Tought Leader Improving Fleet Vehicle Utilization WRITTEN BY DEAN SUHRE M
ore than 14,000 school districts form the backbone of our nation. Tese districts—from major cities to towns large and small—are preparing students to lead happy and successful lives. Student transportation is
more than just a fleet of yellow buses; it is a vital part of the education system. For over 100 years, school buses have been the safest and most effective way to get children to and from school each day, so they can learn and grow. A school district’s bus fleet is the second largest investment related to student trans- portation, with driver labor costs being first. Having fewer buses leads to greater cost control. By improving fleet utilization, your district can produce additional measurable improvements, such as safety, reliability, productivity, and as mentioned, cost savings. Two components to achieving these benefits are maintaining steadfast, disciplined, and rigorous maintenance and routing programs. Te mainstay of any successful maintenance
If you feel your routes could
be optimized, consider
program is a good preventive maintenance (PM) strategy, including a rigorous and unyielding schedule to regularly monitor the condition of your vehicles. Maintaining a staff of qualified technicians is also key to a successful maintenance program. Techni- cians should receive ongoing training to continually improve their skills, including training direct from vehicle manufacturers. Trans- portation departments should also incentivize their technicians to become ASE-certified. Additionally, if you do not currently have a fleet management system to support your maintenance program, consider imple- menting this type of tool. Tis type of system can manage your parts ordering and PM schedules, track warranty recalls, assist in setting up maintenance campaigns, and provide reporting to
partnering with a specialist in route
planning and state- of-the-art routing software.
identify maintenance trends in your fleet. Having a top-notch maintenance program will help prolong the life of your vehicles and prevent vehicle downtime, which will minimize the need for a large number of spare buses. Keeping fewer spare buses equates to significant cost savings, and can also minimize strain on your maintenance technicians. Evaluating bus routes, including analyzing vehicle capacity and student ridership, can help districts determine the proper vehicle type and numbers that are needed to make up an optimal fleet to meet the district’s needs. Many factors go into student transportation school bus routing: Community service expectations, enrollment guidelines, geographic constraints, school programming, transportation rules and state or local policies. Routing plays a fundamental role in balancing these factors with passenger and driver safety, service quality and overall efficiency. If you feel your routes could be optimized, consider partnering with a specialist in route planning and state-of-the-art routing software. Oftentimes, having a consulta- tive partner to analyze a district’s routing effectiveness can dramatically improve fleet vehicle utilization. Look for a partner with
capabilities in new school year planning support, routing software set-up and implementation, technical assistance, training, and analysis and consulting for system optimization. Extending the life of your vehicles through proper and proactive maintenance, as well as optimizing your route efficiency, are two of the key ways to improve your district’s fleet vehicle utilization and provide cost savings. Ultimately, this will ensure your students have a safe journey to and from school each day, and your district will have more money to put back into the classroom. ●
Dean Suhre is senior vice president of performance improvement for national school bus contractor First Student. He has spent 18 years caring for students, families and communities, by ensuring transportation operational excellence every day.
32 School Transportation News • NOVEMBER 2018
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