July 15, 2010

Operators have mixed feelings about highway funding ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Motor- money flowing to the federal High- higher fuel taxes and tolling. way and public transit financing ministration regulations, (2) un- coach operators, like members of way Trust Fund, which keeps run- Slightly more than 55 percent legislation. (See related story on derstanding regulations affecting Congress, are far from united in ning out of money because road of UMA members think policy- Page 8, and the June 15, May 1 and the industry, and (3) understanding how they think future highway con- travel is down and today’s cars get makers should come up with other April 15 issues of Bus & Motor- requirements under the Americans struction should be financed, a new better gas mileage. funding mechanisms to make up coach News.) with Disabilities Act. Those issues survey of members of the United Only 7 percent of the UMA for the gap in highway money. Other highlights from the sur- also ranked high in 2009. Motorcoach Association shows. members participating in the sur- Like coach operators, Con- vey include: • There was a 4.2 percent in- Nearly 20 percent of UMA vey think fuel taxes should be in- gress, the Bush Administration and • The top three legislative and crease in operators who said com- members responding to the survey creased, and just over 18 percent now the Obama Administration regulatory challenges noted by op- petition from public transit agen- indicated they think tolls should be think highway funding should be have been unable to agree on a way erators were (1) understanding cies has increased, and an almost 4 used to make up for the shortfall in bolstered by some combination of to pay for long-stalled federal high- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Ad- CONTINUED ON PAGE 13 c UCR enforcement Traffic Tickets Feds fine coach operator begins this month $73,000 after fatal wreck Time has run out for motor- Speed ‘estimates’ OK’d by court WASHINGTON — The owner jured 16 others. coach operators to pay their 2010 COLUMBUS, Ohio — An lawmakers have begun discussing of a California motorcoach com- Late last month, the FMCSA Unified Carrier Registration fees. Ohio Supreme Court ruling that the need for legislation to require pany with a four-year history of charged Martinez with 19 counts Officials set July 15 as the date allows police officers to issue radar be used to show proof of repeatedly operating illegally has of operating without federal au- when payment of this year’s fees speeding tickets based on the of- someone speeding. And the public been fined nearly $73,000 by the thority; 21 counts of operating would be enforced. And the Com- ficer’s visual estimate of speed — at large has gone slightly bonkers. mercial Vehicle Safety Alliance is- Federal Motor Carrier Safety without required minimum insur- without using radar, is being blast- Chris Link, a spokeswoman Administration. ance; 24 counts of operating in vi- sued a notice to law enforcement ed by state lawmakers, the for the Ohio ACLU, said drivers agencies across the U.S. encourag- The fine was levied against olation of a previous FMCSA American Civil Liberties Union have reason to be worried about Cayetano Martinez, owner of Tier- order to cease operations; viola- ing them to begin enforcing the fees. and the public at large. the possibility of abuse. All motor carriers — for-hire, ra Santa Inc. of Van Nuys, Calif., tion of drug and alcohol testing; Last month, by a 5-1 margin, “This gives huge weight to the for multiple safety violations and violation of driver qualification re- private and exempt, operating in state Supreme Court justices ruled opinion, expert though it might interstate or international com- came nearly four months after one quirements, violation of hours-of- that police can issue speeding ci- be, of a police officer,” she was of Martinez’ coaches crashed near service requirements, and viola- merce are subject to Unified Car- tations based on an officer’s ob- quoted as saying. Phoenix, killing six passengers. tion of vehicle inspection and rier Registration fees. servations of the apparent speed- “There’s times when even a On March 5, a Tierra Santa maintenance requirements. Forty-one states are participat- ing, and the officer doesn’t need few miles difference can matter in coach entered the U.S. from Mexi- All together, Martinez was ing in the Unified Carrier Regis- radar or other devices before writ- the evaluation. It matters in how co at the border crossing in El charged with 78 violations of 13 tration program this year and will ing the ticket. much the fine is, and it also makes Paso, Texas. As the coach headed federal motor carrier safety regula- serve as UCR base states. Since then, the ACLU has wor- it impossible for anybody to really “Revenue generated from UCR ried aloud about the possibility of challenge the expert opinion of west on Interstate 10 it rear-ended tions. The total fine was $72,760. helps fund safety and enforcement a pickup south of Phoenix before The FMCSA also identified abuse and profiling of drivers. State CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 c programs which in turn goes a long overcorrecting and rolling. four separate company names Mar- way to ensuring safer roads and sav- Tennessee outlaws police quotas In addition to the six passen- tinez is alleged to have used to ing lives,” said Stephen A. Keppler, gers who were killed, the crash in- CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 c CVSA’s interim executive director. NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Ten- “Traffic enforcement should be The Federal Motor Carrier nessee has adopted a law designed about public safety, not adding Safety Administration didn’t un- to prevent local law enforcement more money to government cof- Out-of-service laws toughened veil this year’s fee structure until officers from going on ticket-writ- fers,” State Sen. Tim Burchett said CONCORD, N.H. — New suspension for violating an out-of- late April, delaying implementa- ing sprees. in a statement. “Ticket quotas are Hampshire is the newest state to service order. Getting behind the tion. The 2010 fees are as follows: Ticket quotas also are being just wrong.” bring its laws in line with federal wheel when a driver has an out-of- • 0-2 buses – $76 discussed in Michigan. The measure contains provi- regulations for commercial vehicle service order in place will result in • 3-5 buses – $227 Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen sions designed to stop law enforce- out-of-service penalties. a suspension for between six months • 6-20 buses – $452 signed a bill prohibiting law en- ment agencies from using formal Other states also have been and one year. Currently, state law • 21-100 buses – $1,576 forcement agencies from punish- quota policies or even informal taking action to deter drivers and authorizes 90-day suspensions. • 101-1,000 buses – $7,511 ing or rewarding personnel based guidelines. operators from violating out-of- Repeat offenses within 10 years • 1,001 and above – $73,346 solely on the number of traffic cita- “This primarily deals with service orders. would result in loss of driving privi- For more information or to reg- tions issued. The law took effect ­employees being awarded, or Starting Jan. 1, New Hampshire leges for between two and five ister, go to www.ucr.in.gov. this month. CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 c will modify the length of a driver’s CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 c

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View hundreds of ABC’s quality pre-owned equipment at www.abc-companies.com and www.BusBuys.com Bus & Motorcoach News INDUSTRY NEWS July 15, 2010 3 Operators discuss creating Midwest coach association CHICAGO — The resurrected the states, so we really don’t see a belong — and the selection of Dave $36 and motorcoaches $54. Illinois Motorcoach Association is problem forming the new group,” See related stories Henson of Go Airport Express as Lawmakers approved the in- looking to bolster its clout by cre- he said. Page 12 the new vice president. Henson fills crease in May, but it was vetoed by ating a sister organization that Operators from some of the six gional group would have much the vacancy created by the death in Gov. Pat Quinn. The House and would span six neighboring states. states attended the Illinois associa- more clout with state and federal February of Richard Hausman. Senate then overrode the veto but Illinois Motorcoach Associa- tion’s meeting last month and lawmakers on issues that impact The group also has been dis- there now is a movement among tion President Donald Ferrone of asked about being able to join the either individual states or the en- cussing plans for seminars and some lawmakers to repeal it. American Sightseeing Chicago fledging state group. The inquiries tire motorcoach industry. possibly a marketplace. The legislation was aimed at said the association is in the process led to discussion of creating a re- More meetings are being Ferrone said the state group has raising funds for McCormick of recruiting motorcoach operators gional organization and the deci- planned to advance creation of the been monitoring controversial leg- Place and the Navy Pier, which from Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, sion to try to put it together. six-state organization, he said. islation passed by the Illinois legis- have been losing convention busi- Missouri, Kentucky and Illinois to Under the developing plans, the Meantime, the Illinois associa- lature that would double the “occu- ness because of their prices. form what will become the Mid- Illinois association and other state tion continues its own development pation tax” to and from O’Hare and Carriers interested in both the west Motorcoach Association. groups would continue as separate with the recruitment of new mem- Midway airports in Chicago. Under Illinois association