SOUTH FALLSBURG, NY — Like a lot of transportation companies, Rolling V Transportation Services is taking steps to attract bus drivers in what has been called a nationwide bus driver shortage. Rolling V President Phil Vallone says the shortage is due to the tight labor market, and there are many opportunities available to people looking for work.

In order to make bus driving attractive, Vallone said in an interview, the company operates a robust CDL training program. He said the process to obtain a commercial drivers license (CDL) has become lengthy and cumbersome. He said, “Ten years ago it took two weeks to get a CDL license. Today it takes two to three months.” So Rolling V’s program is comprehensive and supportive, and the company helps the driver through the whole process. The license is a valuable asset .

Also, Rolling V offers assistance with day care for some employees through a working partnership with Best Friends in Monticello. Vallone says it’s an important issue today, and the company tries to help where it can.

There is also an entry-level program for some non-driving positions at which an employee can enter the company making $11 per hour, but “providing they do all the right things within five years they can be making over $21.”

Rolling V has been operating busses in the Catskills for 50 years, and now operates in Sullivan, Ulster and Delaware. It has 350 employees. The company also has high visibility in the community. In 2016, Vallone was honored with Sullivan County Partnership’s the Walter A. Rhulen Award, which recognizes, “lifetime achievement by an individual for business excellence, community commitment and service to humanity.”