives upwards of 10 times as many applications as he needs to fill his available positions, a dilemma many employers would no doubt relish. His drivers operate more than 300 vehicles that are used for four regular routes, of 150 to 300 miles one way, and charter runs. In addition, the company has a government contract to shuttle military personnel.

But finding quality among all that quantity hasn't always been an easy task, says Prince. The drivers he hires are responsible for $350,000 vehicles that may be carrying 50 passengers at a time. Hiring is not something Prince can take lightly.

"We have a tremendous amount of applicants," he says. "They all assume they can drive a bus, but, as in any job, there are people who are comfortable and do well, and others that can't do it. Some will find that passengers get on their nerves; others can't adjust to work hours that can be different day to day. There are people who are adaptive and those who aren't, and there are families that can adjust to the industry and those that can't. In our business, you work when there's work."

For Prince, who has been finding drivers for Gray Line for 18 years, hiring a quality driver comes down to one pragmatic reason. "The liability is extreme," he says. "We have to hire people who will accept opportunity and exercise good judgement. In the past, it was a bit of a guessing game."

But the days of guessing are now gone, reports Prince. Much of the guesswork of finding the right person was eliminated more than two years ago when he began working with Scheig Associates, a Gig Harbor, Wash.-based human resources firm.

Founded in 1980 by industrial sociologist Richard Scheig, Ph.D., Scheig Associates supplies pre-employment tests for both drivers and diesel mechanics in the bus industry. The written test, developed by interviewing top bus drivers and mechanics, can accurately identify who has the ability to be a top-flight employee.

"When managers hire a driver or mechanic, they are hoping the new employee will be as productive as their 'star' employee," Scheig says. "Our assessment increases the odds of that happening. People who score well mirror the same qualities of the top performers."

Predicting Productivity

The tests are divided into three sections: an experience and training section, followed by a section where applicants select from two job behaviors, the one best describing themselves. Lastly, a "critical choice" exercise asks candidates to choose between possible courses of action in response to works situations that bus drivers and mechanics actually encounter. When completed, the tests are faxed to Scheig, graded and returned, usually within the hour. Scoring software is also available.

Prince, for one, says the Scheig test has streamlined his hiring process and resulted in more productive employees.

"Customer service and safety are the two most important issues in this business," Prince says. "Since we started using the test, we are getting better quality drivers in both these aspects, as well as other important areas of job performance. As a group, they are generally easier to manage with less problems all around."

Since implementing the test, Prince has tested approximately 450 applicants and hired 100 of them. Turnover is all but gone, and only a handful of those 100 have left the company or been discharged in the past year and a half. The tested hires have had no accidents and have a clean slate with respect to customer service concerns, he adds.

Before implementing the test, Prince "tested the test" to make sure it was accurate. "We took our best drivers and some borderline drivers. The test told me what I already knew - who was our best and who was on the bubble. It accurately pegged our drivers."

Those who take the test for both bus drivers and diesel mechanics are given a "T" score. An average prospect would score a T50, while a prospect performing in the 90th percentile would score a T62.

"We advise our customers not to hire anybody whose score is below a T50," Scheig says. "If you go below that, you're are likely to get sub-average performance."

Prince learned that firsthand. "We went below the recommended score a couple of times," Prince says. "Our experience wasn't good. The one thing that's quite remarkable, and a surprise to me, is you really can't tell from an interview who will pass the test. Some people I was really impressed with didn't pass. On the other hand, I interviewed people who weren't as impressive in the interview but scored extremely well on the test and have since become excellent employees.

Measuring Maintenance Staff

Prince wasn't alone in hiring employees with sub-par scores. Gill  Thompson, maintenance manager for Frontier Tours of Sparks,
Nev., tried going below Scheig's recommended score when hiring diesel mechanics, but he met with poor results.

"I've hired people on the borderline," says Thompson, whose company operates 130 coaches and has 16 mechanices in four locations. "They've never worked out. They were gung ho at first, but after two or three months, the real person came out."

Thompson says he was hit by a rash of bad hires resulting in high turnover before he started using the Scheig diesel mechanic test a little more than two years ago. Thompson's turnover before utilizing the test was about 35 percent, he says. Since implementing the test, that number has been reduced to just 10 percent.

"The problem we were having was applicant screening," says Thompson, who has administered the Scheig test to more than 30 mechanics. "The person would have a good resume, but that wouldn't tell me anything. The people weren't working out. We decided if we could screen the applicant better, we'd have a better idea of how they're doing versus the national average."

Thompson, who tracks repairs and the mechanics who perform them, plus their productivity and whether repeat repairs are needed, has seen improvement there as well.

The difference between an average and top-notch mechanic is extreme in terms of dollar savings on productivity and rework, Scheig says. "If a mechanic is fixing lights and he also finds a leaky hose, some mechanics will just do what's on the work order. A superior mechanic adds the hose to the work order and continues on.

Unlike Prince, Thompson has trouble finding applicants. Changes in technology have brought on a nationwide shortage of diesel
mechanics, especially qualified diesel technicians. Scheig says that companies now must pay top dollar to keep top performers on the payroll.

"Good diesel mechanics can pretty much write their own ticket," Scheig says. "The industry has to offer more to keep them. By using the test, you can feel more comfortable about offering more money up front."

Thompson says the test has more than met his expectations. "We initially started using the test for two reasons. To find quality people and reduce turnover," he says. "It's worked on both counts. The people we are getting now are exceptional."