✪ Ken Doss Lead Mechanic
Cave Creek Unified School District #93 in Arizona
Fleet Maintained: 46 school buses & 40 white fleet vehicles Total Shop Staff: 2 Technicians
Most challenging maintenance problem to date? “Since
COVID, it’s been very difficult to get parts that in years past [were] no big deal.”
An active billiards player and family man, Ken Doss
has logged almost 20 years in pupil transportation. A friend of his was working at Scottsdale Unified School District in 2005, when they encouraged Doss to apply for a job opening. The rest is history, as Doss is now working at Cave Creek Unified School District #93 as the lead mechanic overseeing one other mechanic. “The thing that keeps me in this career is the constant challenge and knowing that no two days are the same,” Doss said, adding that he gets the opportunity to help
✪ Jed Gabriel Lead Technician
First Student in Clarence, New York Fleet Maintained: 136 school buses Total Shop Staff: 4 Technicians
Most challenging maintenance problem to date? “Prob-
ably the most challenging maintenance problems involve helping other maintenance locations solve complicated issues when not involved in the initial repair. A particular problem involved a newly installed camshaft position sensor that had been improperly installed by another tech. Due to rust jacking along the mounting surface, it was not immediately apparent that the tolerances were incorrect, and the new cam sensor was throwing a code.”
Jedidiah “Jed” Gabriel said the most rewarding part
of his day is being challenged by new problems, and he enjoys when he gets to think “outside the box.” Gabriel was working as a technician at a Lexus dealership when he was offered an opportunity to join First Student. He’s now going on his ninth year working with the school bus contractor. Gabriel graduated from Erie Community College and holds an associate degree in automotive technol- ogy. Since 2015, he has been an ASE master school bus technician. He also holds ASE advanced level certifi- cations L1 and L2 along with the ASE alternative fuel certifications. Gabriel was also awarded the 2021 First Student/ASE Master School Bus Technician of the Year award and
34 School Transportation News • AUGUST 2022
people every day by ensuring school buses that go out on routes are safe. “His knowledge of our fleet is just a small part of the
job. Ken is invested in the staff, students and parents of our community,” Transportation Director Dani Moehr wrote on her nomination form. “Ken enjoys driving routes when he can and is an active member of our community. He attends sporting events, board meetings, and follows up on any new information in the field.” Currently, Doss is working on equipping the fleet with GPS units to run with the department’s newest routing software, Athena. This will allow parents to utilize an app from a device of their choice to track their student’s bus. Doss added that a summer project for the new school year, which begins Aug. 1, was replacing a large number of seat back foam and covers. “Our district is currently struggling with a very aged
fleet. Ken is assisting the department in facilitating grants to bridge the gap with a few new buses while we wait for the opportunity to purchase a new fleet,” Moehr added. “Ken is very respected in the industry and is the go-to guy for several up-and-coming mechanics.”
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