REVIEWING DO’S AND DON’TS Transportation Director Michael Reinders said Winnebago
School District #323 in Rockford, Ill., also creates its own fuel blend to prevent clogging and makes sure the fuel filters on all new bus- es are changed to 30-micron filters. His department begins winter prep by measuring every bus’ tire-tread depth to ensure it is well above the legal minimum: Rear tire treads must measure 1/16 of an inch, while front tire treads must measure 1/8 of an inch. “We used to try to wait until after Tanksgiving but have been
caught with a few early cold snaps. We do have auxiliary heating systems on most of the buses as well as block heaters to assist with cold starting conditions,” said Reinders, whose rural district oper- ates 25 large school buses and five vans. “I wouldn’t want a driver in snow with the minimum tread depth. If we think they’re getting too thin, we’ll change them out before we need to.” Because all of his bus drivers were “born and raised” in the
northern Illinois area, Reinders pointed out they are accustomed to winter driving. Still, every year he meets with them in the fall to discuss the areas that are more prone to drifting and icing condi- tions, and to remind them about safe stopping distances. “It’s important to know your district and which areas to be
concerned about,” noted Carpenter. “We’ll drive those areas in a pickup in the middle of the night to see what kind of conditions we’re up against.” While winter weather can be variable in Nampa, located in
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Idaho’s southwest corner, Carpenter said he always prepares his drivers for the worst conditions they could get — subzero tem- peratures and 12 inches of snow. “We make sure all new drivers go through the winter-driving vid-
eo series and offer a refresher course for senior drivers as well. We have an in-service meeting in October or early November just to go
Continued on pg. 62 ➝
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58 School Transportation News Magazine October 2012
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TELEFLEX CANADA
Centralia school bus driver Deana Glenz gets a better look at the tire-chain installation process during a winter weather training session held last January in White Pass, Wash.
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