We managed.

Actually, as I reflect back, I managed.

I drove for a major line-service bus company on the East Coast for 30 years, starting in 1961. I worked the extra board full time and when I reached a point of enough seniority, I bid a two-day regular run.

Only once during those years of driving did I break $30,000 in annual income.

During those years, my wife raised our four children, got them through Catholic schools, helped them with homework, took care of them when they were sick and to the doctor when necessary, to family affairs, parties, shopping for clothes, all without me. I was a full-time bus driver.

Who knew when I would be return home? Tomorrow? Four days from now? In two weeks? My family, for the most part, had to carry on without me for 30 years.

Still, we were able to buy a home and struggle to get it paid for. We bought used cars, outlet-shop clothing, and, at one time, used food stamps. All during those 30 years we never took a family vacation or bought a new suit.

We desperately needed a second, full-time income. But how, when the bus driver wage earner had no at-home schedule? Even when I was home I had to sleep.

I thank my friend Dave Millhouser for his remarks concerning the infamous driver shortage (June 15 issue of Bus & Motorcoach News). I even have to agree with some of the arguments that Michael Kraft presents and some of his remedies (June 15 issue). Debby Marcum's brilliant writing on the driver and the position's declining prestige almost brought tears to my eyes (Aug. 1 issue). In the 60s and 70s, I was one proud, sharp-looking, uniformed coach operator.

Today? I would be just another servant to the masses.

Heck, migrant workers are earning more than many charter and tour bus drivers. In fact, I suspect that a Burger King worker who put in as many hours as a full-time bus driver would earn more at their low wage if they were paid overtime for hours in excess of 40 hours a week. And, they could go home when their shift ended. Never forget - bus drivers seldom, if ever, earn overtime no matter how many hours they work.

Families can't afford homes, raise children, have decent cars and clothes and live in a better part of town without at least two wage earners in the family. This has been true for decades. Many couples have or want to work additional part-time jobs to carry their children through college.

Now, I ask you, how can a family have two wage earners when one of them, the full-time bus driver, can go to work at any time of the day or night, and not be able to tell the spouse when he or she will be back - 10 hours from now, maybe next week, maybe in two weeks?

When a bus company hires a full-time, over-the-road bus driver out of a family, it limits that family to one, full-time, low-wage family income. You do a lot more than just hire his or her services for a number of hours or days. You also interact with that whole family because of how you need to use that driver.

Low wage? Oh, yes. I believe the average wage for a charter or tour bus driver today is around $10 an hour straight time. I understand it is even less in Florida, California and other areas where retirees are able to make themselves available.

I also have been told that migrant workers, garbage collectors, illegal aliens working out of neighborhood collection points make much more than that. In a motorcoach driver you have the one person that meets all your customers, makes or breaks your reputation with those customers, has in his possession your coach worth almost a half-a-million dollars, and who, with one preventable accident can put you out of business. Including yourself, is there a more important person in your company?

For years there have been cries of "where are the good drivers?"

"I hire them and theyre gone within 6 months."

"I'm forced to hire people with no high school diploma or people with criminal and traffic records."

"I won't hire management personnel who do not have CDLs. In my company, they have to be available to drive."

"I offer my operators a competitive wage, good health insurance, safety meetings and awards, an open door policy to my office, vacations, etc, etc., etc. But, I either can't find them or they quit soon after hiring on."

Well, I suggest this: The driver you hired liked his new job, probably liked you, your company and the benefits you offered. He was just the type of driver you needed to build your company and its customer base of satisfied people.

But, after a few weeks of employment, it was the drivers spouse who saw the future for their family: one full-time wage earner -- with low wages at that -- and no time at home to help raise and support the family and no way for the spouse to schedule another full- or part-time job. Your driver was given an ultimatum: find another more sane way to support and raise the family or else.

Youve heard of a minimum wage, a competitive wage, and lately, a living wage. If this industry wants a supply of honest, professional, long-term drivers to build our bus companies, then we had better coin a new wage the Family Wage because, if a driver, no matter how much they like their job, can't support their family in a reasonably safe and comfortable fashion, they will move on to other employment where they can.

To my way of thinking, if a full-time charter and tour-bus driver cant declare at least $50,000 a year in annual income, he is shorting his family, and his employer is shorting him, and his family, also. I realize many Greyhound drivers, many transit drivers and some charter and tour drivers do make that much and more, but most do not.

Most likely, with the competition factor added in, the industry will probably never pay this professional driver his worth. You have a company to run, other employees to pay, new coaches to buy, and terrible maintenance and fuel prices beating at you all day. At the same time, there's that friend of a friend who has that old bus or two in his back yard who will do a charter for almost half of what should be charged.

The shade tree bus companies who cheat on their insurance, cut their maintenance, have people waiting to drive for close to the minimum wage will always be there fighting for your business and cutting your throat. And, yes, there are some good companies out there who always seem to have a price lower than yours.

So, I do believe it is less individual greed and more competition from others that forces you to pay the most important employee in your company far less than what they deserve.

The driver shortage? To my way of thinking, with all you are up against, the driver's shortage is here to stay and no amount of 'side' benefits will halt that shortage.

Let me add this: 2007 marks my 47th year working within the bus industry I very much care for. Although I'm no longer driving, I'm still involved in many other aspects of bus transportation. I cherish the countrywide friendships Ive made. But, if I had the chance, would I do it all over again? No, I would not. Not as a driver.

It was only after I retired from driving that I realized how hard a life I had presented to my wife and children. They didn't deserve this just because I liked being a bus driver.