and/or the pro- He said the idea was hatched in organizations, while one operator bers — nearly 30 operators and a the new fee schedule, taxis are posed Midwest group can contact June at the state organization’s from each of the states would be se- half-dozen related businesses now charged $4, vans $18, minibuses Ferrone at (312) 251-3100. first regular meeting following its lected to serve on the board of the rebirth and formation in January. nascent Midwest association. “We have interest from most of Ferrone emphasized that a re- Academy graduates are announced ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Bus & Panorama Bus Tours, Clifton, N.J. • Denis Dean, Rolling V Bus Motorcoach Academy, the motor- • Robert Strutton, APTO, Corp., South Fallsburg, N.Y. Seminars deal with oil spill coach industry’s only comprehen- Sandston, Va. • Doug Gibson, Rolling V Bus LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Na- Alabama and July 28 in Pensaco- sive continuing education pro- • Kelly Thomas, APTO, Flag- Corp., South Fallsburg, N.Y. tional Tour Association and Edel- la, Fla. gram, graduated 10 individuals ship Trailways, Cranston, R.I. • Robert Harrison, Rolling V man, the world’s largest independent It is not necessary to be an from its programs during the first • Linwood Whiters, APTO, Bus Corp., South Fallsburg, N.Y. public relations firm, are presenting NTA member to attend. In fact, half of this year. Keller Transportation, Indian • Sean Lundy, Rolling V Bus free seminars titled “Practical Skills the NTA is encouraging those in The following individuals Head, Md. Corp., South Fallsburg, N.Y. for the Oil Spill Crisis: Managing the travel and tourism to spread completed the course work in the • Robyn Winston, APTO, Spir- • Dennis McAdoo, New World Media Relations and Building Busi- the word about the seminars. academy’s Clarence Cornell it Tours, Ashland, Va. Tours, Haymarket, Va. ness through a Crisis.” For specific details about School of Business and received The following individuals com- The academy was founded and The four-hour seminars, open times and locations, call (800) their Accredited Passenger Trans- pleted the Motorcoach Operator/ is operated by the United Motor- to all in the travel and tourism in- 682-8886, or email Questions@ portation Operator (APTO) Driver program and received their coach Association. For more in- dustry and others impacted by the NTAstaff.com. A registration form designation: Certificate of Academic Achieve- formation, go to www.uma.org/ crisis, are scheduled for July 27 in is posted at http://bit.ly/bxWzX2. • Michelle Petelicki, APTO, ment in Motorcoach Operations: academy. 4 July 15, 2010 Bus & Motorcoach News

Road projects plentiful TSA, NTSB fill FMCSA sticks to guns for busy travel season leadership posts for safety system plan WASHINGTON — Bus oper- the “keys to our future prosperity.” WASHINGTON — At last, ators and other highway travelers “The purpose of the Recovery the Obama Administration has a WASHINGTON — The Fed- ber of flaws that, if not addressed, will be seeing a lot more detours Act (is) not just to jump-start the director of the Transportation Se- eral Motor Carrier Safety Admin- will have a dramatic impact on and road construction projects this economy and get us out of the hole curity Administration. istration remains “absolutely” motor carriers and on highway summer. A whole lot more. that we’re in right now, but to make The Senate confirmed former committed to the current time line safety. In fact, the number will ex- the investments that will spur FBI deputy director John Pistole for rolling out CSA 2010, says One issue being raised is crash pand from the more than 10,000 growth and spread prosperity and to head the TSA — the first time Administrator Anne Ferro. accountability and how FMCSA highway projects currently under pay dividends to our communities the post has been filled since “It is a component-oriented measures a fleet’s exposure to way — six times as many as dur- for generations to come,” he said. Barack Obama became president time line to ensure that everyone crashes, two areas the agency has ing July of last year, federal offi- The White House plans to in January 2009. is with us every step of the way said it’s working to change. cials report. send out Cabinet members to vari- Two previous nominees had and that we get every piece of it Another major concern is that The projects are part of what is ous locations across the country to withdrawn their nominations for right every step of the way,” Ferro CSA 2010 counts both traffic cita- said following a congressional tions and warnings for moving vi- being dubbed “Recovery Sum- speak at project sites. various reasons, leaving the De- hearing last month. olations, and then assigns them mer,” a surge in infrastructure The construction industry is partment of Homeland Security Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., the same weight. projects funded by last year’s fed- benefiting immensely from the ef- agency without a permanent chairman of the House highways Critics note that several states eral economic stimulus law. fects of the stimulus, said Brian administrator. and transit subcommittee, said require officers to have probable Last month, President Obama Turmail, a spokesman for The As- While Pistole must deal with spoke in Columbus, Ohio, to mark sociated General Contractors of that while the Comprehensive cause before inspecting a bus or transportation-related security Safety Analysis 2010 — ­FMCSA’s truck. In those states, it is com- the 10,000th road project funded America. “We would hate to see and safety issues, perhaps the with stimulus money. During his what the construction industry new safety ratings system — was monly believed that enforcement biggest challenging facing him is “an evolutionary change to the officials stop trucks or buses for remarks, Obama called transporta- would look like without the stimu- an effort by the two largest feder- tion infrastructure projects one of lus,” Turmail added. better…there are a number of le- trifling offenses and issue warn- al employee unions to win collec- gitimate concerns about the time ings for justification to conduct tive-bargaining rights for about line for implementation and spe- inspections. Labor official supports bill 50,000 transportation security of- cific aspects of it.” As a result, carriers operating ficers at the agency. DeFazio indicated he was par- in these states are disproportion- ticularly concerned that the agen- ately impacted and likely have targeting ‘misclassification’ Sleep expert at NTSB cy was pressing ahead with its worse driver violation scores. WASHINGTON – A top offi- on nonemployees who are paid to Mark R. Rosekind, said to be phased implementation schedule The warnings issued to trigger cial in the U.S. Department of perform labor or services, and an internationally recognized fa- through the end of this year and an inspection can’t be appealed Labor says a Senate bill, designed provide civil penalties for employ- tigue expert, has been appointed a into 2011 before the University of and they could have a dramatic ef- to make it easier for federal regu- ers who misclassify employees as member of the National Trans- Michigan Transportation Re- fect on a carrier’s CSA score. lators to catch employers who nonemployees. portation Safety Board. search Institute has finished its re- Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., said misclassify their employees as in- The bill, introduced in April, Prior to joining the NTSB, view of FMCSA’s CSA 2010 pilot he thought the probable-cause dependent contractors, also would has not been approved by the Rosekind was president and chief programs. issue “poses huge issues with the help assure a “level playing field committee. scientist of Alertness Solutions, a Those concerns were echoed validity” of FMCSA’s data. in the marketplace.” (See May 15, March 15 and consulting firm in Cupertino, by Rep. John Duncan of Ten­ “During this fragile economic March 1 issues of Bus & Motor- Calif., that specializes in fatigue nessee, the subcommittee’s top System defended recovery, workers are too often ex- coach News.) management. Republican. Ferro defended the system, ploited and caused to lose out on Harris testified that unscrupu- Before founding Alertness So- “That study’s not going to be saying the initial review of the pilot the benefits they rightfully earned, lous employers can hurt employees lutions, he directed the Fatigue completed until December of this program results shows the agency while employers who do right by by not paying them minimum wage Countermeasures Program and year…but it seems like every- has “achieved a 35 percent increase their employees are placed at a or for overtime, and by not provid- was chief of the aviation opera- thing’s being done on this before in investigations using this ap- competitive disadvantage that ing them such benefits as health tions branch in the flight manage- you even get the result of this proach — in other words, we not they cannot afford,” Seth Harris, insurance, workers’ compensation, ment and human factors division study,” he said. only reached more carriers, we did deputy secretary of labor, told the or unemployment insurance. at the NASA Ames Research Cen- Ferro told the committee that so with greater efficiency.” Senate Committee on Health, Ed- Misclassified contractors also ter in Moffett Field, Calif. during the “30-month pilot…we The FMCSA said in April it ucation, Labor and Pensions. reduce revenues to federal and Rosekind earned a bachlor’s have accumulated an enormous intends to open the CSA 2010 sys- Harris testified at a committee state coffers because employers degree from Stanford and holds a amount of information in testing tem up to the public later this year hearing that would amend the Fair avoid unemployment taxes, work- Ph.D. from Yale University. His this system” and have “been able and begin using its series of new Labor Standards Act