FRISCO, Texas – Using examples from sports and business, Ross Bernstein schooled student transportation leaders on the Champion’s Code. 

Author of over 50 books and a speaker on every continent – even Antarctica – Bernstein drew from his experience in locker rooms, press boxes, dugouts and sidelines to demonstrate that “being a champion is about doing the little things the right way.”  

Amid meetings with vendor partners brainstorming solutions to everyday operational challenges, tables of student transporters discussed Bernstein’s takeaways during Day 2 of the Transportation Director Summit on Thursday, an STN EXPO staple new this year at the Transporting Students with Disabilities (TSD) and Special Needs Conference and Trade Show.

Four Essential Soft Skills  

“People choose to do business with, to buy from, to be led by” people who are passionate, kind, generous and consistent, Bernstein declared.  

“You can’t fake passion,” he said, as exhibited by Kirby Puckett of the Minnesota Twins and his unbounded fervor for baseball. “If you’re not really, truly, authentically passionate about what you do, then you might need to think about what you do.”  

Bernstein illustrated the critical principle of compassion through two college softball team captains who assisted a rival player to finish rounding the bases after she became injured. Compassion, empathy and kind-heartedness are also crucial in attracting new school bus drivers from Generations Z and Alpha, he noted. 

Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky was the National Hockey League’s all-time leader in goals, but he had twice as many assists in which he helped another player score a goal, Bernstein revealed. Gretzky’s humble leadership and dedicated mentorship further shaped an effective team.  

Love him or hate him, Bernstein stated, “there was no off season” for New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, whose consistency, enthusiasm and meticulousness helped him overcome failures and net him seven National Football League Super Bowl championship rings. 

Business and transportation could take a page from sports, Bernstein emphasized, utilize a focused game plan, a data-based playbook and accountability for underperforming players.

“If you’re not there consistently showing up with passion and compassion, you don’t have successful teams that are serving our kids,” concurred STN Transportation Director of the Year Laura Hill, the general manager of transportation for Hillsborough County Public Schools in Florida, who was in attendance.  

Five Leadership Principles from Sports  

Bernstein advised the transportation directors, managers and supervisors to incorporate focus, trust, respect, goal setting and humility.  

Like American football players performing in cold climates they’re not accustomed to or student transporters dealing with everything from pandemics to rising fuel prices to government shifts to AI, mental toughness and focusing on only what you can control are crucial, Bernstein shared.  

One of the “winningest” coaches in college basketball history, Pat Summitt, won eight national championships with the University of Tennessee by recruiting the right players, not the best players, Bernstein noted. He said she also demonstrated how important it is to shift leadership techniques from old-school aggression and yelling to modernized culture-based strategies of connection, respect and praise.  

Baseball “clubhouse guys” like Harmon Killebrew of Bernstein’s hometown Minnesota Twins hold teams together by urging team members toward excellence in things as small as signing baseballs legibly, “making sure little problems don’t turn into big problems.” Pupil transportation teams similarly need someone reminding colleagues to follow safety guidelines and treat each other with respect, he added.  

Olympic gold medalist Lindsay Vonn exemplifies purpose and goal setting, Bernstein shared, by constantly shattering skiing records at every turn and moving into a new phase post-knee injury during which she mentored the proficient Mikaela Shiffrin, who has the most FIS Alpine Ski World Cup wins of any alpine skier in history.  

“Nobody wants to work with or be led by an arrogant, narcissistic jerk,” Bernstein quipped. He termed track and field champion Emma McGowan, who is also a special needs school bus driver, a “true professional” who refrains from antics and credits training for her wins. 

Related: (STN Podcast E330) Always Serving: Coast Guard Leadership in Student Transportation
Related: STN EXPO East Offers Sports Lessons for Transportation Leadership
Related: (STN Podcast E242) On the Court, Field, Ice, or Bus: Sports Principles for Outperforming the Norm
Related: Leadership Strategies Shared at STN EXPO West

Modernizing Business Best Practices  

Bernstein urged student transporters in attendance to be adaptable and get creative to succeed in a modernizing digital age.  

