Inside COVER STORY 28


Garage Stars: Monolith Man Don Harder lives life to the fullest, whether that’s conquering


Yosemite’s El Capitan or leading the school bus maintenance operations near Lake Tahoe. Plus, eight other outstanding fleet managers from around the country highlight nominations submitted by readers.


AUGUST 2016 VOLUME 25 ISSUE 08


44 IN FOR THE LONG RUN The life of a bus is a long journey from purchase to retirement, but the wear and tear is manageable with proper maintenance, inspections and refurbhishment as well as body and equipment repair


48 PURSUING A SHARPER IMAGE School bus operators are trending toward surveillance makeovers by upgrading camera systems to HD and IP to improve student safety and keep fleets relevant


ON THE COVER Don Harder is not only a Northern California fleet manager but one of the biggest personalities you’ll meet in the industry. As accomplished as he is in the school bus garage, Harder is also a well-known rock climber in Yosemite National Park. He highlights this month’s new feature on “Garage Stars” that profiles fleet experts nationwide.


PHOTO COURTESY: ZONAR SYSTEMS 4 School Transportation News • AUGUST 2016


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