The continuing partial federal government shutdown is having some additional impacts in unexpected ways.

The National Transportation Safety Board has reported that it has not only been unable to investigate 10 new vehicle crashes, seven plane crashes, and two fatal railroad crashes, but additionally a school bus—tractor-trailer crash that injured 15 people is still in an investigatory queue line.

NTSB was also expected to release a final investigation report sometime this spring or summer on the fatal Iowa school bus fire that occurred in December of 2017.

A media relations contact at NTSB is returning a canned bounce-back email message: “Thank you for your message. Due to the lapse in appropriations, I and the media relations staff have been furloughed. I am not checking or responding to email or voicemail during the shutdown.”

So if you need some help from the NTSB, it looks like you will be waiting for a while for an official reply.

However, accidents still can be reported to the NTSB Response Operations Center at 202-314-6290. Visit http://USA.gov for info on available government services.

Monteith’s Best One Tire and Auto Care donated reflectors to all grade school students in Elkhart County, Indiana after the death of three siblings in October.

About 20,000 battery-powered reflectors with blinking lights will be distributed starting this week. The lights are designed to be attached to the students’ backpack.

The tire company provide tires for over 300 buses in Elkhart County.  One of the schools reached out to them to ask if they would sell these reflectors for the kids for their backpacks when they are getting on and off the bus.  Monteith’s management team decided that they didn’t want to sell them, they just wanted to donate them to the schools.

This is just another great safety measure this district took to ensure all of their students get to and from school safely.

City lawmakers in Beachwood, Ohio, recently passed legislation that will require seat belts on all new school buses, providing up to $250,000 in funding to pay for the equipment.  Beachwood City Council, in cooperation with the Beachwood Board of Education and Mayor Martin S. Horwitz’s office, approved Ordinance No. 2018-195 at a city council meeting on Dec. 17.  This marks the city as the first in the state to implement such legislation.

Vicki Challenger, a third grade teacher for Hilltop Elementary School, said that the ordinance was initially prompted by classroom discussions among city council members and third grade students during a civics lesson.

“In each of my six classes, the idea to implement [seat belts] came up numerous times,” Challenger, who teaches about 90 third grade students a day, said. “Some of the students kept saying, ‘If we have to wear seat belts in a car, why not wear them on a bus?’”

The idea particularly struck a chord with Beachwood City Council vice president James Pasch, who broke his neck and back in a school bus rollover accident while in high school, according to a news release from the council.  Pasch, along with other city council members, were impressed with the students’ recommendation, and had invited them to attend their city council meeting in December, Challenger said. “I’m just so proud because this is not an experience I could have taught to the students — to actually see how local law works.”

“Having seat belts installed in school buses is a big step, and student safety should really be a priority for us,” Breglia said. “In Ohio, only school bus drivers have been required to wear seat belts since 1986.”

Last May, Ohio state representative John Barnes introduced a bill that would require lap-shoulder belts on all school buses that are either purchased, owned, leased, or rented as well as new replacement and existing school buses. If HB680 becomes law, Ohio would be joining other states, including California, New Jersey, and Nevada that require lap-shoulder belt.

States have been going back and forth on this situation for quite a while.  Ohio has shown that getting the students involved can get things done !!!

The President’s School Safety Commission released a detailed 178-page final report that examined ways to make schools safe for all students and teachers, by providing a reliably safe environment nationwide. Important recommendations on how to address school safety and violence are featured.

The studies highlighted best practices that may be of immediate use to stakeholders at the state and local levels.

So far, the commission’s new study that was released on Dec. 18 has received almost no attention from the national media.

“We must also work together to create a culture in our country that embraces the dignity of life, that creates deep and meaningful human connections, and that turns classmates and colleagues into friends and neighbors,” President Trump commented.

The Letter of Transmittal noted that no universal school safety plan exists that will work for every school nationwide. “Such a prescriptive approach by the federal government would be inappropriate, imprudent, and ineffective,” the report adds. “We focused instead on learning more about, and then raising awareness of, ideas that are already working for communities across the country. That is why the Commission’s work and recommendations focus on a variety of school sizes, structures, and geographic locations.”

“TSA offers a number of services to school districts and transportation providers on school bus security including guidelines, assessments, and exercise support,” the report said.

Feature articles that drew the most traffic on the School Bus Fleet website in 2018 included tips on school bus safety, electric school buses, and student behavior management.

Here are details on the five most-viewed features of the year.

