May 1, 2014

The many sides and challenges of fatigue management ANYTOWN, USA – Voluntary Ashburn, Va., late last year. United Motorcoach Association say they do so “occasionally.” motorcoach company fatigue Robert Crescenzo, vice presi- Special Report members prefer to avoid travel be- Just under 10 percent of the management programs will not dent of safety and loss control at tween midnight and 6 a.m., accord- carriers responding to the survey solve the risks associated with Lancer Insurance, discussed the ment elements you can add into ing to the 2013 UMA Membership indicated they do not operate overnight bus travel, but more dangers of driver fatigue, and es- your business,” he said. Survey and Industry Assessment. overnight. likely will shift those trips to carri- pecially overnight travel, at the Overnight travel often is re- An additional 6.4 percent of Michael Neustadt, president of ers with less devotion to safety. safety seminar. quested by charter bus customers operators say they would prefer Coach Tours in Brookfield, Conn., That’s the opinion of coach During his presentation, Cres- as a means of logging miles while not to operate during any time of told Bus & Motorcoach News that company executives who have cenzo suggested carriers educate avoiding the expense of a night’s darkness. an educational approach to ad- spoken out since a presentation on customers about the risks of such lodging, earning such bookings Due to customer demand, how- dressing customer demands for driver fatigue highlighted the trips and decline to accept them. industry nicknames like “silent- ever, 26.1 percent of operators say overnight trips probably would not United Motorcoach Association “That’s probably one of the hotel” or “traveling-motel” trips. they “routinely” operate overnight improve overall motorcoach indus- Safety Management Seminar in most significant fatigue manage- Two-thirds (67 percent) of charter service, and 59.8 percent CONTINUED ON PAGE 16 c Study reveals New coach slim, efficient sales climb industry in ’12 during 2013 WASHINGTON — During 2012, the North American motor- Combined private- and public- coach industry was leaner and op- sector sales of new MCI, Prevost, erated more efficiently than it had Setra, Van Hool and Volvo motor- in recent years, according to the coaches rose last year, paced by a latest industry census conducted double-digit increase in purchases for the American Bus Association by private bus operators. Foundation. Deliveries of new 45- and 40- Total passenger trips by motor- foot monocoque models by the coach in the U.S. and Canada grew five brands totaled 1,639 motor- by 1.7 percent, to 637.44 million, in coaches during the year. 2012, even as the number of motor- That’s a 7 percent increase coach companies and the number of from the 1,525 new 45- and 40- buses in operation was declining. foot coaches delivered by the same Other highlights from the Mo- Royal Shuttle Service. A Washington, D.C. conversion vans that seat eight. The fare is $90 brands in 2012. torcoach Census include: entrepreneur has launched a boutique bus ser- each way. Expansion to Philadelphia is planned. See Sales of the five brands in 2011 • About 35 percent of the pas- vice between D.C. and N.Y.C. Royal Sprinter uses story on Page 13. totaled 1,366 units, meaning 2013 senger trips in 2012 were provided sales were 20 percent higher than by large companies operating 100 Stanford U.: Tour buses unwelcome in 2011. or more motorcoaches; 25 percent PALO ALTO, Calif. — Stan- accommodate our many visitors state: Still, sales of new 45- and 40- were by midsize companies operat- ford University, the academic heart while ensuring the university com- • Reserving a time slot allows foot new coaches remain well ing 25 to 99 motorcoaches, and 41 of Silicon Valley, has instituted munity is able to conduct daily ac- tour groups access to a specific below 2,000 units, a benchmark percent were by small companies what may be the nation’s strictest tivities without disruption, as well tour parking spot in a staging area. figure for the industry. operating fewer than 25 coaches. policies for tour buses, including a as to ensure traffic safety and the • Groups arriving outside the Sales for 2013 marked the fifth • The industry continues to be $200-per-bus, per-hour visiting fee. safety of visitors on private prop- reserved time slots will be denied consecutive year new coach deliv- a bastion of small business, with The university, renowned as the erty,” states the university website. access, may be fined and could eries in the U.S. and Canada have 94 percent of the companies oper- cradle of Google, Yahoo! and other Under the rules that went into jeopardize future access. failed to approach 2,000 units. Dur- ating fewer than 25 motorcoaches, tech companies, attributed the need effect last month, tour bus opera- • Cancellations must be made ing the past 10 years, sales exceed- and 82.4 percent operating fewer for its tough, formal guidelines to tors are required to register — in two weeks in advance to receive ed 2,000 new coaches during the than 10 coaches. “a dramatic increase” in tour bus advance of visits — for specific refunds. years 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. • Motorcoach companies offer visits to the campus. times and to purchase the $200 Registration and reservations The 2013 figures exclude sales CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 c “The program is designed to “reservations.” The guidelines also CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 c CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 c