of 1938 to ers’ compensation premiums, and term expires Dec. 31, 2014. to use preliminary findings both interventions to monitor carriers. require employers to keep records payroll taxes, Harris said. to identify the effectiveness as (See May 1 Bus & Motorcoach well as the efficiency improve- News.) Feds begin process to set mileage standards ments in this new CSA process.” That, Ferro said, will be fol- WASHINGTON — The Na- tential impacts of the proposed duced by large commercial vehi- “As far as a first phase, we’re lowed up with a proposed rule to tional Highway Traffic Safety Ad- fuel mileage standards and reason- cles. (See June 1 and May 15 is- very confident this is the right change how the agency assigns ministration plans to propose first- able alternative standards pursuant sues of Bus & Motorcoach News.) step to take this year,” she said. carriers their safety fitness deter- ever fuel efficiency standards for to federal law. The impact statement will DeFazio also noted that with mination next year. large commercial vehicles begin- The Obama Administration compare the potential environ- the budgetary constraints many Commercial Vehicle Safety ning with model year 2016. announced in May it was charging mental impacts of the Environ- states are facing, he was “not cer- Alliance Interim Executive Direc- In a Federal Register notice, the U.S. Environmental Protection mental Protection Agency’s pre- tain this is a realistic time line.” tor Steve Keppler said states were the National Highway Traffic Agency and the U.S. Department ferred alternative and reasonable concerned they may lack the re- Safety Administration said it will of Transportation with collaborat- alternatives, including a “no ac- More criticism sources to implement CSA 2010 undertake an environmental im- ing on a rule setting limits on the tion” alternative, said NHTSA, Critics continue to maintain and that they may not be able to pact statement to analyze the po- fuel consumed and emissions pro- which is part of USDOT. the new program contains a num- meet FMCSA’s schedule. Bus & Motorcoach News THE DOCKET July 15, 2010 5 Conn. cuts tax Connecticut adopts snow/ice-free vehicle requirement HARTFORD, Conn. — Con- vehicles are not cleared of snow or people feeling compelled to climb much as $1,250 for commercial on school buses necticut has become the latest state ice. It is similar to a law slated to atop large vehicles to remove snow drivers if snow and ice breaks free to adopt legislation intended to get take effect this fall in New Jersey. and ice, and question whether the and results in injury or damage to HARTFORD, Conn. — Con- tough with drivers who fail to clear Supporters say the snow-and- issue warrants the law. another vehicle. necticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell has snow and ice off their vehicles. ice rule will make enforcement Connecticut lawmakers, how- Drivers will not be liable for signed a law that creates a finan- Connecticut’s new rule applies easier, as well as create a signifi- ever, were convinced action was snow or ice that accumulates on a cial incentive for equipping Con- to commercial and noncommer- cant deterrent for not cleaning off necessary. As a result, once the vehicle while on the road. necticut school buses with three- cial vehicles and goes into effect a vehicle following a storm. rule is implemented, violators will There is some fear that local point seatbelts, but would not December 2013. Critics of such laws contend face $75 fines for failure to clear governments will try to get in on make them mandatory. The Connecticut law permits they are nearly impossible to com- ice and snow from their vehicles. the act by adopting similar laws in The compromise bill cuts in police to pull over drivers whose ply with. They cite concerns about The fine would increase to as an effort to boost revenue. half the amount of state sales tax school districts pay on belt- equipped buses, reducing the tax from 6 to 3 percent. That means the effective sales tax on a $100,000 school bus, for example, would be $3,000 instead of $6,000. Equipping a large school bus with three-point belts costs upwards of $8,500. The program is to be paid for by increasing the registration fee on suspended driver licenses from $125 to $175. The fee would apply to people reinstating their licenses after offenses like driv- ing under the influence or habitu- al speeding. State budget officials estimate the fee increase will raise roughly $2.1 million annually. The compromise bill follows the defeat of legislation to require seatbelts on new school buses in Connecticut, which was voted down by a committee because of cost concerns. The legislature’s Office of Fiscal Analysis estimat- ed it would cost $106 million for school systems to equip their buses with seatbelts. There was no proposal on how to come up with that much money. Nearly two dozen bills to get seatbelts on Connecticut school buses have failed in the past few years. “I believe all buses should have seat belts, but this is a step in the right direction,” said bill spon- sor Rep. Antonio Guerrera.

Seatbelt proposal rejected DENVER — For the second year in a row, a proposal to re- quire seatbelts on school buses has failed in the Colorado Gener- al Assembly. Senate President Brandon Shaffer, D-Longmont, proposed a similar bill during the 2009 ses- sion, but it was turned aside by members of the House Education Committee. This year, lawmakers again rejected the proposal, saying the measure would be too costly and that school buses are already safe. The amendment failed on a 5-29 vote, while the underlying school vehicle bill won approval on a 34-0 vote. 6 July 15, 2010 THE DOCKET Bus & Motorcoach News California Highway Patrol Oregon transit gets rule exception EUGENE, Ore. — The Feder- under the exception provisions ing to the FTA. Lane Transit com- al Transit Administration has contained in the charter rule. mitted to using two NW Navigator initiates bus/truck awards granted an exception to the federal Lane said it had sent an email buses for the fair shuttle. SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The month, but it was not immediately charter service rule, allowing the notification late last year to regis- In granting the exception, FTA California Highway Patrol oper- known how many operators public transit agency here to pro- tered charter providers in its ser- Administrator Peter Rogoff said ates one of the nation’s most com- applied. vide shuttle service this month for vice area. Two private operators Lane Transit had exhausted all prehensive commercial vehicle in- Tom Giddens, president of the a popular festival. responded to the notice, NW Nav- registered charter providers in the spection programs. California Bus Association and Pa- Lane Transit District of Eugene igator Luxury Coaches and Colo- area and by including NW Navi- Now, it is implementing one of cific Coachways Charter Services petitioned the FTA in April, asking nial Coaches. gator in its service plan had satis- the few programs in the nation — of Garden Grove, said his son Mi- it be allowed to provide shuttle bus “Colonial Coaches failed to fied FTA requirements. operated by a state highway safety chael had entered their company. service July 9-11 for the Oregon contact the customer to begin ne- Lane Transit anticipated using agency — designed to recognize The program has 11 scoring Country Fair. It made the request gotiations for the service,” accord- a total of 25 buses. private motor carriers that make categories: Inspection history, cita- safety the top priority in their busi- tion history, collision history, miles ness operations. driven, technology innovation, Florida operator to run Gator shuttle The program is called Safe comprehensive policies for high- GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A ligator and its sports teams are was willing and able to provide Transportation Achievement Rec- way safety, training, achievements private coach operator is taking called the Gators.) the service. ognition, or STAR awards. (awards), community service, over the fan shuttle service for The Regional Transit System Fabulous Coach Lines will not Three California bus operators number of years in industry, and University of Florida home foot- of Gainesville had previously op- use RTS bus stops, but company could be recognized this fall when worker’s compensation claims. ball games. erated the shuttle that allowed fans owner Ray Land said the service the program’s first awards are The initial STAR winners will Branford, Fla.-based Fabulous to park at several locations around will use the same general loca- presented. be recognized Sept. 19 at the Com- Coach Lines is replacing the for- the city and take RTS buses to the tions as the former Gator Aider The program has three catego- mercial Vehicle Safety Summit mer Gator Aider shuttle with a game. shuttle. ries — bus operators, truckers, and hosted by the California Highway new service called Navigator. It gave up the service this year Land is increasing ticket pric- hazardous materials haulers. Three Patrol in Anaheim, Calif. (The university’s mascot is the al- after Fabulous Coach Lines said it es to $10 from $8 per game. awards will be presented in each category. The three bus categories are carriers with 1-10 buses; carri- Colorado adopts lane-use rule for mountainous areas of I-70 ers with 11-25 buses, and operators DENVER — Colorado has a All slow-moving vehicles must that average 6 percent or more for mph of the posted speed limit on with 26 or more buses. new law intended to improve traf- stay to the right on steep grades at least one mile along I-70. The the affected stretches. The deadline to compete for fic flow along Interstate 70 along the roadway. Specifically, lane restriction will apply to all ve- Violators would face $19 fines the 2010 awards was earlier this through the mountains. lane use will be restricted on grades hicles that cannot stay within 10 for failure to move right.