1.    10 Tips for Keeping the School Bus Secure as Concerns Rise
2,314 views
Experts shared how to help keep school buses and sites secure, and manage students’ concerns about their safety. Including bus drivers in security plans and reporting suspicious behavior are key.

2.   5 Questions: Dennis Maple on First Student’s New Tech, Solutions Service
2,170 views

An interview with Dennis Maple, the president of First Student Inc., received the second-highest number of views of 2018 features on the SBF website.
The First Student president shared details on new developments, including mobile apps, paperless shop technology, and a division that offers consulting, routing, and other solutions.

3.    Electric School Buses Take to the Road: Real-World Results
1,997 views
Operators saw reliable and quieter operation, fuel cost savings, and longer brake life. They recommended partnering with utility companies, installing charging infrastructure before receiving buses, and extensive driver training.

4.    School Bus Maintenance Staff Seeks, Shares Regen Solution
1,905 views
Working as a team, a shop in an Ohio district’s transportation department reduced regeneration incidents by about 80%, and shared the solution with other technicians.

5.    Tennessee District Adds Behavior Monitors, Drops Disciplinary Referrals
1,717 views
With five rotating bus monitors, Dickson County Schools worked to improve student behavior, boosting safety for drivers and passengers.

A new year is right around the corner.  Please stay with us in 2019 to learn even more about the world of school buses!

Have a happy, healthy and safe New Year !!!

School bus drivers in Redmond, Wash, collected 884 toys for children in need.

The Lake Washington School District’s Bus Driver’s Association held their inaugural “Stuff the Bus” event on December 2nd.  The association partnered with Hopelink, a social services center, to stock the center’s holiday toy and gift room.

The drivers parked a school bus in the Redmond Fred Meyer parking lot, and dressed in festive outfits, including one Santa Claus costume, as community members dropped off toys. All of the collected items were then dropped off to the center via school bus on December 3rd.

The bus drivers plan to make this an annual event with more dates and locations, according to the district.

From everyone at Carolina Bus Sales, Inc., have a Very Merry Christmas !!!

The season’s dropping temperatures, snow, and ice are already impacting large parts of North America, so it’s time to make sure fleets are prepared.

This installment of the Bendix Tech Tips Series provides 12 pieces of air system, electronics, and wheel-end advice to help keep your vehicle in good operating condition as things get frosty.

Air Systems

1. Keep it dry — moisture in the air system can condense and freeze, increasing the odds of brake and valve malfunctions.

2. Check the dryer’s purge valve for corrosion or grit accumulation and replace it if necessary.

3. Manually drain the air tanks to start the season — Draining every three months is generally sufficient for typical line haul trucks, but more often—monthly or even weekly—is recommended for vehicles with high air demand.

4. Unless it’s an emergency, avoid using de-icing solutions on an air system — they can corrode O-rings and valve seals.

Electronics and Controls

5. Remember that driver assistance technologies – like stability and collision mitigation – rely on maintenance of lower level systems like tires, and the brakes to ensure performance in the field — maintaining these systems is especially critical in winter. Check tires for adequate tread depth and proper wear, and wheel-ends for tight bolts and cracks.

6. Run a diagnostic check to make sure tire pressure monitoring systems are operating properly — temperature swings, along with slick road conditions, make running on the right tire pressure exceedingly important in the winter.

7. Keep external cameras and radar sensors clear of snow and ice — check them immediately prior to getting on the road.

8. Check all connections to ensure they are secure and water tight.

Wheel-Ends

9. Check air brake chamber housings for corrosion — or damage that could allow corrosive materials to take hold, and ensure that dust plugs are properly installed.

10. On drum-braked wheel-ends — lubricate the automatic slack adjusters, clevis pin connections, cam tubes, shafts and bushings.

11. On wheel-ends with air disc brakes — check the guide pins and inspect the boots for tears or punctures that could permit corrosion of the caliper within.

12. Ensure free movement of air disc brake pads in the carrier — remove them and clean the carrier surface with a wire brush, if necessary—and make sure that the brake moves freely on its guidance system.

Winter hazards can ruin a driver’s day—and they don’t always take the form of things like blizzards or icy roads. But maintenance and upkeep efforts in the shop and on the road can keep vehicles running smoothly and safely.  Carolina Bus Sales, Inc., can help get your bus ready for winter conditions by checking off each of these tips!

