MTRWestern Passes DOT Audit in One Week Using DriverHub

MTRWestern is a leading charter bus and shuttle service company serving Seattle, Wash., Spokane, Wash., Portland, Ore., and Eugene, Ore. 

The company has been a DriverHub client since the fall of 2023, switching from J.J. Keller’s Encompass platform.

Challenge Faced & The Turning Point

Initially, MTRWestern chose Avatar’s DOT compliance and driver recruiting software to achieve 100 percent compliance and streamline processes between multiple locations. 

In September 2025, the company added Avatar’s Training Marketplace for unlimited access to online safety and defensive driving courses for bus and motorcoach fleets, plus the ability to add custom training.  

Solutions & Strategy

DOT Compliance Software

MTRWestern’s goal is to be 100 percent compliant and to pass audits with ease. The team proved itself in late spring 2025 when it had to quickly pass a Department of Transportation audit to earn a vendor contract for the FIFA Club World Cup, which hosted matches in Seattle.

Thanks to its dedicated use of DriverHub for driver compliance, MTRWestern passed the required audit with less than a week’s notice. The team simply set up a DriverHub login for the auditor, who conducted his business remotely. 

“The auditor really appreciated having access to Avatar and being able to view the license, motor vehicle report, med card, etc.,” says Noah Aguilar, Manager, Safety & Compliance, for MTRWestern. “It was nice to not have to gather all that stuff and manually give it to him and explain it. It's all there.” 

The convenience was especially important for the auditor because he was heading out on vacation. He appreciated remote access that didn’t require him to handle physical files. The result? A speedy approval of MTRWestern’s vendor contract and potential opportunities for the fleet with the 2026 FIFA World Cup also coming to Seattle. 

Another boon for the MTRWestern safety department is DriverHub’s compliance dashboard and the ability for team members to include notes within driver and candidate files. 

“Being able to have that quick snapshot of compliance — where everybody's at and what's expiring — that I could just simply print or email to all my stations has just been a big-time lifesaver,” Noah says. 

Driver Recruiting Software

MTRWestern has increased its driver count about 25 percent since becoming a DriverHub client. The growth is thanks in part to standardizing the recruiting, hiring and onboarding workflow and increasing transparency across locations, all of which makes hiring more efficient. 

“If (our recruiter has) a question on how many candidates we have in the pool for Spokane or Portland or whatever station, she can simply go in there and filter out the other stations and boom, you’ll see the candidates,” Noah says. “That alone increases your chances of catching those live fish out there and bringing them through the door.” 

Training Marketplace

The latest addition to MTRWestern’s suite of Avatar services is the Training Marketplace, an easy-to-use learning management system for drivers, offering preexisting training videos and the ability to upload your own training content. 

Drivers now complete bus safety courses — including full-length training videos, shorter safety tuneups and Driver Education Network content — through Avatar. 

MTRWestern is also leveraging the platform’s ability to host custom training content. For instance, the safety team has uploaded their quarterly safety meeting, which it can assign to individuals or groups, distribute and require as needed. They’ve also added modules for customer service representatives, the maintenance team and more.  

Within the first two months, MTRWestern team members had completed more than 300 training courses. The safety and compliance team can track it all with a few clicks. 

Outstanding Results

Overall, implementing DriverHub’s full suite of recruiting, compliance and training software has improved transparency, removed redundancies and gotten results for MTRWestern. 

• Quick & Easy DOT Audits: Combining DriverHub’s platform and the MTRWestern team’s implementation of proven compliance processes, the company was able to secure a major contract by passing a DOT audit within 1 week. 
• Standardized Hiring Across Locations: With operations in several states, it’s important for  MTRWestern to be consistent across locations as they scale. DriverHub’s transparency, ease of use and support have helped streamline operations, leading to a 25 percent increase in drivers since joining. 
• Customized Training Platform: In addition to using Avatar’s bus safety courses, MTRWestern is creating its own lessons for employees and monitoring their progress.

If you’re a fleet looking to connect your teams, tools and tasks for driver recruiting, compliance and training in one place, book a DriverHub demo today.