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www.abc-companies.com 4/14 Bus & Motorcoach News INDUSTRY NEWS May 1, 2014 3 Texas judge blocks sections CARB proposals would impact fleets SACRAMENTO, Calif. — ance requirements, which would incentives. of onerous Austin ordinance The California Air Resources mean additional opportunities for “We’re going to communicate AUSTIN, Texas — A federal such as inspections and require- Board has announced proposed them to apply for and receive pub- that we are not supportive of any judge has ordered the city of Aus- ments for minimum insurance and amendments to its California lic incentive funding. further financial consideration to tin not to enforce parts of an ordi- commercial driver’s licenses. The Statewide Truck and Bus Rule that • A compliance route for own- companies beyond what CARB is nance designed to regulate charter Austin City Council had approved it says will provide new flexibility ers currently unable to qualify for already giving,” Seal said. buses and impose fees for operat- the ordinance in June 2013. for small fleets, low-mileage loans to finance required upgrades. “The board was concerned ing motorcoaches within the city But after hearing both sides in fleets, and fleets that operate in • An expansion of the low-use that those companies that went limits — at least until the court his courtroom in late January (see certain rural areas. vehicle exemption from less than into debt are not anxious to bail makes a final ruling. March 1 Bus & Motorcoach At the same time, the proposed 1,000 miles per year to fewer than out those that ignored the rule and U.S. District Court Judge Sam News), Judge Sparks filed an order changes would “better protect the 5,000 miles per year. did nothing up until now,” he said. Sparks granted a preliminary in- in late March barring the city from emission and health benefits of • Allow a vehicle with a par- Further, he said, the CBA will junction, requested by the United enforcing two provisions of the or- the regulations,” says the environ- ticulate matter filter retrofit that press for a resolution of continu- Motorcoach Association, enjoining dinance until further notice, while mental regulatory agency. has been recalled to operate up to ing problems with diesel particu- the city from enforcing those as- keeping others in place. Meanwhile, the California Bus five years from the date of the late filter retrofits. pects of its ordinance that apply to The two key provisions aim to Association is asking CARB to recall. “We believe that (when) you vehicles with a capacity of at least distinguish charter services from stop bailing out companies that CARB members were set to purchased an approved filter, you 16 people, including the driver. taxicab services, and Sparks found fail to tackle the upgrades neces- consider the changes at an April maintained your vehicle, you UMA filed suit in federal court them most likely to be preempted sary to comply with the truck and 24 meeting. should not be forced to purchase here late last year, challenging the by the Federal Aviation Adminis- bus rule, while responsible com- Motorcoach company owners any additional DPF filter,” he said. ordinance that amends parts of the tration Authorization Act of 1994 panies make the investment. and managers, who are members CARB developed its latest city’s Ground Transportation — the legal precedent on which The 12 latest CARB proposals of the California Bus Association, proposed amendments following a Code, arguing it would hinder mo- UMA based its arguments. include: were scheduled to meet with hearing in October when stake- torcoach operators from doing More specifically, the section • An expansion of the so- CARB staff members prior to the holders expressed concern about business in Austin. of the ordinance that prohibits called NOx Exempt Areas, that is, hearing to voice their opinions the inability of some fleet owners Among the ordinance’s many buses from using taximeters and rural areas with cleaner air. The about the proposed rule changes. to make the upgrades needed to operating restrictions and require- having checkered logos that could proposed change provides for a Jim Seal, a CBA consultant, comply. ments is a mandate that motor- identify them as taxis. Another longer phase-in period for diesel said CBA board members who “These concerns specifically coach companies pay an annual subsection prohibits buses from particulate matter requirements met in March expressed concern focused on small fleets, lower- $400 fee per vehicle to operate in accepting passengers less