Not too long ago Matt Hall was driving a ready mix truck for Knife River Construction. But he knew he could put his communication skills and education to better use, so when he saw the Columbia Falls School District needed a transportation director he immediately applied.

Hall was hired about two weeks into the school year and has been quickly learning the intricacies of the school’s transportation system.

“I came in when everything was going full steam,” he said.

Hall is no stranger to Columbia Falls. He graduated from the high school in 1997. His father is Gary Hall, the former mayor and county commissioner.

Hall has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and social science from the University of Arizona and master’s of strategic communication from Liberty University.

While he spent years in corporate marketing and communications, he also has a commercial driver’s license, having also driven buses in large cities. Hall spent several years in South Carolina and moved back to the Flathead Valley after living in Florida for awhile.

Hall and his wife, Beth, have five children ranging from their early 20s to teens and he moved back to be closer to family, he said.

The transportation director position came with some immediate needs

“The biggest challenge right now is the driver shortage,” he said. “We’ve had days where we’ve had to cancel routes.”

The district has nine daily routes in addition to bussing kids back and forth to sports games and other activities. Canceling a route is tough for parents and families, as they have to drive their children to school.

Hall said he hopes to soon create a program that will train prospective drivers from start to finish, so the task of getting a commercial driver’s license with a school bus endorsement is easier. While he’s driven 60-foot long tandem busses in large cities, he still is working on a bus endorsement himself, he said.

He has to go through the process of taking a written test as well as the road test, he said. That should be done in a few weeks and then he’ll be able to fill as a substitute if a driver is out.

A typical bus driver works a split shift; two hours in the morning, two hours in the afternoon.

The spike in diesel prices hasn’t hit the bus budget too hard. Most of the fleet runs on propane, which hasn’t seen the huge price increases. The district only uses its diesel buses on longer routes where it needs more horsepower, he noted.

Hall said his goals are to create a work environment centered on trust, dependability, integrity and hard work while having fun along the way.

“I’m committed to creating a good culture,” he said.