DRIVING THE INDUSTRY SINCE 1991
BIZ BITES:
UTAH STATE DIRECTOR ATTENDS 75TH ANNIVERSARY TRIBUTE TO SCHOOL BUS–TRAIN CRASH VICTIMS
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ommunity members in South Jordan near Salt Lake City came together last month to remember the two dozen victims of a fatal 1938 school bus crash and honor them with a new monument. Te collision of a freight train with a school bus led to changes in railroad crossing procedures for
the entire student transportation industry. On Dec. 1, 1938, the school bus was traveling through dense fog and a
snow storm when it i it came upon the railroad crossing. Te driver stopped, and looked for an oncoming train. Not seeing one through the inclement weather conditions, the driver pulled forward, and the bus was struck by freight train heading to Salt Lake City, despite the attempts of the conductor to brake. Te crash claimed the lives of 23 children on board and the bus driver.
Fifteen students survived. In the wake of the tragedy came railroad crossing laws, mechanical crossing
arms and national regulations that are still in place today, including the mandatory requirement for bus drivers to not only stop at railroad crossings but also to open their door and the driver-side window to look and listen for oncoming trains. Murrell Martin, pupil transportation specialist at the State Office of
Education, attended the ceremony, which drew about 200, including victims’ relatives. “In the wake of the events of that fateful day, Utah representatives partnered with others across the country in developing increased safety at rail grade crossings,” said Martin. Today, Utah’s new school bus drivers receive specific detailed training on
safety procedures at rail grade crossings, he noted, as well as the full Opera- tion Lifesaver program. Veteran drivers are also required to receive the same training every five years. Martin added that many of the passive crossings statewide have been up- graded to stop signs, crossing lights and, where possible, crossing gates.
A monument is unveiled memorializing the students and bus driver killed 75 years ago. But they did not die in vain, as several school bus safety guidelines resulted.
General Motors Co. appointed Mary Barra its first female chief executive, making her the first woman to head a major U.S. automaker … Weeks after it acquired Tor Industries Inc., Allied Specialty Vehicles announced the formation of a new bus division that will be helmed by former Collins Bus president Kent Tyler … Blue Bird Corporation welcomed Dynamic Specialty Vehicles to its dealer network to service the Canadian province of Brit- ish Columbia and the Yukon Territory … Meanwhile, Blue Bird recognized Hankook Tire America Corp. the 2013 Outstanding Supplier Award in the polymer category … Navistar International Corpo- ration partnered with Pedigree Technologies LLC to offer a single remote diagnostics portal that will enable fleet managers to leverage diagnostic data and analytics for their fleets … Webasto further expanded its reach into the Chinese market with the Nov. 8 opening of one of its largest production plants in Chongqing … Gatekeeper Systems Inc. announced Clark County Schools in Nevada purchased its video systems for 40 new buses through Bryson Bus Sales of Utah … For the fourth straight year, Spartan Motors Inc.’s Aftermarket Parts and Assemblies operating group was honored by the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency with a Gold Award. ... School Train- ing Solutions recently began offering online recertification courses for school bus drivers in Oklahoma through OAPT, as it does in other states … Te 2014 Alternative Clean Transpor- tation (ACT) Expo returns to Southern California this spring, from May 5–8, at the Long Beach Convention Center, alongside NGV Global 2014.
www.stnonline.com 27
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