2022 STN Garage Star Cole Moody of South Carolina’s Greenville County Schools services a school bus. PHOTO COURTESY OF GREENVILLE COUNTY SCHOOLS


or dealing with heavy traffic is going to see more wear than one on open roads,” Fort Bend’s Sims said. “We take those realities into account when planning maintenance because it helps us stay ahead of the stress those condi- tions put on tires and brakes.” Stop-and-go traffic is a constant factor for all school buses, as it’s simply the nature of their routes, Califor- nia’s Trujillo said. “These conditions place added stress on both tires and braking systems, making proper equipment selection, driver behavior and consistent maintenance even more critical to ensuring safety.” This is also true with different types of road surfaces.


“Gravel road terrain causes a more rapid deterioration of both brake pads/shoes and tire tread,” said Matt Valentine, transportation director at Arkansas’ Warren School District.


36 School Transportation News • NOVEMBER 2025 Differences in city versus rural routes have become


evident at New Hanover County Schools in Wilmington, North Carolina, which has one inner city bus lot with another in a more rural location, noted mechanic Jimmy Lippard. “At the inner-city lot, it’s noticeable that tires wear more


aggressively on their edges from the excessive amount of turns that the buses incur each day on their routes,” Lippard said. “The rural routes have the buses doing fewer turns and it makes for a better wear pattern on the tires, with tread more consistent from side to side.”


Regular Inspections Paying close attention to the condition of these basic components is a must, Sims in Texas noted.


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