America's Great Fleets

November 1999

Dousman Transport Inc.
Dousman, Wis.

Magda Dimmendaal, owner of Dousman Transport Co., says she hasn't even advertised for drivers this year. Given her company's paltry 5 percent turnover rate, that's not surprising. What is surprising, however, is that she credits building administrators with helping her retain drivers.

"They realize that busing is not a four-letter word," says Dimmendaal. Principals and other site administrators have consistently supported her drivers on passenger discipline issues. And support the divers is critical. "Pamper them, pamper them, and pamper them" is Dimmendaal's advice on keeping drivers behind the wheel.

Dimmendaal bought the company, headquartered about 35 miles west of Milwaukee, more than 10 years ago and has more than doubled its size. She now operates 107 school buses for three school districts - Kettle Moraine, Arrowhead Area and Mukwonago. Each district is served from a separate terminal. Four mechanics at two maintenance facilities handle the upkeep of the equipment. Though the ratio of buses to mechanics is high at 26 to 1, Dimmendaal says nearly half of her fleet is less than 3 years old.

Dimmendaal says she's a firm believer in safety, but admits that she doesn't hold monthly safety meetings. "We don't hold meetings for the sake of meetings," she explains. She prefers to hold them when necessary, especially if she can schedule an interesting speaker.

Before the start of the school year, Dimmendaal tries to arrange for a motivational speaker to address the drivers. These speakers, she says, can be expensive, so she sometimes splits the cost with other school bus companies in the area. The company's insurance carrier occasionally helps to pay the speaker costs as well. "The insurance company realizes that if you have happy drivers, you also have safe drivers," Dimmendaal says.