The Virginian-Pilot
©
Although she's heading into her 31st year as a bus driver for Virginia Beach schools, Mary Zepnikowski doesn't mind spending 20 minutes each weekday morning climbing in, out, over and under her bus.
"We do need to make the students as safe as possible," she said.
But Zepnikowski acknowledged some of the current checks serve little purpose. "We're not mechanics. Under the bus, we don't know what we're looking at."
Transportation officials in Virginia Beach complained about outdated inspection regulations more than a year ago, but the state will not modify them until at least the spring.
Beach schools have paid about $4,200 to settle personal injury claims related to the physical inspections by drivers - since the state Department of Education began requiring them last May. Most injuries have been the result of drivers hoisting hefty school bus hoods to visually check coolant levels in the engine compartment.
The current inspection rules have been in place since at least 1975 and were last updated in 2004.
But Virginia Beach and some other school divisions long thought they had authority to interpret the regulations and forgo certain inspection procedures.
The state refuted that assumption last spring, and school divisions began requiring drivers to conduct more detailed daily inspections, which take more than 20 minutes when executed step by step. They involve climbing onto a bus tire to open the hood and getting under the bus to look for loose shock absorbers and cracks.
John Kalocay, head of operations for Beach public schools, called the regulations "antiquated" in a letter to the state last year, adding that they are "not necessary to ensure student safety" because of advances in monitoring equipment, such as temperature gauges to monitor coolant on bus dashboards. Kalocay asked the state to quickly change the rules.
A planned update still is working its way through the regulatory process. The proposed version will be published in the state register next week, launching a comment period that will stretch into October. That could be followed by more revisions.
One of several public hearings on the proposal will be held Sept. 24 in Chesapeake. The earliest the new regulations could be in place is the spring, said June Eanes, director of support services with the Department of Education.
The latest version would cut out a requirement that drivers get under the bus and shake shock absorbers, but drivers would still need to open the hood to check the coolant level.
Lauren Roth, (757) 222-5133, lauren.roth@pilotonline.com
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Not exactly true.....
Bill,
With all due respect Sir to you and your wife, I do not state an opinion when I state that every CDL driver is supposed to be doing these pre trip inspections.... If your wife remembers, she had to do this pre trip inspection to get her license in the first place and according to the DOT and DMV she's supposed to be doing those inspections as a COMMERCIAL DRIVER.
Sure there are mechanics and road service people, that's NOT what we're talking about here....
The City of Virginia Beach is trying to get a variance in the law to CHANGE the requirement that each driver do their own inspection..... That Sir is even in the article.
It IS my opinion that every CDL driver CONTINUE to do the inspection they were supposed to be doing all this time.... Again, we can certainly agree to disagree.
Conflict of interest.
What we have here is a simple conflict of interest. You're telling me that Bus Drivers (having CDL's) are required to do the pre-trip inspections. I AGREE with the "interior" part of the pre-trip inspections, however...when it comes to crawling under the hood, checking other mechanical operations (under the hood)...Bus Drivers who cannot physically do this...then what? At $10/hr. you expect a Bus Driver to "be" a mechanic? Mechanics are paid MUCH more than Bus Drivers are. If the Bus is taken in for inspection checks...there should be NO reason why a Bus Driver needs to crawl under a bus or climb IN the bus hood (standing on the tire) if they've been a driver for (5-7) yrs. Have you even seen some of theses bus drivers? Seriously...you'd know they couldn't even do that and possibly discriminate on "age". So there's still a problem....finding bus drivers who are even WILLING to work for low pay, deal with problem kids on the bus and now becomming mechanics? Can't wait to move out of this area. What would be hilarious to watch is the Bus Drivers go on strike and THEN what is the VB Public Schools going to do then?
Bill H
Bill, when you tell me that "bus drivers can't crawl under a bus because of a safety issue" you tell me you're not aware of the very regulations which govern school bus drivers. The "pre trip" inspection is part of the DAILY routine EVERY CDL DRIVER should be doing..... It's the LAW.
As others have said, VIrginia Beach is apparently trying to "skirt" this law, by having someone other than the driver do these inspections.....
Just in case you're not sure..... I am AGAINST this change......
You drive it, YOU inspect it.....
By the way, I hold a current Class A CDL..... for whatever that's worth, so I've taken the test and PASSED IT.
Bus Drivers under the bus...
My wife is a School Bus Driver (VB Public Schools). That's why their are Garages/Mechanics who perform that check and the buses are routinely checked for such issues by a MECHANIC not by a bus driver. Bus drivers do not drive 18-wheelers and according to your statement, NO bus driver would be required to crawl under their bus. They're bus drivers, not mechanics and the moment any law requires bus drivers to do safety inspections like this ... I'm waiting for bus drivers resigning or going on strike and or gaining qualified bus drivers at what VB Public Schools pays them.