move them from our roadways.” tive civil penalty proceeding for from operating illegal passenger tration, and imposing civil penal- Operator fined FMCSA Administrator Anne violations of Federal Motor Carri- service. Martinez’ determination ties against Martinez and/or his CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Ferro said the FMCSA “worked er Safety Regulations discovered to run no matter what, combined entities for violations of FMCSA ­illegally operate and evade previous tirelessly to bring this civil penalty during the compliance review. with the FMCSA’s apparent inabil- regulations. orders from the FMCSA to cease case forward.” Roughly 10 months later, after ity to monitor him to assure he “Each time FMCSA has shut all interstate and international pas- “We are committed to doing ev- Martinez defaulted on the notice wasn’t operating and then letting down one operation, Martinez has senger carrier transportation. erything we can to prevent illegal of claim and failed to pay the as- him slip through its screening pro- reincarnated himself as a new car- “Safety is our number one pri- carriers from operating and placing sessed civil penalties, the FMCSA cesses, allowed him to remain on rier and tried again. Martinez has ority at the U.S. Department of our road users at risk,” she said. suspended his operating authority the road year after year. shown a persistency and determi- Transportation,” said Transporta- The FMCSA’s history with registration. In a court filing, the FMCSA nation to continue operating under tion Secretary Ray LaHood. “We Martinez goes back to at least May Meanwhile, on Feb. 10, 2007, admitted that “over the past several new entities and businesses.” will continue to take every action 2006, when he applied for operat- the FMCSA prohibited Martinez years, Martinez has repeatedly at- Yet, despite Martinez’ repeat- at our disposal to vigorously pur- ing authority registration under the and Tierra Santa from operating tempted to obtain operating au- edly operating coaches in violation sue illegal, unsafe carriers and re- name of Cayetano Martinez dba any commercial motor vehicles in thority from FMCSA under differ- of federal rules, neither the Tierra Santa Tours. interstate commerce and ordered ent business names and entities. FMCSA nor the California High- The FMCSA conducted a com- the company to cease transporta- FMCSA has shut these operations way Patrol went to court or took Out-of-service laws pliance review of the company in tion in interstate and foreign down, revoking any operating au- other appropriate actions to put CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 December 2006, issuing an unsat- commerce. thority registrations that it issued, Tierra Santa out of business or en- isfactory rating. A month later, the None of those actions by the issuing orders to cease interstate join Martinez from operating — years — up from one year. Subse- FMCSA initiated an administra- FMCSA, however, deterred him transportation, suspending regis- until after the deadly crash. quent offenses within 10 years would result in suspensions of be- matter of policy, a spokesman establish beyond a reasonable case, wrote that an officer’s credi- tween three and five years — up Ohio ruling said. The OSHP policy contains doubt the defendant’s speed,” Jus- bility, just like a defendant’s, from a maximum of three years. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 language to prevent driver profil- tice Maureen O’Connor wrote on should be subject to determina- Efforts this year to improve the police officer.” ing and other forms of abuse. behalf of the court majority. tions by a jury or another fact- compliance with federal regula- Link said the probability is high The issue grew out of a 2008 Justice Terrence O’Donnell, finder that may choose to believe tions on out-of-service orders has that there will be “a waterfall of er- incident where Officer Christo- the lone dissenting voice in the all, part or none of the testimony. resulted in such states as Indiana, roneous tickets in this situation.” pher Santimarino of Copley, Ohio, quirement that police go out hunt- New Jersey, South Dakota and West Before an officer can issue issued a speeding ticket to motor- Tennessee quotas ing for speeders. Virginia modifying their laws. these types of tickets, the officer ist Mark Jenney of Akron, Ohio, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Meanwhile, lawmakers in In California, the General As- must be certified in visual speed based solely on a visual estimate ­punished, in reference to a prede- Michigan have shown interest in sembly voted unanimously to ap- estimation by the Ohio Peace Of- of Jenney’s speed. termined, specified number of cita- the issue. Legislation has been pro- prove a bill that would bring that ficer Training Academy. Jenney challenged the ticket, tions,” said Rep. Harry Brooks. posed that would close a loophole state’s commercial driver’s licens- Two state lawmakers are re- and following a series of rulings Although law enforcement in state law that allows “tickets is- ing rules into compliance with portedly working on bills to re- and appeals, the state Supreme agencies deny having ticket quo- sued” to be used in evaluations of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Reg- quire officers to verify speed by Court upheld a lower court’s deci- tas, Brooks said he is aware of traffic enforcement officers, as ulations. The bill — AB2144 — radar when issuing tickets. sion siding with law enforcement. quotas being an issue around long as ticket writing is weighed has moved to the Senate for The Supreme Court ruling ap- “(A) police officer’s testimony Knoxville, as well as in other parts equally among other job criteria. consideration. pears only to apply to local and regarding his unaided visual esti- of the state. Under the proposed law, ticket States that fail to modify their regional jurisdictions. Troopers mation of a vehicle’s speed, when Burchett said the law will not writing in general still could be laws could have federal funds with the Ohio State Highway Pa- supported by evidence that the of- change enforcement efforts, in- considered in performance withheld. trol will continue to use radar as a ficer is trained…(is) sufficient to stead it simply throws out the re- evaluations. Setra - A Daimler Brand

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Daimler Buses North america • 1.800.882.8054 • www.setra-coaches.com • [email protected] 8 July 15, 2010 NEWS ANALYSIS Bus & Motorcoach News LaHood defends Obama Administration spending plans ARLINGTON, Va. — Trans- One (railroads), and we’re proud whether it’s trucking, rail, ships or ing industry leaders – that Con- USDOT’s portion, $35 million, portation Secretary Ray LaHood of it.” barges,” he said. gress and the administration may will come from the discretionary has responded to critics who say Specifically, LaHood said the LaHood has come under criti- not agree on a highway bill before grant program. the Obama Administration is pay- “lion’s share” of USDOT’s $1.5 bil- cism in recent months for seem- Obama’s first term ends in 2013. ing too little attention to highway- lion in competitive stimulus grants ingly giving short shrift to tradi- Meanwhile, LaHood promised Smart spending? related modes of transportation went to the “freight rail system to tional highway transportation a second round of discretionary “It’s an ideology with a whole and, at the same time, committing help them improve their infrastruc- investments and planning. grants — a total of about $600 mil- lot of money behind it right now,” too much money and interest to ture,” in part to boost administra- Responding indirectly to that lion for this year — that will allow said one trucking industry lobbyist. urban feel-good programs that do tion efforts to eventually create a criticism, LaHood said that “we’re the government to “green-light “Unfortunately, there’s no strings nothing to reduce congestion. high-speed passenger rail network. not going to (move freight) with even more high-priority road, rail, attached with these…grants, so the In remarks delivered last Those funds went to the streetcars or bikes, or we’re not transit, aviation and maritime proj- USDOT can use the money to pro- month at a National Industrial “freight rail system so that tracks going to walk these goods to the ects that will both create quality mote its ideology of livable com- Transportation League forum here, and infrastructure could be fixed, stores.” jobs and rebuild the infrastructure munities. But not everybody lives LaHood highlighted the adminis- so we can get to higher speeds with “I know people think that be- that your companies demand.” in an area that will meet their liv- tration’s plan to spend lots of our passenger rail,” he said. “This cause, maybe sometimes, I get a Separately, LaHood’s depart- able community threshold. money on freight rail projects to is what people want.” little effusive about other modes of ment was poised to award another “During a tough economic bolster its push for high-speed in- transportation I’ve given up on the round of the type of grants — for time, when every penny of every tercity passenger rail. No favoritism more traditional modes; I haven’t,” “livable communities” projects — dollar counts, when we look back “We need a strong freight rail Despite focusing much of his he asserted. that have been the object of criti- on it will these ‘livable communi- system to help jump-start our op- speech on the administration’s rail cism by some in the transportation ties’ initiatives have been the best portunity for high-speed rail,” La- push, LaHood went out of his way Highway bill limbo industry. bang for the buck?” asked the