What started out as an initiative to recruit parents searching for a part-time job turned into an annual effort for the Shelby County, Tennessee, recruitment team at Durham School Services. The company’s recruiters teamed up with school districts and the company’s safety team to educate their communities about school bus safety.

Knowing that the third week of October is National School Bus Safety Week, they partnered with the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) and started Durham’s annual School Bus Coloring and Poster Contest for elementary and middle school students in October. NAPT designed a coloring page, which included space at the bottom with a message informing parents that positions were open, and that recruiters would contact them if they provided their contact information.

That year, 960 coloring pages were returned. They received 33 leads, and five people were hired as a result of the effort to both recruit parents and inform kids of the importance of school bus safety.

Here are five tips to help districts create a community message to bring in driver applications and make the public aware of safety.

1. Research industry associations.
Review calendars, conventions, and safety and community programs associations and identify common goals, visions, or values between them and your business.

2. Partner with your local chambers of commerce.
Chambers of commerce often have an annual calendar of events that they organize.

3. Host a safety carnival or conference for the community.
Although the theme isn’t job recruitment, recruiters can still benefit from organizing a safety conference for the community. Offer commercial driver’s license (CDL) and first aid classes on site. Bring in the local police association, fire department, and ambulance services to not only provide safety tips for the public, but to also lead workshops on community safety programs.

4. Write press releases in cooperation with your safety department to report safety initiatives or accomplishments.
As a recruiter, nothing supports the effort of recruiting new drivers more than good press.

5. Host your own contest among school districts during National School Bus Safety Month.
While coloring contests appeal to elementary students, poster contests, art contests, or even debate team contests may appeal to older students. Work with principals, school administration, or school board members to showcase students’ artwork at local libraries, at your school bus center, or even at local art galleries. Host an awards night to draw in families and solicit support from chamber of commerce members for prizes for the students.

A recent lawsuit filed in Palm Beach County, Florida, reminds us that school bus drivers are generally not exempt from federal overtime rules. Despite very clear case law, many school districts and bus companies throughout the country still unknowingly shortchange their drivers.

Since the Great Depression, Congress has made it clear that hourly workers should get paid time and one half for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours during a seven-day period. Over the years, Congress has added several exemptions to the overtime rules, but school bus drivers generally do not fit in any of these exemptions.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires that most workers be paid “at a rate not less than one and one-half times the [employee’s] regular rate” of pay for work in excess of 40 hours in any workweek.

Over the years, Congress has added some broad exceptions for certain types of salaried workers. Those include professionals, administrative, executive, certain IT workers, and outside sales representatives. None of those exceptions apply to school bus drivers.

A few school districts believe that the professional services exemption applies because school bus drivers must have a commercial driver’s license (CDL) to drive a bus.  The confusion exists in school districts because the professional services exemption often applies to teachers.

School bus drivers are not “professionals” as that term is defined under the FLSA. That means unlike many teachers, school bus drivers are entitled to overtime pay.  Yet many school districts and bus companies think bus drivers are exempt.

Because the FLSA requires the employer to pay a worker’s legal fees if the worker wins a lawsuit, it becomes even more important for school districts and bus drivers to understand their rights and obligations under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

CNN has reported that school bus driver Kevin McKay, on the job only a few months, drove nearly two dozen children through smoke filled roads as the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history threatened a school.

Students were stranded at Ponderosa Elementary School in Paradise, California amid the spreading Camp Fire, and family members were unable to drive into the area to pick them up.

McKay, two teachers and 22 students were reportedly stuck in gridlock traffic and heavy smoke-filled roads after leaving the school. The trip to safety took them five hours.

McKay and the teachers used their emergency training and even created a new plan on the fly to keep children safe. When smoke started to fill the bus, McKay took off his shirt and tore it into pieces, dousing the pieces with water and instructed the students cover their faces with the clothing and breath through it.

He also reviewed with the students how to use emergency exits, first aid kits and the fire extinguisher. McKay paired little kids with older kids, took roll and got all phone numbers.

During the drive, McKay also picked up an elementary school teacher whose car had broken down on the side of the road.

All students were later safely reunited with their families. The town of Paradise, however, was completely lost to the Camp Fire.

At this report, a total of 77 people were confirmed dead and still hundreds of people were missing or unaccounted for. Paradise Unified School District said it was collecting information to determine where its students are currently located.

We want to say thank you to all the firefighters, first responders, and heros who are giving their time and efforts to save lives and dwellings during this devastating fire.