Adapting to change is key, as student transporters quickly learned when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and as they are learning now in the age of AI. “It’s about thinking differently – the old style of business is changing,” he said.

Hotels adapted in eco-friendly and inclusive ways to attract millennials and avoid losing customers to Airbnb. Similarly, Bernstein said, school district bus operations must adapt to the sensibilities of their Gen Z and Gen Alpha customers.  

He said creative strategies that have worked for him include connecting on a personal level with clients and having a social media strategy.  

“Be a cheerleader for your customers and prospects, those families, those communities,” he encouraged.  

The Power of Storytelling  

“Not everybody wins a trophy. Sometimes you’ve got to deal with stuff,” Bernstein said.  

He shared his experiences with U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame coach Herb Brooks of Disney movie “Miracle on Ice” renown, encouraging attendees to find silver linings and tell stories to make connections for better service to students.  

While never achieving his goal of playing on the University of Minnesota’s Golden Gophers hockey team, Bernstein became the “Goldie the Gopher” mascot and launched his author career with a book about Brooks’ team, which he wrote in college with the coach’s help.  

Following Brooks’s death in in a car crash, proceeds from Bernstein’s biography “America’s Coach” go toward a hockey organization for underprivileged youth. 

Brooks also acknowledged unsung behind the scenes staff, as Bernstein encouraged attendees to do with their school bus drivers, attendants and mechanics. 

“The name of the front of the jersey is always more important than the name on the back of the jersey,” Brooks once told Bernstein. “Always ‘we’ and ‘us,’ never ‘I’ and ‘me.’”  

While considering the legacy left by sports legends, Bernstein shared that a recent cancer diagnosis refocused him on living life to the fullest.  

“Remember, individuals win games, but it takes a whole team to win a championship,” he concluded.  

Photos by Tyler Davis. 

The post Sports Secrets of Success Shared at Transportation Director Summit   appeared first on School Transportation News.

In Churchill County School District in Fallon, Nevada, the value of Transfinder’s transportation management system looks different depending on where you sit.

For Transportation Director Austin Metz, it is about managing routes, serving approximately 1,300 students and finding practical ways to make a complex operation easier to manage. For transportation trainer Scotty Grenamyer, it is about something more immediate: being able to learn the system quickly, use it every day and give drivers and parents better information.

From both vantage points, the conclusion is remarkably similar.

“I wouldn’t change it,” Metz said. “I’m happy with what I’ve got and for the value it can’t be beat.”

Churchill County operates 17 routes and uses Transfinder’s transportation technology to help manage its operation. Metz said the district uses the award-winning Routefinder PLUS, parent app Stopfinder and Tripfinder to manage field trips. It also has Viewfinder for a deeper look at the transportation department’s transportation operation.

Each of the solutions help address everything from daily routing to field trips and parent communication.

For Metz, Stopfinder has been particularly valuable from the parent perspective.

“Stopfinder has been a great solution for our parents,” he said. “It’s very user friendly and our parents really enjoy being able to see where buses are in real time, set those GeoAlerts and contact us at the click of a button.”

That visibility can also translate into fewer questions for transportation staff.

Grenamyer, who works directly with drivers and transportation operations, sees the same benefit from a different perspective.

“Stopfinder has been really good,” he said. “I mean, I haven’t had any issue with it.”

More importantly, he said, Stopfinder has changed the parents’ experience.

“Very much so, yes,” Grenamyer said when asked whether Stopfinder had reduced calls from parents and improved communications. “It’s made it much easier.”

He added that parents appreciate knowing what is happening with their children during the school day.

“The parents love to be able to see that we’ve gotten their kids, picked them up and that that we made it to the school and dropped them off.”

Behind that parent-facing experience is the district’s routing operation. Metz said Routefinder PLUS offers the flexibility needed when circumstances change.

“It’s great,” he said, noting that once he learned the system, “there’s a world of possibilities and abilities to add, alter, absorb routes, it’s great.”

That flexibility proved especially useful when Churchill County needed to combine routes.

“We’ve had to combine routes once, and Routefinder made it extremely easy to just create a new trip, move those stops where they need to be, and send that information out to parents at the click of a button,” Metz said.