lob- Hood said. “That’s why freight rail to say USDOT investments in rail LaHood told forum attendees Totaling $75 million, this byist in a trucking publication. is important.” In many parts of the and ports and other projects “do he thought Congress and the ad- round of grants is part of the first- “This is not Highway Trust country, Amtrak passenger trains not favor one mode of transporta- ministration would eventually ever joint grant program between Fund revenue, but ultimately it’s run on tracks owned and operated tion over another. come together on a highway bill the U.S. Department of Transpor- still the taxpayer paying the bill,” by freight railroads. “They strike a new balance that that spends about $500 billion or tation and the Department of he said. “Twenty years from now, LaHood added that his depart- maximizes the efficiency of freight $600 billion. Housing and Urban Development I’m not sure it will have been ment has “made some pretty sig- transportation through whatever However, there are new wor- for “livable and sustainable worth the investment, but they be- nificant investments in the Class means are best for a given area, ries — particularly among truck- communities.” lieve it is.” Coalition says federal government ‘too big to succeed’ WASHINGTON — A newly tional Deficit Commission. compete with the private sector, but private partnerships; A-76 com- inaccurate and duplicate land in- reformed coalition of businesses, Palatiello testified before the should utilize the private sector to parisons, or other instruments to ventories (H.R. 1520); an evalua- associations and other organiza- commission, urging spending and the maximum extent possible transfer commercial activities tion of the need for continued fed- tions committed to reducing all contracting reforms to reduce the • Endorse legislation in Con- from the government to the private eral ownership of each tract; and forms of unfair government com- size and cost of government. gress to establish a statutory sector the establishment of a faster, more petition with the private sector has The commission, created in framework — “Freedom From • End all forms of subsidies efficient process for surplus and told an Obama Administration February by President Obama, is Government Competition Act” and preferences for government disposal of land that can be trans- commission that the federal gov- comprised of U.S. senators and (H.R. 2682) run or sponsored activities that ferred to state and local govern- ernment is too big to succeed. representatives, as well as several • Study the potential conver- perform commercial activities and ment or sold to the private sector “Today, we have a government presidential appointees. sion to private sector performance thus unfairly compete with pri- The commission will vote on a that is too big to succeed. We need Palatiello commission should of the 850,000 federal positions vate, taxpaying companies final report, containing a set of rec- to right-size the government to take action to: that are commercial in nature (po- • Endorse re-establishment of ommendations for reducing the eliminate unfair competition with • End to the federal govern- tential savings: $27 billion over 5 the “Byrd Committee” — the Joint federal deficit, no later than Dec. 1. the private sector, make govern- ment’s duplication of and competi- years) Committee on Reduction of Non- The Business Coalition for ment work for the American peo- tion with the private sector for the • Subject each commercial ac- essential Federal Expenditures — Fair Competition was active in the ple, and reduce our debt and defi- performance of commercial tivity of the federal government to in Congress 1980s and 90s. It was reformed cit,” Business Coalition for Fair activities direct conversion; contracting out; • Call for a current, accurate last year to fight unfair govern- Competition President John Palati- • Reinstate the federal policy vouchers; asset sales and leases; inventory of all federal land own- ment competition with the private ello told President Obama’s Na- that the government should not privatization; divestiture; public- ership, the elimination of obsolete, sector.

ISSUE NO. 173 Godfrey Lebron How to contact us Paradise Trailways Hicksville, N.Y. To submit or report news, Letters to To advertise or to mail advertising- the Editor, articles, news releases or to related materials: Joan Libby Cavalier Coach Trailways report corrections: Call: Johnny Steger at (866) 930-8426 A PUBLICATION OF THE UNITED MOTORCOACH ASSOCIATION Boston, Mass. E-mail: E-mail: Marcia Milton [email protected] [email protected] First Priority Trailways Staff Advisory Board District Heights, Md. Fax: (405) 942-6201 Mail: 2200 N. Yarbrough, Suite B William Allen James Brown Sr. Michael Neustadt Mail: 3108 NW 54th Street Box No. 336 Editor & Publisher: Victor Parra Amador Trailways Magic Carpet Tours Coach Tours Oklahoma City, OK 73112 El Paso, TX 79925 Sacramento, Calif. Richmond, Va. Brookfield, Conn. Senior Editor: Bruce Sankey Call: (866) 930-8421 Brian Annett Steve Brown Jeff Polzien To send advertisements or Sales Director: Johnny Steger Annett Bus Lines Brown Coach Red Carpet Charters To subscribe or inquire about your photographs via the Internet: Sebring, Fla. Amsterdam, N.Y. Oklahoma City subscription: Industry Editor: Ken Presley Larry Benjamin Tira Wayland Tom Ready E-mail: [email protected] Northfield Lines ABC Companies Ready Bus Lines E-mail: Associate Editor: Ellen Balm Northfield, Minn. Faribault, Minn. LaCrescent, Minn. [email protected] To contact the Art Director: Mary E. McCarty Dave Bolen Gladys Gillis Brian Scott Fax: (405) 942-6201 United Motorcoach Association: New World Tours Starline Luxury Coaches Escot Bus Lines Bristow, Va. Seattle Largo, Fla. Mail: 3108 NW 54th Street Call: (800) 424-8262 Editorial Assistant: Amy Stalknecht Oklahoma City, OK 73112 Autumn Dipert Brown Larry Hundt Michelle Silvestro Online: www.uma.org Editorial Assistant: Michele Nosko Dan Diepert Coaches Great Canadian Trailways National Interstate Insurance Co. Call: (866) 930-8421 Arlington, Texas Kitchner, Ontario Richfield, Ohio Editorial Assistant: Maggie Masterson David Brown Dale Krapf T. Ralph Young ©2010 by the United Motorcoach Association. Reproduction in whole or in part without Holiday Tours Krapf Coaches Young Transportation written permission is prohibited. Accountant: Ted Williford Randlemann, N.C. West Chester, Pa. Ashville, N.C. Bus & Motorcoach News NEWS ANALYSIS July 15, 2010 9 Inequity grows between government, private sector It’s a tale of two bus drivers — government workers in similar jobs. Ken Adams, 64, on the job benefits instead • Years before retirement: Seven one with a full tank of pay and ben- The public employees received eight years Paid Holidays: Eight • Pension: Half the average of efits, the other running on fumes. an average $15,700 in fringe ben- • Salary for 2009: $46,000 Extras: $50 tip on a tour; last three years’ pay MTA bus driver Glenroy Con- efits, while the private-sector • Paid vacation: Three weeks freebies • Health Insurance: Contributes nor, 52, earned $72,445 last year workers’ benefits averaged $9,800. • Paid sick days: Five a year Public 1.5% of salary to MTA-paid plan with hardly any overtime. He en- Public workers also work fewer • Years before retirement: Glenroy Connor, 52, on the job • Paid Holidays: 11, including joys 11 paid holidays a year, in- hours and retire earlier, the study Needs to work as long as he’s able 18 years his birthday cluding his birthday. In seven found. • Pension: None; company of- • Salary for 2009: $71,445 • Extras: Up to 2 years off with years, he can retire with a pension fers 401(k) • Paid vacation: Five weeks pay if assaulted; free transit pass and health benefits. Private vs. Public Sectors • Health insurance: Company • Paid sick days: 12 a year; un- Reprinted from The New York Classic Coach tour-bus driver Private pays 25 percent of policy; Uses VA used rolled over Post. Ken Adams, 64, loves his job, even though the private company pays him $26,500 less than his MTA counterpart. He gets only eight paid holidays and no pension con- tributions from his employer. In the midst of the great reces- sion, the gulf between private employees and government em- ployees grows wider. While the overall unemploy- ment rate is 9.3 percent, and 9.6 percent in New York City, the rate for public-sector employees is about half that, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s because most of the $787 billion federal stimulus funds were used to save the jobs of pub- lic-school teachers and other city employees. President Obama is now asking Congress to pass an- other $50 billion to preserve jobs in city and state government. The increased job protection — not to mention the better benefits — isn’t lost on bus driver Adams. “I get more gratification than money, but if I was a young man MB1 Mobile WiFi BUS-WATCH® Mobile Surveillance GPS/Backup 10.2” LCD Widescreen Monitor raising a family, I’d run to the MTA,” he said. 1.800.228.9275 • www.radioeng.com His boss, Classic Coach owner Bill Schoolman, is livid that he must fork over an MTA-bailout tax of 34 cents for every $100 of his payroll to subsidize the public agen- cy: “They make it impossible for SINGLE USE guys like me to compete,” he said. The difference isn’t limited to ® buses. Metro-area data compiled by POT SHOT the Bureau of Labor Statistics show private elementary school • Easy to Use The power of POT SHOT in a teachers make an average $34.63 convenient, portion controlled, per hour compared to $49.41 for • Measured Dosage public school teachers. Private • Powerful Odor Control single use bottle. Portion child-care workers make an aver- Control POT SHOT is more age $9.73 per hour, compared to • Low Cost $13.08 for public workers. effective then any other Nurses earn a little more in the • Super Concentrated portion controlled product private sector, but don’t get gener- • Pleasant Fragrance on the market. Each bottle is ous pension benefits, said a nurse at the city’s Bellevue Hospital. • Non-Staining Blue Dye individually labeled with use “There are two Americas, one • Non-Formaldehyde instructions. No more packets for government insiders with gold- plated compensation, and one for • Biodegradable that melt, stick together, and/or the rest of us who survive in the • Safe for Dump Valves damage dump valves. competitive economy,” said Cato Institute economist Chris Edwards. A recent study by Edwards UNIT CHEMICAL CORPORATION found that workers in the private (800) 879-8648 www.unitchemical.com sector nationwide earned an aver- age $50,000 salary in 2008, less than the $59,000 for state and local 60 Years Manufacturing Environmentally Safe Products 10 July 15, 2010 INDUSTRY NEWS Bus & Motorcoach News Eagles soar at museum fling HERSHEY, Pa. — It was a “Gathering of Eagles” that greeted attendees at the Museum of Bus Transportation annual Spring Fling here last month. Three models of the iconic For its annual Spring Fling, the Museum of Bus Transportation moves many of its vintage buses outside, giving access to all coaches. U.S.