News
state, LaRocco said it can take six to eight weeks to take a skills test. Budget constraints closed six of the testing sites in recent months, forcing long drives to the nearest site for some and long lines when they arrive. “Te state’s third-largest school district in the third-largest city does not have a testing site,” he said. “Teir closest testing site is 90 minutes away in Mitchell, Indiana. It’s a small town, but they have a testing site.” LaRocco said that training is a two- to four-month process.
“Part of it is the paperwork on background checks and driving records, or the trainer’s schedule may conflict with the driver’s schedule,” he explained. “Districts here normally do not have full-time trainers, and some trainers are drivers first and they do training between their routes.” Te wait involved with the skills test and the length of the training has some transportation directors wondering if they should schedule the skills test as soon as the driver obtains a temporary permit, LaRocco said. Jurewicz in New York told STN the same thing.
A CREATIVE APPROACH TO KEEPING TRAINEES Te collateral damage of the training process taking too long is applicants dropping out of the hiring pool and looking for other work, because they’re not getting paid. “Tat’s such a key piece,” Hower said. “I know school districts who pay drivers during training, but it’s minimal. Drivers can’t
handle the financial pressure and drop out half way through the process. Ten the district has to start over with the next person.” Jurewicz said Bethlehem CSD solved that issue by training
applicants as bus attendants. “Two to three months is a long time to go without a paycheck, so we incorporate state education depart- ment training for bus attendants into their classroom time,” she said. “If they agree, we can use them as bus attendants until they become qualified as drivers.” As a result, the district has kept seven out of 10 applicants. When they become substitute drivers, they’re already familiar with the routes, students and staff. “It’s a win for the district and the drivers,” she added.
MORE WORK FOR THE DRIVER? Some critics of the new rule argue that it adds to the already
overloaded list of driver responsibilities that are unrelated to actually driving the bus. Last month in Connecticut, a bill to allow bus drivers to administer epinephrine to children with severe allergic reactions was passed in the House and was headed for the Senate. Similar laws are on the books in Massachusetts, New York, Penn- sylvania and Rhode Island. Te federal rule adds to those responsibilities by requiring new applicants to identify engine parts and their function. “Some districts don’t let their drivers go under the hood, they let the mechanics handle that,” Jurewicz said. “Tis will be a big
Visit us online:
mcc-hvac.com
The best fuel economy, reduced maintenance costs and outstanding performance • MCC is the leading supplier in driver heater-defrosters as well as integrated heating solutions throughout the bus
• MCC is the North American leader in innovative Air Conditioning products for roof mount and split system applications, with over 1 million systems sold throughout all our market segments in the last 30 years
• MCC utilizes the reliable O5G compressor plus offers the option of the largest range of standard and proven reciprocating compressors from leading global compressor brands
• MCC designs all of its products to utilize the most efficient, cost effective, most widely accepted, and environmentally friendly refrigerant R-134a
In-Wall Evaporator IW-1
Roof Mount Condenser CR-430
Narrow Roof Mount System AC 353 See Us At Booth #735 20 School Transportation News • JUNE 2018
Baseboard Mounted Convection Heater
P-90
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 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77
