Rockwood Transportation Earns 99.2% in Annual Bus Safety Inspections

The Rockwood Transportation Department earned a first-time pass rate of 99.2 percent on this year’s annual Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) bus inspection process.

Out of the 129 active Rockwood School District buses, only one was not a first-time pass. Rockwood routinely tops 98 percent on a yearly basis – scores around 10 to 12 percent higher than the state average – and earned a perfect first-time pass rate in 2017 and 2024. This year, the state average first-time pass rate was 90 percent. Rockwood is one of only 11 districts in the state with more than 125 buses in its fleet and recorded the third-highest pass rate of those districts.

Rockwood will maintain its Fleet Excellence award from the MSHP, earned by having more than 90 percent of a fleet's vehicles pass first-time inspections. 

"Through the unified effort of Missouri State Highway Patrol personnel and pupil transportation professionals statewide, the successful inspection of over 11,000 school buses occurred in accordance with Missouri revised state statutes,” said Colonel Michael A. Turner, superintendent of the MSHP, in a news release. “The annual inspection of school buses is one of many ways the patrol, Missouri schools and private pupil transportation companies work together to ensure the safety of children while they travel on school buses.”

Rockwood’s Transportation maintenance staff members play a pivotal role in keeping district buses in top shape, and their dedication is reflected each year in MSHP inspections. Each school day, the Rockwood Transportation team provides safe, efficient transportation to and from school for more than 10,700 students.

Rockwood’s maintenance team works closely with the district’s drivers to identify potential issues with the buses and address them promptly. Maintenance staff members also keep a detailed repair history for each bus so they can identify potential trends. 

Rockwood maintenance shop supervisor Kevin Westhoff and skilled mechanics Mike Davidson, Dustin Frank, Damon Highley and Kurt Repa began the process of preparing the buses for inspection in January and – by the time of the inspections in the spring – all the buses on the fleet received three or four rounds of thorough checks.

This is in addition to day-to-day maintenance of the bus fleet and “white fleet” of district vehicles – more than 230 vehicles total – as well as driving routes when they need to be covered.

State inspectors judge school buses based on criteria such as brake performance, lighting, steering mechanisms, windshield wipers, tires and more.

We are always looking for dedicated, hard-working applicants to join our award-winning Rockwood Transportation team. For more information and to apply, please visit the district Transportation webpage.