-built coach were parked in front of the edifice shared by the With one of the Eagles operated buses were displayed by Grey- Conestoga Tours of Lancaster. Industries, Members First Federal bus museum and the Antique Auto- by Flagship Trailways of Cranston, hound Lines, Capital Area Transit, Corporate sponsorship re- Credit Union, Prevost Car, Setra mobile Club of America Museum. R.I., and the other two the pride of New Jersey Transit Heritage Group, mained strong, despite the de- and Vernon & Maz, as well as three Despite the fact Eagle Bus Mfg. Eagleways LLC of Yonkers, N.Y, Flagship Trailways, Trans-Bridge pressed economy, with participa- major trade groups -- Pennsylvania has been out of business for nearly they were a real hit. Lines and Coach Tours. tion by ABC Companies, Lancer Bus Association, American Public 20 years, the 05, Model 10 and Currently, the Museum of Bus Attendance at this year’s fling Insurance, Busesonline.com, Full- Transportation Association and Model 15 were all immaculate and Transportation owns 32 buses and was down a bit from previous years ington Auto Bus Co., Motor Coach United Motorcoach Association. still in service -- a real tribute to the the fling allows the general public but still totaled nearly 400. Muse- durability of North American to view all of them on one day. In um President Tom Collins felt the coaches. addition to the museum fleet, other weak economy played a significant MCI gets new ISO certification role. Still, he was very pleased with WINNIPEG, Manitoba — that MCI plants share best practic- Bridgestone hikes tire prices how things went. Motor Coach Industries an- es at each facility. M U S C AT I N E , I owa — to balance costs and continue to Buses were displayed at the mu- nounced that its main manufactur- ISO (International Organiza- Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solu- deliver a premium package of seum and at the George Sage Com- ing facilities have been awarded tion for Standardization) is the tions has increased prices on its value to our dealer and fleet cus- plex, named for an industry icon ISO 9001:2008 certification. world’s largest developer of inter- Bridgestone brand bus and truck tomers,” said Kurt Danielson, and museum benefactor. Normally The recognition marks MCI’s national quality standards. radial tires by 6 percent in the U.S. Bridgestone Bandag vice president used for restoration and storage of first corporatewide, multifacility The ISO 9001 standard deals The price hike follows a June 1 of sales and marketing. coaches, it was converted for the ISO certification. with “quality management.” That boost in prices of up to 6 percent “Today, however, we have Spring Fling into a bus memorabil- Since 1996, MCI’s primary is, what the organization does to on its Firestone and Dayton brand reached a point where we must ia flea market, with 12 vendors and manufacturing facilities have held fulfill customer quality require- truck and bus radial tires. (See pass along some of the increased 31 tables. individual ISO 9001 certifications. ments and applicable regulatory re- May 15 Bus & Motorcoach News.) costs that are outside of our con- Transportation between the two Cal Kowcun, MCI senior man- quirements, while at the same time “Bridgestone Bandag Tire So- trol, including energy, fuel and raw sites was provided by Wolf Bus ager of quality assurance, said the aiming to enhance customer satis- lutions continues to look for ways materials.” Lines of York Springs, Pa., and multifacility certification assures faction and improve performance. Bus & Motorcoach News INDUSTRY NEWS July 15, 2010 11 Driver monitoring: An expanding frontier for operators By Dave Millhouser ing it as a Fox News Alert. There where you might be hesitant to risk Some of the new tire monitor- Sadly, in was little or no opportunity to ob- a real coach (you know, like dem- ing systems can be tied into the many acci- It’s a May-December relation- serve and correct mistakes on the onstrating the results of following GPS communication, so you can dents, the ship. I fell in love with Gracie the spot. too close). call your driver and tell him he’s commercial moment we met, and my wife Sometimes we tried the “or- These jewels aren’t cheap, but got a tire running hot. Now THAT vehicle is thinks it’s great. ganic method” by “ghosting” some in many cases you can rent time would be fun. initially as- She’s a Golden Retriever runs, but even there, criticism and put drivers through realistic While onboard computers have sumed to be puppy, and would be perfect ex- came after the act and could be situations without bending metal. been around for a while and they a t f a u l t . cept for one trait. She still does subjective. There is a variety of onboard aren’t strictly “real time,” you can S o m e o f some things indoors that Mother A bunch of new electronics is safety equipment currently avail- download all sorts of information, these tech- Nature intended for the Great opening an era where you may be able, with more on the horizon. such as speed, fuel consumption n o l o g i e s Outdoors. able to exercise some real-time Some of these things are going to and hard stops. show, with Letting her know this is a bad management of your drivers as make it; others will flop for a vari- Some forward-thinking opera- c e r t a i n t y, thing is tricky because she has a they do their job. This is not to ety of reasons. The goal here is to tors pay drivers a bonus for such what really Gracie very short attention span; you need imply that coach operators are as get you thinking about what might things as staying within speed pa- happened. to catch her in the act to have a flighty (or incontinent) as pup- help your company. rameters or fuel efficiency. The gentleman who ran main- “teachable moment.” pies…but it offers opportunities Event recorders have been with Technology now exists to mon- tenance for a small company used For eons we’ve had a similar on two fronts. us for a while and are useful. Savvy itor a driver’s eyeballs for signs the to go home every night with a situation in the transportation in- Bus drivers are similar to many drivers will do all sorts of good driver may be about to fall asleep. piece of plywood. Every morning dustry. The group of employees other groups in that there are good things to avoid setting off the nasty These devices make some sort of he’d come to work with that ply- who had the most responsibility, ones and bad ones. (Profound, little light that glows when they ex- emphatic suggestion that a stop is wood fashioned into a rear door for and could put your company and huh?) The new stuff is going to ceed preset G forces. Sometimes in order. the transit buses he ran. the lives of your passengers at risk, help make objective judgments as they even resort to driving smooth- A new tool that may eventually Apparently his drivers were had no direct supervision while you sort the wheat from the chaff. ly. These gadgets provide a visual, be mandated is the means to elec- getting to the end of the run, and they were working. Second, the electronics will audio and data record for every in- tronically record and track driver heeding the call of nature on the You could catch and correct make it possible to break bad hab- cident or sudden stop. hours of service. inside of these doors…which then mistakes by office staff and other its and refine skills in the good Many GPS systems allow you You’re going to have more op- rotted. employees in real time, but drivers ones. to know exactly where your coach portunities to manage and train Imagine if HE had real time were out there on their own. Simulators have come a long is at all times, and how fast it’s drivers, if you choose the right driver monitoring. The first sign of trouble might way in terms of realism and afford- going — right from your desk. equipment. You’re going to be held Dave Millhouser is a bus in- be a nasty letter from a passenger, ability. They offer the opportunity They can be set to alert you when responsible for your driver’s ac- dustry marketing consultant and or a court summons days after an for drivers to practice, with you certain speeds are reached or if the tions, so why not have a measure freelance writer. Contact him at: incident. Worst case would be see- observing, all sorts of situations bus goes off route or schedule. of control? [email protected].