than 30 for vehicles operating exclusively the changes would, in effect, re- mileage fleets, and fleets in rural the city or face impoundment of minutes before departure. in those areas. ward companies that had failed to areas, all of which arguably con- their coaches. “The court stresses this order is • More time and a lower-cost meet their obligations under the tinue to be impacted by the reces- The city emphasizes the ordi- not a final adjudication on pre- route for small fleet owners to existing regulations by providing sion,” according to a CARB staff meet particulate matter compli- them with publicly funded report. nance’s safety-related aspects, CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 c At COACH FINANCE COMPANY Your Profitability is Our Focus Lowering your finance rate by only 1% could mean a savings of $50,000 on your next 2 coach purchases! 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Coach companies declared ‘imminent hazards’ Registry rule to WASHINGTON — An an- panies, were declared imminent less business practice of structur- Maintenance (65.9 percent).” nouncement last month that two hazards to public safety. ing trips that require(d) drivers to A score of zero ranks a carrier focus attention southern bus operators had been Motts Transportation Inc. of speed, exceed hours-of-service as the best for the peer group and shutdown brought to five the num- Cordesville, S.C., which is north of regulations and/or falsify records 100 rates it as the worst. on apnea testing ber of motorcoach companies de- Charleston, was placed out of ser- of duty status.” clared “imminent hazards” and or- vice for a number of violations of The Motts order, which also Lousy records LOUSIVILLE, Ky. — The dered out of service by the Federal driver and vehicle safety, including applied to owner James Carter Sr., Inspectors said Motts does not looming deadline for bus and Motor Carrier Safety Administra- a trip during which an unqualified cited “widespread and serious non- ensure drivers submit accurate truck drivers to be medically cer- tion during the first three months driver was allowed to operate a compliance with federal safety ­records-of-duty status and hours- tified by examiners approved by of this year. motorcoach. regulations. Motts Transportation of-service reports. The carrier em- the Federal Motor Carrier Safety The FMCSA said both carriers fails to oversee and monitor its ploys part-time drivers but does Administration has ratcheted up were targeted for investigation due Reckless practices drivers and ensure that its motor- not require them to report hours the pressure for those who may be to “elevated alert” scores in its Safe- Woodburn’s Tour and Travel of coaches are systematically and spent on duty for other motor carri- at risk for sleep apnea to be tested ty Management System BASIC East Point, Ga., which is southwest properly inspected, repaired and ers or jobs. By reconstructing rec­ and treated, says a sleep expert. (Behavior Analysis and Safety Im- of Atlanta, and owner Howard maintained and meet minimum ords, investigators said they found The FMCSA National Regis- provement Categories) rankings. Woodburn were issued an out-of- safety standards.” that between Nov. 23 and Dec. 14, try for Certified Medical Examin- Also during the first quarter of service order for failing to system- The order said the Motts inves- one driver violated hours-of-ser- ers rule goes into effect May 21. this year, the FMCSA revoked the atically maintain vehicles and en- tigation was initiated because the vice regulations five times. After that date all drivers must use operating authority of more than sure drivers complied with testing carrier “had three elevated alert The order stated, “Motts Trans- an examiner from the agency’s reg- 75 unsafe bus and truck compa- procedures for controlled sub- BASICs: Unsafe Driving (94 per- portation also has no effective over- istry when renewing or first ob- nies. A total of eight motor carri- stances and alcohol. cent), Hours of Service Compli- sight of its drivers, which has led to taining medical clearance to drive. ers, including the five coach com- Violations included “the reck- ance (75.9 percent) and Vehicle CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 c Currently, noted Greg Mc- Dermand, CEO of Phoenix Sleep Feds slam Boston operator; university scrambles Solutions in Wellington, Fla., the BOSTON — Crystal Transport failed to comply with safety regu- mit for intrastate operations. Kevin Sheehan told the Boston FMCSA doesn’t have formal Inc. has lost its federal and state lations regarding driver medical Crystal operated a fleet of 44 Globe the company had hired safe- rules regarding sleep apnea test- operating authorities, forcing the examinations and certification; buses and had been in business ty consultants to assist it in ad- ing or criteria for testing. University of Massachusetts Bos- random drug and alcohol testing; since 1983. dressing safety issues and sent However, medical examiners ton to have to quickly arrange re- driver speeding, records-of-duty The carrier had