To: Asha Riley
From: Shannon Barnett
Date: February 20, 2026
Subject: KWRL Report
Staffing Status: Staffing has been the battle for the entire industry for the better part of the last decade. Fortunately, we have seen the highest uptick in applicants we have ever seen. Staffing is still an issue currently until we complete the process of getting applicants into qualified CDL status, which can take 45 to 60 days.
One of the biggest challenges to our industry is the proliferation of PFMLA and benefits laws in the State of Washington, which have further restricted employers. This trend greatly increases absenteeism. In addition to those out on short and long-term leave, we are currently averaging 5 to 6 out on sick leave per day. This leaves KWRL with no choice but to have office staff covering both AM and PM routes. This additional duty has office staff working really long, hard hours.
4 - Open routes that do not have an owner
2 - Retirements
6 - Out on leave
2 - Out on L&I
3 - New CDL drivers processed this month
6 - In “behind the wheel” training stage
8 - In the training classroom currently
Bus Route Electrification - Buses are on route. Students and drivers love them.
Infrastructure and interface - Working excellent, no issues. Going very well. Highland is on the phone with us almost daily, monitoring the charge cycles to verify all is functioning properly and making sure we understand the interface we both operate and monitor from.
Learning curves - We thought we had an issue with not being able to pre-heat buses while plugged in, but through contacting the factory, we learned that we have to have all cabin heaters on and not just the dash heater, or the system does not kick in. Just a learning curve we now know. Problem solved. Just a few driver issues, forgetting to plug them in, but still have more than enough charge to complete the next route without any issues.
Bus delivery - We have eight buses, and we have two more in the shop getting cameras and radios. We have two in Lakewood ready to be delivered to KWRL next week. The remaining buses are being shipped next week from North Carolina to Lakewood. This is a product of Thomas production line issues, not a product of Highland and our agreement with Highland.