Tel 800-826-3486 | Email [email protected] | www.sefac.com 12 July 15, 2010 INDUSTRY NEWS Bus & Motorcoach News A refresher on rules for Md. association hires administrator BALTIMORE — The Mary- Hershey Farm Restaurant and Inn my Clarence Cornell School of mechanics while driving land Motorcoach Association has in Strasburg, Pa. Business. She is married to Ken announced the hiring of Mary After moving to Charlotte, Presley, vice president of UMA. PORTLAND, Maine — At- manufacturers thought the next ­Presley as its first executive N.C., she was hired by Lancaster “I am pleased with the trust the tendees at the New England Bus five years would bring in terms of administrator. Trailways of the Carolinas as di- Maryland Motorcoach Association Association Annual Meeting here coach innovation and changes in “Our organization is at a cross- rector of sales and marketing. board of directors has placed in appeared surprised when reminded the market. roads and we feel it is the right During her years at Lancaster, me,” said Mary Presley, “and I that mechanics testing or transport- In addition to business and edu- time to appoint someone who can she became adept at government look forward to managing the af- ing coaches must have a CDL li- cation sessions, attendees at the manage the affairs of the associa- grant writing. fairs of (the association) and con- cense with passenger endorsement. meeting also participated in a New tion on a daily basis,” said associa- She began working with state tinuing its mission. Additionally, in the event the England Clam Bake at Kenne­ tion president Sam Shea, owner of and regional motorcoach associa- “The Maryland Motorcoach bus crosses a state line, the me- bunk’s Seashore Trolley and Bus Golden Ring Travel & Transporta- tions when Linda Morris of Morris Association is on the right track to chanic driver has to comply with all Museum (www.trolleymuseum.org). tion in Baltimore. Meeting Management in Brookne- becoming a strong organization by federal safety regulations, includ- The museum features an im- “Mary’s varied experiences in al, Va., offered her a position as building on the relationships that ing logging hours of service. pressive collection of vehicles, and the motorcoach industry will help manager of the then Louisiana they have worked so hard over the Federal Motor Carrier Safety offers rides on a variety of antique us get to the next level of serving Motorcoach Association. years to instill,” she added. Administration official Wes Barber buses and trolleys. our members.” She currently is executive ad- For info about the association, reminded operators of the require- Attendance at the June 24-27 Mary Presley’s involvement ministrator of the National Asso- go to www.marylandmotorcoach. ments in comments he made during meeting, held at the Holiday Inn by with the motorcoach and travel in- ciation of Motorcoach Operators. org. To contact Mary Presley, a safety panel discussion conduct- the Bay here, was the highest ever, dustry goes back nearly 20 years Presley also is an instructor for phone (517) 312-7117 or email ed at the meeting. The panel was at 132. when she was group reservationist the United Motorcoach Associa- mpresley@marylandmotorcoach. moderated by Chris Crean of Peter Despite current economic con- and then group sales manager at tion’s Bus & Motorcoach Acade- org. Pan Bus Lines. ditions, NEBA added 6 operator Barber noted there had been members this year, bringing the conflicting advisories on the issue total to 56. The association also Pa. Bus Association chooses leaders in the past, and he wanted operators added 25 vendors as associate CHESAPEAKE, Va. — The Lines; Vice Chairman Nelson Coach LTD in Lititz, Pa.; Don to be clear about the requirements. members. Pennsylvania Bus Association has Floyd of Perkiomen Tours; Trea- Hagey of Hagey Coach in Souder- The panel also devoted atten- Donald DeVivo of DATTCO chosen new officers and elected surer Aerial Fullington Weisman ton, Pa.; John Kowalski of Bieber tion to the FMCSA’s new safety rat- was elected the association vice four new members to two-year of Fullington Trailways, and Sec- Transportation Group in Kutz- ings system, called Comprehensive president, and is expected to be- terms on its administrative board. retary Patrick Cole of Cole town, Pa., and Jay Newswanger of Safety Analysis 2010, that is being come president when Flagship The selections came at the as- Transportation. R&J Transportation in Pottsville, rolled out this year. (See story on Trailways’ Tom McCaughey’s term sociation’s general membership The officers also serve two- Pa. Page 4.) expires next year. meeting here last month. year terms. For information about the asso- A second panel, featuring seven NEBA’s next annual meeting The new officers are Chairman New bus operator board mem- ciation, go to www.pabus.org, or coach builders, dealt with what will be next June in Providence R.I. James A. JeBran of Trans-Bridge bers are Jim Garman of Advance call (717) 236-9042. Bus & Motorcoach News INDUSTRY NEWS July 15, 2010 13 UMA announces fall board election, 6 seats contested WASHINGTON — The Unit- may seek re-election. operators and who are elected to Additionally, the maps were Nominations for the regional ed Motorcoach Association is The directors whose seats are three-year staggered terms from the printed in the 2009-10 UMA board directorships must come seeking nominations from its U.S. expiring are: Region I (the West): three regions of the U.S., plus the Membership Directory, and the from active UMA members who operator members to compete for a Larry Benjamin of Northfield single director elected from Cana- bylaws are included in the back of are motorcoach operators. Candi- half-dozen three-year seats on its Lines in Northfield, Minn., and da. In addition, it has one non- the directory. dates nominated for the board board of directors. Jeff Polzien of Red Carpet Char- coachbuilder associate representa- Qualification standards for must represent an active UMA- Two directors will be elected ters in Oklahoma City; Region II tive who serves a three-year term, UMA directors can be found in Ar- member company in good stand- from each of UMA’s three U.S. (the Midwest): Dave Bolen of New and one coachbuilder associate ticle VI of the UMA bylaws. ing with the association. membership regions. Aug. 30 is World Tours in Bristow, Va., and who also serves a three-year term. Among the qualifications is a re- Written letters of nomination the deadline for letters of nomina- James Brown Sr. of Magic Carpet Maps showing the UMA re- quirement that nominees must must state the candidate’s name, tion for the director positions. Tours in Richmond, Va., and Re- gions are available on the associa- have been a UMA member for at company affiliation and home- UMA added a Canadian direc- gion III (the Northeast): Steve tion website, www.uma.org. Click least one year. base location. Nomination letters tor this year. That seat will not be Brown of Brown Coach in Amster- on About UMA and then the UMA Directors serve without pay but also must be postmarked or faxed contested for another two-plus dam, N.Y., and Mike Neustadt of Board of Directors link. A list of the association generally reim- no later than Aug. 30. years. Coach Tours in Brookfield, Conn. the states composing each region burses directors for travel and ac- Regional UMA Nominating All of the director seats being Nineteen members of the also is available on the website. Go commodations while performing Committees will certify the eligi- contested are the result of expiring 21-member UMA board are re- to About UMA and click on By- UMA business and/or attending bility of all candidates to produce a terms of incumbent directors, who gional directors who must be coach laws of the Association. association meetings. list of nominees for each region no later than Oct. 1. UMA survey sues facing operators stayed the has grown a whopping 30 percent,” pleted the survey (up from 243 in Ballots will be mailed to UMA same as reported last year: fuel costs, said UMA President and CEO Vic- 2009 and 234 in 2008), for a 28 per- members by Oct. 15, and must be CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 driver costs and insurance costs. tor Parra. cent response rate. returned no later than Nov. 15. percent increase in members who • The top three marketing is- “It is clear that operators are UMA went green with its sur- Winners will be announced in Bus reported it had decreased. sues facing members also remained shifting toward an online presence vey this year, allowing members to & Motorcoach News. • Marketing channels stayed unchanged: maintaining customers, for cost-effective marketing.” complete the study via the internet UMA members with questions consistent during the past year, with reaching new customers, and in- The views of coach-operator and providing the results through about nominations should contact two exceptions: Yellow Pages ad- creasing web presence. members of UMA was obtained in an online link. the association at (800) 424-8262. vertising decreased slightly, while “Our surveys show that in the the association’s annual Member- By offering the survey online, Mail nomination letters to: UMA BusRates.com showed an increase past two years alone, ‘yellow pages’ ship Survey and Industry Assess- UMA said it saved more than Nominations, 113 S. West St., 4th of more than 7 percent. There also has dropped nearly 15 percent ment, which was conducted early 12,000 sheets of paper and hun- Floor, Alexandria, VA 22314-2824. was an almost 8 percent increase in when we ask our members to report this spring. The survey was sent to dreds of dollars in postage. Only Nominations also may be faxed to members who said they subscribe the marketing tools they currently all 900 UMA operator members via eight members requested the sur- (703) 838-2950, or emailed to to BusRates.com. use, while ‘website ads’ has jumped email and fax. vey by fax; all others completed it UMA President and CEO Victor • The top three operational is- by 15 percent and ‘BusRates.com’ A total of 249 operators com- online. Parra at [email protected].

