Centennial Bus Driver Receives International Award

When it comes to parallel parking a bus, Larry Hannon has everyone in the U.S. and Canada beat—seven times over.

On Sunday, Hannon, who is a morning bus driver for Centennial School District, won the School Bus Driver International Safety Competition for the seventh time in the last 34 years.

There's nothing in it for the competitors, only the glory of knowing they're the best of the best when it comes to manning a 64-passenger bus.

And Hannon's bosses couldn’t be more proud.

“From our standpoint, we think the competition is important because it emphasizes the safety aspect,” said Wayne Robinson, supervisor of transportation services at Centennial School District. “We’ve got our drivers out there (going) 850 thousand miles a year, and usually without any problems or incidents.”

This year the competition was held in Baltimore, MD, but the 28 internationals Hannon has competed in have allowed him to travel as far as Seattle, WA.

“I don’t know why I do it, I just stick with it,” Hannon said. “Once I started doing it, I just never wanted to stop.”

To get to internationals, drivers first have to finish in the top three in the local and state competitions.

Hannon said there are consistently about 100 drivers in each level of competition.

This year, Hannon placed second in Bucks and Montgomery counties and third in the state of Pennsylvania.

The international competition consists of a written test as well as a demonstration of a series of behind-the-wheel manuevers that showcase the driver's ability to safely handle the vehicle.

“There’s no speed involved,” Hannon said. “It’s all precision.”

Drivers must demonstrate the kinds of things one might expect, like crossing a railroad properly, making right turns, picking up kids at a bus stop and backing up into a dock.

But there are also more unconventional tests such as going through what is called a diminishing clearance—where the driver must cruise between a set of standards that narrow down to only two inches larger than the bus.

But of the 10 parts of the driving portion, Hannon considers parallel parking one of the hardest.

“(You have to park in) a space of a bus plus seven feet,” he said.

When it comes to Hannon’s secret to success it’s simple: he hits the books and practices, with the help of his wife and 27-year-old son.

“I practice two-to-three weeks before, after work,” he said. “We set up the events and they help make sure I don’t run in to anything.”

But Hannon isn’t just a morning school bus driver — he’s a guy who’s passionate about driving. He is a body technician at Esposito Collision Center and a volunteer fireman at Hartsville Fire Company.

As far as future competitions, Hannon said he plans to keep going and see where it takes him next, but he prefers to drive.