Grenamyer’s experience illustrates another important piece of the equation: usability.

As a transportation trainer, he works with the people who have to use the system in the real world. He said he was able to get comfortable with it relatively quickly.

“I got it like really quick,” he added. “Took me just a couple weeks to figure it out and I’ve been using it every day for my reports, routing, everything.”

For a transportation department, that ease of use can matter as much as the technology itself. A powerful system has to work for the people sitting behind the transportation desk as well as the people behind the wheel.

Churchill County also uses Tripfinder for field trips and activity trips. Metz said the product helps the district manage drivers, mileage and billing from a centralized dashboard.

“It allows us to track our drivers, track our mileage, and create invoices right from the dashboard,” he said. “And it makes it super simple for anyone that has to step into that role.”

Grenamyer has also found value in Transfinder’s support and learning resources. He said Transfinder Community, Transfinder’s portal featuring guides, videos, webinars, training sessions and more – has helped him continue building his knowledge of the system.

“I love that you guys have got that Community system where you can go and learn and do courses. I’m halfway through with it right now and I’m getting certifications,” he said.

When he hit a roadblock with PLUS, support was readily available.

“They walked me through it and then they actually even designed it where I could use it directly, have my own tabs for certain reports I want to run to automatically give me a 60-day warning.”

For Churchill County, the technology is not simply about routing buses. It is about giving transportation leaders flexibility, giving trainers usable tools, giving parents information and giving the district a system that can adapt as needs change.

Metz’s assessment of Transfinder’s technology is straightforward.

“I wouldn’t change it.”

And from the driver’s training side, Grenamyer offers an equally direct endorsement of support:

“I enjoy it and I love that they are very friendly and helpful.”

For a school transportation operation looking for technology that combines functionality, usability and value, Churchill County’s experience offers a compelling perspective—from the transportation director’s office to the people working with drivers every day.

Five Key Takeaways

• A complete transportation ecosystem: Churchill County School District relies on Routefinder PLUS, Stopfinder, Viewfinder and Tripfinder, creating a connected platform for routing, parent communication, reporting, and trip management. Records dating back to 2007 provide valuable historical data for planning and decision-making.
• Operational efficiency drives cost savings: Routefinder PLUS enables the transportation team to quickly modify, combine, and optimize routes when circumstances change, helping the district maximize resources and reduce administrative workload.
• Parent communication improves while phone calls decrease: Stopfinder gives families real-time bus visibility, geo-alerts, and direct communication tools. Staff spend less time answering routine inquiries.
• Trip management becomes more accountable: Tripfinder helps track drivers, mileage, and invoicing from a single dashboard, streamlining field trip administration and providing better financial oversight for transportation departments and business offices.
• Strong support accelerates staff productivity: Scotty was able to become proficient with the system within weeks, and Transfinder’s support team helped create customized reporting tools that monitor certifications, licenses, CPR renewals, and physicals, reducing compliance risks and saving administrative time.

Discover more on “From Driver-Trainer to Transportation Director” from Austin Metz in his own words.

To learn more about the STN Expo 2026 Innovation Choice Awards: award-winning Best Hardware, Best Software, Best Safety Technology, and Best Green Technology leveraged by Churchill County School District, visit www.transfinder.com, email solutions@transfinder.com or call 800-373-3609.

The post From the Director’s Desk to the Driver’s Seat: Transfinder Delivers Results appeared first on School Transportation News.

Taylor sits down for a special extended conversation with STN’s 2025 Transportation Director of the Year Keba Baldwin, director of transportation and fleet services at Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland. He talks school startup operations, parent and media communication, AI and autonomous technology, leading STN EXPO sessions, alternative transportation and more.

Read more about leadership.

This episode is brought to you by Transfinder.

Message from School Radio.

Message from EverDriven. 

Stream, subscribe and download the School Transportation Nation podcast on Apple Podcasts, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Spotify and YouTube.

The post (STN Podcast E319) Been Around the Block: Transportation Director of the Year Expertise & Advice appeared first on School Transportation News.