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Call us at 800-243-6546 Our legendary service is only slightly more impressive than the cost savings we can deliver: Promo pricing • Save up to 25% off all of your glass needs. thru July 31st We’ve been keeping independant coach companies and major city transit systems moving for over 35 years. AutoBusGlassDistributors.com 14 July 15, 2010 INDUSTRY NEWS Bus & Motorcoach News Calendar Philly becomes hub for megabus People PHILADELPHIA — mega- Philadelphia to Washington route, as Washington. JULY 2010 bus.com is expanding its Philadel- increasing departures to roughly Dale Moser, president and Brian Souter, founder and 15-18 National Motorcoach phia round-trip service to cover every two hours. chief operating officer of mega- chief executive of Stagecoach Network Invitational 100, nine cities in the U.S. and Canada. In all, megabus.com will offer bus.com, said: “Our budget coach Group, corporate parent of Coach Wyndham Virginia Crossings The expansion of the Philadel- 29 daily departures to and from services are becoming increasing- USA, Coach Canada and mega- Hotel & Conference Center, phia hub on July 21 will mean pas- Philadelphia. ly popular as consumers search for bus.com, has been named Ernst & Glen Allen, Va. Info: Go to sengers can travel to Atlantic City, To celebrate the expanded ser- low-cost products and great quali- Young Scotland Overall Entrepre- www.motorcoach.com. N.J.; Baltimore; Boston; Buffalo, vices, megabus.com is offering ty of service.” neur of the Year 2010. N.Y.; Harrisburg, Penn.; Pitts- 10,000 free seats for travel on July More than 5 million riders have The award judges described 25-27 Georgia Motorcoach burgh; State College, Penn.; Syra- 21 and beyond. The free seats are traveled on megabus.com coaches Souter as “a true global entrepre- Association Annual Meeting & cuse, N.Y., and Toronto. available on megabus.com depar- in North America since its launch neur who demonstrates great Marketplace, Chattanooga, Additionally, five more trips tures to and from the nine Phila- in April 2006. The service covers 33 leadership along with a keen eye Tenn. Marriott at the have been added to the existing delphia hub destinations, as well locations in the U.S. and Canada. for long-term vision and business Convention Center. Info: go to growth.” www.gamotorcoachoperators.org. Souter, who is 55 and a former National Interstate completes acquisition bus conductor, co-founded Stage- RICHFIELD, Ohio — Nation- lion, which reflected Vanliner’s es- $104 million of gross moving-and- coach Group with his sister, Ann AUGUST 2010 al Interstate Corp. announced that timated tangible book value at clos- storage premiums last year, repre- Gloag, in 1980, with two buses. 1-4 Alabama Motorcoach its principal subsidiary, National ing, was paid in cash by National senting roughly 58 percent of its He developed the company into a Association and South Central Interstate Insurance Co., has com- Interstate from available funds. business. leading passenger transportation Motorcoach Association Annual pleted the acquisition of Vanliner National Interstate does not ex- Under an agreement, Vanliner conglomerate in the United King- Meeting & Marketplace, Insurance Co. of Fenton, Mo. (See pect the transaction to materially remains the exclusively endorsed dom and North America with IP Casino, Resort & Spa, May 15 Bus & Motorcoach News.) impact 2010 earnings. Beginning insurance provider for Mayflower 30,000 employees and annual Biloxi, Miss. Info: go to Vanliner provides insurance next year, the acquisition is ex- Transit and United Van Lines mov- sales of more than $3 billion. www.southcentralmotorcoach.org for the moving and storage pected to be accretive to earnings ing and storage agents. Earlier last month, Souter be- or www.alabamamotorcoach.org. industry. and return on shareholder equity. Vanliner will continue to be came an initial recipient of a new The purchase price of $128 mil- Vanliner wrote approximately based in Fenton. award designed to honor women and men who are contributing to the development of public trans- CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING (2) 1996 MCI DL-3 COACHES port and sustainable mobility across Europe. Souter received the inaugural Talent in Mobility award in the category of “special career ser- vice.” The award is given in three other categories — best young ‘talent,’ best project manager, and best manager. ABC Companies has appoint- ed Rachel Pereira as ABC Parts mid-Atlantic territory manager. Her territory includes New York MTA, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia, PRICE REDUCED: $54,950 ~ NOW $49,900!! Virginia and Philadelphia. Pereira comes from a bus Excellent condition and 100% READY FOR SERVICE. family. Her parents have been Suspension, brakes, A/C & power train perfect condition. employed at Liberty Lines Tran- 51 pass, <700k miles, Ricon equipped with clean and sit in Yonkers, N.Y., for more than well maintained interiors. Paint and panels in great 30 years. condition. For more photos visit: She holds a bachelor’s degree Hard to Find http://s880.photobucket.com/albums/ac5/ridecj/Coaches%202300/ from Florida Atlantic University Late Model CONTACT: Jim 603.817.1717 or [email protected] and a master’s degree from San Diego State University in chemis- Transit Bus (2) ’99 Van try. She began her career as a re- Hool T-945’S 2002 Thomas search scientist with Pfizer. Sub- TL 960 2 door 57 PAX, + 1 Escort sequently, she opened and suc- transit bus with Ricon lift, Allison auto B300R, Cummins Seat, $89,500 cessfully operated four Curves for ISC250 engine, Thermo King ac, 40 pass, Ridewell air REDUCED to $55,500 Women franchise locations. susp, 18551 hours on bus, alum wheels, one owner. w/tires – New Paint When the time came for a new In service – available after July. $47,500 All buses are Clean challenge in her career, Pereira Well Maintanied turned to the bus industry. Arrow Coach Lines, Little Rock 1-800-632-3679 Excellent Condition For more Photos: “Rachel’s enthusiasm, prior http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh298/amaralbus/ business experience, and excel- REDUCED * ONE OWNER * MCI E4500 lent people skills will be key Excellent Condition Call Joe: 508-993-4503 or e-mail [email protected] components to her future success None Nicer! Low Miles with ABC,” said Tim Guldin, vice Michelin Tires, Alcoa Rims, president of sales at ABC Parts. CD/DVD, Cordless Mic, REPOS FOR SALE Long-time UMA board mem- Partial Financing O.A.C. ber Bob Hume and his wife Gaye, Delivered to West Coast Variety of makes and models of retired former owners of Travel Trades for clean MCI D & “Bank Repos” across the United Mates of Virginia, have a new DL models considered phone number and email address. $239,000 States and Priced to Sell! Reach them at (540) 434-0288 or Marc 808.832.6261 for photos and more info 1-877-737-2221 Ext. 30716 for more information! by email at [email protected]. built to protect passengers, drivers and bottom lines.

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