BREAKING BAD “A
school bus is a unique vehicle. Tere’s nothing else close to it. With all the rules, regulations and safety training involved, the closest thing is prob- ably aircraft.” So says Andy McClain, a longtime
maintenance manager at Los Angeles Unified’s bus lot in Gardena, Calif. For more than two decades, McClain has seen first-hand the damage wrought by novice or unskilled bus drivers, so he will be the first to tell you that good driving habits and proper maintenance help to extend bus life. Good habits take time to develop, he noted, because
“rookie” drivers need to get used to the feel of the large, weighty bus and how it will react when turning, braking or accelerating. “As they gain more experience, they learn what’s normal and what’s not normal. Our job is to work with them. You need to educate your drivers,” said McClain. “If they take care of the bus, it makes my job easier.” If drivers don’t understand how a certain part operates,
they may force it, he explained, by pushing too hard on the front doors or side mirrors when adjusting them.
54 School Transportation News March 2014
TRANSPORTATION AND MAINTENANCE MANAGERS BREAK DOWN THE BAD DRIVING HABITS THAT INCREASE WEAR AND TEAR ON BUSES AND RESULTING MAINTENANCE COSTS WRITTEN BY MICHELLE FISHER
“It’s almost like giving a little kid a new toy,” he added. Yet this “toy” could weigh up to 54,000 pounds. McClain
oversees the maintenance of 350 mostly transit-style school buses powered by CNG, an alternative fuel he has worked with since 1992. LAUSD drivers typically bid on their buses twice a year,
but at one time the bid was for three years, McClain recalled, and this ended up being a huge plus for the garage. “If drivers have their bus for the long term, they know the
vehicle inside and out,” he remarked. “We see good habits when drivers have the attitude that the bus is their baby. From the maintenance side, we heed their warning when something is wrong. If they hear a funny noise or say it doesn’t start or stop as well, they can give a positive descrip- tion of the issue. And it narrows down our hunt.” While some drivers may feel a sense of ownership for their
buses, this doesn’t mean they drive them the same as their own car. Rick Feinstein, director of transportation at Colton Joint USD, located 57 miles east of L.A., cautioned that bus operators may bring bad driving habits like idling, speeding, hard braking or fast acceleration to the job unwittingly.
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