Bus drivers can't crawl under a bus because of a safety issue. Bus drivers are NOT mechanics. Sure, they can do the interior and noticeable visual inspections but they're not required to check under the hood. If the bus drivers have an issue, they're told to call Transportation and get it to the garage. The "pre trip" inspection is part of the DAILY routine but you stated an opinion when you said EVERY CDL DRIVER "should be" doing. VB has their own inspection/garage stations and at $10/$11-hr. you're not going to get the bus drivers to become their own mechanics...otherwise...I guess VB Public Schools
VDOT and USDOT
VDOT has no choice in this matter. It is not a state or city requirement. There are guidelines set up by The Department Of Transportation as to what and how a vehicle is to be inspected. The requirement for buses (vehicles carrying over 15 passengers) is much stricter. ALL bus drivers know and acknowledge this when they get their CDL. Stop whining and do your job.
1- To obtain a CDL the
1- To obtain a CDL the FEDERAL government mandates certain things and a pre-trip inspection is one of those. Unless the city of VB can persuade the state to reclassify driving a school bus to a non-CDL position inspections should remain. The DRIVER is responsible for the safe operation of the vehicle. So let us avoid the "it's not my fault" excuse by demanding inspections. If you can't do them right, you can't do the job.
2 - The city never has enough drivers. They average 10% calling in daily. And while they pay well ($11 per hour) they compute the hours worked in a way that cheats the drivers out of pay. Example, as a substitute you don't get paid for the time you spend driving the bus to the school to pick the kids up. You only get paid for 10 minutes prior to dismissal. They only get paid until the last student is dropped off, not until when the bus is returned to it's "home" location.
3 - After "graduating" a driver to the bus, the city has no plan to do a "ride along" training of drivers. I know of drivers that have been driving for years and never had a supervisor ride with them. You can only EXPECT what you INSPECT and you can't inspect what a bus driver i
Lack of Quality People
1. If a driver can make the statement that she does not know what she is looking at, then she missed that part of class that explained the procedures, and missed the basics on the DMV Test.
2. For the pay, look at what's hierd. How many can actually pass the work physical. Truely, how many get their long time family doctor to pass them. Most of the drivers can't do the work for the inspections i.e. climbing to open the hood and bending to see if there are leaks. Many are in poor health, and oh did I mention they can't get half the work force to come to work.
3. Last but not least, doesn't everybody get hurt on the job so they can use workmans comp. I'm sure everyone tells the truth.
When doing a state mandated inspection, that requires work. Safety should be first and be done with no complaints. If a drivers kid got hurt because their buss driver did not do their inspection. Who do you think is going to get a law suite, then that individual will get fired.
Gee lets just hire inspectors pay them 1 hr to do that job and dock the drivers 1 hour becase they don't want to do MANDATED Inspections.
The Current System Is Outdated
Previous posters have mentioned poor training and suggested that the school district should hire better bus drivers. I remember not too long ago when there was a shortage of drivers, the school district was advertising for drivers/warm bodies on the school's marquees.
The position is part time and pays near minimum wage so you are not going to attract typical professional CDL types for the job. Since the applicant pool is so shallow, the majority of the drivers are homemakers and retirees looking to suppliment their income. Changing the rules to fit the profile of the bus operators is not the way to go.
A ROUGH IDEA:
Make bus driving a full time hybrid position. During class time, instead of sending drivers home, have them perform classroom aide, custodial/food service jobs around the school. While the bus is parked at the school the fleet repair crew can perform the daily safety checks. The drivers will earn more by being full time employees while the school district gets more work product with fewer employees. Safety traning can also be given during this time.
A combination of higher pay, full time hours and benefits will attract a deeper and more skilled pool of app
20 minutes
Checking the oil is a good idea. I would check the oil on the boat every day, but I don't think that should take 20 minutes, maybe 2 minutes and the boat has 2 engines. What are they checking under the bus, the exhaust pipe? Maybe that whould be checked once a week, but you check that by putting a rag over the end of the pipe and listen for any leaks.
Sense the buses are only used a few hours each day maybe a once a week inspection would be enough.
my pretrip at 530 AM
As I drive to my bus, I use high beams to check for any leaks, so if i see see anything I can inspect closer. I unlock my side panel to open my doors, I unlatch my hood on drivers side and on door side. I then push my hood open, enter bus, start so all lights can be turned on, testing first my amber warning lights then to the reds, i check blinkers then throw 4 ways. I get my Flashlight and exit bus. I check under the bus as i walk to the rear tires, I check each lug, between the tires and the axles and lines. I also check under towards the front. I take flashlight along side of bus and check all lettering and lights.
to the rear of bus, I check my exhaust to verify no water or impaction from children. I check to make sure all likes are infact working. I open my read emergency door, to verify alarm works and door isnt jammed. I then walk left side of bus doing the same as right side. I pull my stop sign out and check all four lights and the diaphram. I then grab and tug on each set of mirrors. I use my flashlight to look at engine, serpentine belt, I DO NOT check my OIL or fluids at 0600, I do this at the end of the day or go to a oil check site. I then check my hood to verify it