2019
Annual recognition of technicians who help provide safer school bus rides
Written By Taylor Hannon |
taylor@stnonline.com J
ust as professional drivers are important to school bus safety, so too, are the technicians who work on the vehicles. It takes supreme leadership and con- stant attention to details in the garage and on the
buses to ensure each nut is tightened properly, each hose is sealed and each replacement part is installed correctly. A record number of nominations—over 100—were
submitted for the 4th Annual School Transportation News Garage Stars feature that recognizes these key players and their teams. This year, STN’s editors wanted to improve the evalua-
tion process for nominees and involve industry experts, in order to make the process less subjective, more objective, more standardized and more on-target. STN Technical Editor Robert T. Pudlewski evaluated all of the nomina- tions, based on a 10-point criteria for the first time:
• Community involvement • Credentials • Industry development • Leadership • Level of responsibility • Life experience • Regulatory agency commendations • Time on the job • Training capability • Value to the transportation program
Pudlewski noted that the evaluation process was espe-
cially challenging, since there were so many promising candidates. Ultimately, the following 10 were chosen as finalists who are profiled below. The full list of over 100 nominations is posted at
stnonline.com/go/gs19.
DAVID RICKARD Head Mechanic Rotterdam-Mohonasen Central Schools in New York Recent State Inspection Score: Over 98 percent Fleet size: 61 school buses Miles Traveled: 500,000 per year
Number of Technicians: 3 full-time, 1 part-time David Rickard goes above and beyond his daily tasks since
he started as head mechanic for Rotterdam-Mohonasen Central Schools, located south of Schenectady, New York. During that time, he has instituted a proactive maintenance plan that consists of upgrading all of its parts inventory, and helped design the new facility, which is only several years old. Rickard’s day is a mixture of paperwork and bills, as well as meetings and repairs. He starts by checking emails, and taking care
36 School Transportation News • AUGUST 2019
of the billings and parts inventory. After his daily shop meeting, the team is ready to complete the tasks that are needed for the day. Rickard said it’s a busy environment, but he explained that it is
satisfying when you can pull a bus with a problem into the shop and fix it.
He said that because of the driver shortage, which is probably
the worst one he has seen in years, he ends up driving a school bus more than he would like. “But it’s all part of the job,” he added. Other tasks Rickard focuses on could be minor, like checking engine lights. But there are always more complex fixes like per- forming engine regenerations to keep the diesel emission systems clean, which could take anywhere from 45 minutes to one hour. Rickard said he loves learning, and that his favorite part of the day is when he can pick up some information or knowledge that he didn’t know beforehand. “Every day I try to learn something, somehow, someway and every day you can. No matter how long you have been doing it,
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