News
ly have to steal the hard drive from a school bus to gain access to the contents. For Meslin, the secureness of departmental data depends upon the policies and software in existence, and how well rules are enforced. “We’ve all heard stories of staff who keep their passwords under their keyboards and in similarly accessible places,” said Meslin. Te information that many transportation depart- ments store is video footage of the daily occurrences on the bus. With the latest systems, not only does the video
capture the incidents in multiple angles and upload the footage wirelessly, the images can easily blur out faces until full investigations are conducted in order to “protect the innocent, but also observe the problems,” said Donn. Data that the NMUSD transportation department
procure, Meslin added, can include attendance infor- mation used to modify routes for efficiency; contact information for notification and to ensure the approved people meet the student at the bus; geographic infor- mation used for route guidance; and detailed behavioral information used for student support on the bus. Meslin detailed other data that is potentially vulnera- ble, such as student tracking systems that record student attendance on the bus, like entry time and exit time, along with route and geographic information.
BRIEFS BRIEFS
Log-Jam Te Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration announced the adoption of electronic logging devices (ELD) to improve roadway safety by preventing fatigue.
An ELD automatically records the driving time, and federal regulations limit a driver’s hours of service. Te new rule is applies to all commercial truck and bus drivers.
While school bus drivers were not found specifically on the exemption list, “Drivers who use the timecard exception, and do not keep paper RODS, will not be required to use ELDs,” said Duane De- Bruyne, deputy director for the FMCSA Office of Communications. Te use of ELDs also aims to reduce the
paperwork burden of keeping hours-of- service records and improves the quality of
logbook data. Te requirement, which was drafted with the help of Zonar Systems, expects the adoption and use of ELDs within the next two years. “We wanted to leverage our experience and existing solutions to be at the fore- front of a mandate that will help save lives and boost efficiency for both motor carri- ers and enforcement,” said Fred Fakkema, vice president of compliance for Zonar.
For more information, visit www.
stnonline.com/go/7m.
Expanded Vision
Blue Bird eyes this fall for deliv-
ery of its new Type C conventional CNG Vision powered with a ROUSH CleanTech fuel system and Ford’s 6.8L V10 engine and 6R140 transmission. Despite different injectors and calibration, the CNG Vision will be very similar to its cousin, the Propane Vision, said Trey Jenkins, vice president of alternative fuels at Blue Bird.
Read more at http://www.
stnonline.com/go/7o.
“Depending on how sophisticated the software is, it may also tell time at the stop, whether the student had his or her ID, whether the student used the assigned bus stop or another stop, variations from the assigned route. Additionally, some of these systems are capable of reporting a variety of metrics on the vehicle like door opened, stop arm extended, engine temperature, idling time, and a variety of speed reporting. Te GPS infor- mation is also helpful in verifying bus delivery times and locations, and can be used as a predictive tool to predict service times,” said Meslin. Donn said he believes that camera surveillance could also act as a deterrent to future incidents aboard the bus, as most transportation departments have close relation- ships with the authorities. Local law enforcement, Donn stated, are given access to a school district’s computer network to securely retrieve and review footage. Te downside, Donn pointed out, is that not all school districts maintain a modern or operational sur- veillance system. While most are currently updating their systems, transportation departments are provided with less-than sophisticated ones due to the price tag. “Some school districts are behind,” said Donn. Trough the years, Donn said technology has
improved and prices have reduced, with many ranging $1,000 or less. “Te worst digital system on the market is far better than any VCR system,” he added. l
Ask your IT staff, as well as existing and potential vendors how to best protect your school bus data.
26 School Transportation News • JANUARY 2016
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
