School Transportation News Magazine | November 2009
[Industry Connections] Association Corner
OPERATION LIFESAVER TRAINING OFFERED FREE OF CHARGE TO IOWA SCHOOL DISTRICTS Operation Lifesaver, a railroad crossing safety education pro-
gram, is offered free of charge to any school bus drivers who cross Union Pacific railroad tracks in Iowa. Te program strives to edu- cate drivers on safe procedures for navigating highway-rail grade crossings along their routes. For more information about receiv- ing this training visit
www.stnonline.com/go/328.
CALIFORNIA, ONTARIO MOURN DEATHS OF TWO MEMBERS Te California Association of School
Transportation Officials lost founding and life member Fred Sowash on Aug. 18, at the age of 86. Sowash played an ac- tive role in adopting the first mandatory training requirements for school bus driv- ers. Tese training requirements were a
direct result of recommendations made by the instructor train- ing program and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administra- tion in Federal Standard 17. Gerry Leuschen, co-owner of Leuschen Brothers Limited and
Nickel City International Truck Center, passed away suddenly on Sept. 12 at the age of 55. Te Ontario School Bus Association remembered Leuschen as a man who dedicated his life to the school bus industry and was always willing to give a helping hand for a cause he believed in, especially when it came to students with special needs.
CONNECTICUT CDL MANUAL POSTED ONLINE Te Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles has posted
a new Commercial Driver’s License Manual on its Web site. Te new manual contains information on the CDL pre-trip inspec- tion test, basic vehicle control, distracted driving and railroad crossing procedures. Te Connecticut School Transportation As- sociation has plans to present a program to review the changes and how they affect school bus drivers. To download the manual visit
www.stnonline.com/go/327.
FLORIDA CANCELS 2010 CONFERENCE Te Florida Association for Pupil Transportation announced
that it will not hold a 2010 summer conference. In a letter to mem- bers, Executive Director Shirley Higgins wrote, “You are well aware of the value of our conferences and the outstanding professional instruction and pupil transportation information provided. To fill this temporary information sharing gap, it is the intent of the FAPT Executive Committee to continue to provide our membership an emailed-based service that will highlight activities, information and news specific to pupil transportation professionals.”
BEACH TRANSPORTATION RECEIVES NUMBER ONE RATING FROM U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Beach Transportation from Missoula, Mont., recently received a number one rating from the United States Department of De-
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fense, the highest rating given on a scale of 1-5. “Your rating of ‘1’ indicates your company is doing an outstanding job of com- plying with federal regulations and military guidelines,” Defense Department spokesman Paul Joyce wrote in a letter announcing the audit results. Many areas of the company’s operations were scrutinized. Inspectors reviewed the company’s operational and safety policies and procedures, looked at personnel records and driver-qualification files, along with drug- and alcohol-testing re- cords, and they also inspected vehicles and reviewed a complete maintenance history. Te Defense Department requires and conducts such inspections periodically because it contracts with Beach Transportation to haul National Guard troops and other military personnel.
NSTA LAUNCHES NEW WEB SITE
Te National School Transportation Association recently
launched a redesigned Web site. Some of the new features in- clude the ability to search for newsletter articles by keyword and common subject, users can update contact and company demographic information, potential customers can search for contractors who provide service in their state, and there will also be a members-only area. Te site will also feature an entire sec- tion dedicated to promoting outsourcing as a solution to school transportation including white papers, tools and other informa- tion that will help school administrators and business officials learn more. Visit
www.yellowbuses.org.
CASTO ANNOUNCES ANNUAL CONFERENCE Registration for the California Association of School Transpor-
tation Officials’ 42nd Annual Conference is now open. Te show will be held at the Monterey Conference Center, in Monterey, Calif., March 13-15. Visit
www.castoways.org to download a reg- istration form or to find out more information. n
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