Duncan, fleet operations manager for Washoe County (Nev.) School District. “Keeping technicians trained on the new- est trends is quite a challenge.” A 22-year veteran from Western Mis-
souri remembers when scanning tools were not necessary to identify an issue, adding that now he can not diagnose any- thing without one. But, according to one Louisville, Ky., mechanic, no matter what changes, “maintenance is maintenance.” “Each type of bus has its own charac-
teristics, and if you don’t change your maintenance, you’ll be spending more time doing service runs. But no matter what the OEMs produce, we will maintain [it],” he added. Others said they felt the increase in
paperwork from computerized mainte- nance and defect reporting eats up more of a technician’s time. John Ryan, head mechanic at Warsaw (Ind.) Community Schools, cited the fact that school buses are still approximately five years behind the rest of the trucking industry, and cited the “dreaded multiplexing monster” as one of the innovations that took greater time to make their way onto the yellow bus. From the administrative side of the
coin, some, like Richard Davis, a sales manager for Chalk’s Truck Parts in Hous- ton, believe budgetary issues and an under-educated purchasing department with control over spending have caused more than one problem. “Te school administration [is] not al-
lowing the transportation directors to do the job they were hired for,” said Davis.
Feeling the Pressures Updated and upgraded technology
is not the only issue that mechanics and technicians are dealing with in their garag- es. According to survey results, 68 percent said they feel that the 2010 EPA emission standards are the hottest and most talked about topic in their sector of the industry. Te decision on whether to choose 2010 school buses that employ the use of Selec- tive Catalytic Reduction (SCR) or Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) to cut down on emissions came in second place, as did new equipment and tool training, tying at 46 percent. “Training budgets are being cut while
www.stnonline.com 55
What are currently the industry’s hot topics? 0% 15% 30%
45%
2010 EPA emission standards: 68% (132)
SCR vs. EGR: 46.9% (91)
Employee retention: 19.1% (37)
tool training: 46.4% (90) New equipment/
70%
available training is getting more expensive and harder to attain,” said Brian P. Vasina, a fleet technician with Falcon School District #49 in Colorado Springs, Colo. A mechanic from Poulsbo, Wash., said
he wants more options for training to keep his crew on the cutting edge when it comes to the newest specialty tools to service his buses. While many respon- dents still have a requisite wrench in their
toolbox, they are often overshadowed by tools that are specific to the numerous systems that make up the underbelly of the school bus. For others, the change to “better” tools at higher costs is not always a step in the right direction. “Te $10 test light is all but obsolete,
but the $300 Fluke [electronic test tool] is alive and well,” said a mechanic from Western New York. n
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