What 43 Years in Transportation Taught Craig Beaver About Leadership

From trucking to school busing, Craig Beaver is retiring after 43 years in transportation, but not before sharing some hard-earned lessons from one of Oregon’s largest school districts. In this episode of The Route, the soon-to-be-former Beaverton School District transportation director sits down with School Bus Fleet to reflect on the evolution of student transportation, his experience with alternative fuels and EVs, the rise of AI, and the leadership philosophy that helped shape his department’s culture. Together, we cover: • Building a strong transportation team culture • Driver recruitment and retention strategies • Electric buses vs. propane and diesel • How AI could reshape routing and operations • Leadership lessons from 43 years in the industry • Managing organizational change successfully and mapping out how not to fail • Working with unions and resolving grievances • Preparing the next generation of transportation leaders • Why kindness and consistency still matter most The Route is sponsored by ‪@icbus‬, proudly offering vehicles and solutions that are ahead of their class. Visit them online at https://www.icbus.com/ #SchoolTransportation #SchoolBus #SchoolBusFleet #beaverton #transportationleadership Be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your transportation team. 🚌 Subscribe to School Bus Fleet in print or online: https://www.schoolbusfleet.com/pages/... 🚌 Sign up for our newsletters: https://www.schoolbusfleet.com/pages/... Follow and connect with SCHOOL BUS FLEET on social media: -Connect with SBF on LinkedIn ➡️ / school-bus-fleet -Like SBF on Facebook ➡️ / schoolbusfleet -Follow SBF on X ➡️ https://x.com/SchoolBusFleet -Follow us on Instagram ➡️ ⁠  / ⁠   🎧 Prefer to listen? Be sure to subscribe to the SCHOOL BUS FLEET podcast! -Spotify ➡ https://open.spotify.com/show/2cC4yel... -Apple ➡ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... -Amazon Music ➡ https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/985... -Audible ➡ https://www.audible.com/podcast/ITEM_... -iHeartRadio ➡ https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-th... ⏱ Timestamps ⏱ 0:00 Intro 1:11 Meet Craig Beaver 2:36 From trucking to busing 6:45 Secrets to strong culture and morale 9:33 Industry shifts: Tech, AI & EVs 13:02 Tips for navigating change 19:05 Craig’s proudest accomplishments 22:45 Lessons learned the hard way 25:07 Why Craig loves propane & renewable fuels 28:54 Advice for aspiring leaders 31:23 A vision for the future 35:14 Plans for retirement and closing thoughts