Published Originally in the Utah Statesman on Feb. 11, 2008
By JP Parrish
Staff Writer
Seeking fun-loving college student to work with the greatest boss ever. Will help earn money for school in a convenient on-campus job. Get to know a tightly knit group of co-workers. Class B commercial driver’s license required.
This is what several Aggie Shuttle drivers said about their job.
Driver John Hambleton, a sophomore in aviation maintenance management, said driving an Aggie Shuttle is easy money. He said he just drives and makes sure things are safe.
Alden Erickson, the director of Aggie Shuttles, said he compares the responsibility of driving a bus to flying an airplane – the responsibility for life is the same. He said many safety measures are taken to ensure the best shuttle system possible.
Each driver must have a class B commercial driver’s license, Erickson said. There are several steps to earning one. Erickson said each driver takes a Department of Transportation physical. This federally mandated procedure ensures each Aggie Shuttle driver is fit to be driving. There is a series of three or more tests of knowledge and 10 hours of driver training.
Even with a CDL, Aggie Shuttle drivers must pass Aggie standards – policies, procedures, and safety, Erickson said. Drivers need to pass federal drug tests and have no more than three accidents in either private or professional driving, and an hour training each month. All these help keep drivers the best they can be, he said.
Next to safety, the most important part of the job is keeping students happy, Erickson said. Drivers regularly greet and bid farewell to their passengers.
Driver Brad Turner, a junior in pre-business, said he believes in being nice to passengers.
Trell Whitehead, a junior in mechanical engineering, said students are grateful for the service provided. Many students ride regularly, Whitehead said, and it allows drivers to get to know people.
Interaction with students is what breaks the monotony, said driver Adam Howard, sophomore in landscape architecture.
The Aggie Shuttle system is geared toward the students, Erickson said.
“I strive to maintain the very best university shuttle system,” Erickson said.
The Aggie Shuttles are among the cheapest per rider in Utah, Erickson said, and the system set up is very efficient with the student fees. The shuttles use alternative fuels, better and cleaner for the environment and cheaper. Standard diesel fuel costs about $3.84 per gallon while the compressed natural gas is $0.84.
To help keep student fees down, the Aggie Shuttles raise between $25,000 and $30,000 in advertising per year, he said. There is additional help, Erickson said, in the number of $60,000 through chartering the shuttles out.
“I want to stay out of the students’ pockets as much as possible,” Erickson said.
Students should take advantage of the Aggie Shuttle GPS tracking, he said. Students can track where the individual shuttles actually are via www.aggiebus.com. Their locations are updated online every 10 seconds. Students can access this site through their Internet-enabled mobile phones or wireless laptops. Erickson said this way students don’t have to stand in the cold.
Aggie Shuttle drivers work as a collaborative team, said driver Tyler King, a Spanish major in the secondary education program.
The drivers are concerned with safety and making students happy, Erickson said.
“I could leave and they would run the system themselves,” Erickson said.
But Hambleton said he works with the greatest boss ever, and Turner agreed.
“Alden Erickson is a nice guy,” Turner said. “He is the best boss I’ve ever had. A really good boss makes the difference.”
When Erickson needs to correct a problem, Turner said it always helps and he is really looking out for the drivers.
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