operated documentation to the FMCSA. are paying increasing attention to placement shuttle service for its status, and hours of service. UMass shuttles for 25 years, and The FMCSA order, however, factors that point to increased risk students and employees. Following what was deemed an provided charters to such destina- stated: “Through the Show Cause of apnea occurrence, like weight The Federal Motor Carrier “informal hearing,” the Transpor- tions as New York City; Washing- Order, Crystal was provided an op- and underlying medical condi- Safety Administration revoked tation Oversight Division of the ton, D.C., and Foxwood Resort Ca- portunity to produce evidence, tions, as a means of relieving Crystal’s interstate operating au- Massachusetts Department of Pub- sino in Ledyard, Conn. within 30 calendar days, demon- themselves of liability in case of a thority after finding the company lic Utilities revoked Crystal’s per- Crystal General Manager CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 c crash, according to McDermand. “Examiners are getting very aggressive because of liability,” POT SHOT McDermand told a trucking con- ference here. “They’re not comfortable let- TRY IT ting people walk out” if they may be at risk for apnea, he said. SPECIAL Two key red flags for examin- ers are neck size of 17.5 inches or larger, or body mass index of 35 or greater. 128 Drivers with conditions like PREMEASURED diabetes, hyperthyroidism or high blood pressure also will flag ex- SERVICES aminers, said McDermond. WORKS THE BEST - COSTS LESS Drivers who walk into a medi- $37.95 cal examiners office with any of FORMULATED RIGHT THE FIRST TIME!!! these conditions will be told they need to be tested for sleep apnea, WHILE OTHERS ARE CONTINUALLY CHANGING FORMULAS, SUPER DELIVERED McDermand said, and he’s hearing STRENGTH POT SHOT’S QUALITY REMAINS UNSURPASSED. THERE’S ANYWHERE frequently from drivers who say SIMPLY NO BETTER ODOR CONTROL PRODUCT FOR THE RESTROOM. examiners aren’t renewing medical PLEASE CALL FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION AND YOUR FREE SAMPLE. IN USA AND cards if they haven’t been tested. POT SHOT IS AVAILABLE IN 2 OZ, 8 OZ, GALLONS, PAILS AND DRUMS TERRITORIES Because of this, McDermand said, drivers need to be proactive about getting tested so they can (800) 879-8648 - (702) 564-6454 - www.unitchemical.com bring test results or proof of treat- 29¢ ment to the medical examiner 60 Years Manufacturing Environmentally Safe Products PER SERVICE when they go in for medical CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 c Bus & Motorcoach News THE DOCKET May 1, 2014 5 Oregon expands safety efforts through partnerships SALEM, Ore. — The Oregon struck up a conversation with the that we have the resources to help safety requirements but also with regular inspections. Department of Transportation is Oregon Health Care Association.” them do it safely,” McKane said. state registration and tax laws. The recognition includes spe- touting a series of partnerships it McKane said the Motor Carri- “We were able to work with them, The Trusted Carrier Partner cial red license plates that exempt has developed aimed at bolstering er Transportation Division reached to tell them the requirements to be program was established 15 years the recognized companies from passenger safety on buses and out to the healthcare association aware of to comply.” ago but until last October included some random safety inspections. motorcoaches. and provided information and ex- Lastly, the department expand- only the trucking industry. Now Currently, only a handful of the 641 One of the partnerships in- pertise to help its members operate ed a program that recognizes bus companies also are recognized recognized motor carriers are bus volves the Northwest Motorcoach their small buses more safely. motor carriers with exemplary re- for a history of responsibly follow- operators because the bus industry’s Association, providing recognition “We want to send the message cords of compliance not only with ing safety standards and getting CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 c for entities, typically destinations, which cooperate with ODOT by allowing bus inspections on their property. Additionally, the department has created programs that encour- age greater focus on safety com- pliance by all bus operators, whether they are motorcoach com- panies or institutions that operate buses as a sideline. The Partnership for Passenger Safety, for example, is the state’s newest program, recognizing busi- nesses that support ODOT bus in- spection efforts. The program is a way for ODOT and the Northwest Motor- coach Association to publicly thank major bus passenger destinations for their cooperation in allowing in- spections on their property, reports David McKane, safety programs manager for the ODOT Motor Car- rier Transportation Division. “We’re doing more inspections on all types of buses large and small,” said McKane. “We real- ized we were getting a lot of work done but it wouldn’t have been possible without cooperation from the folks outside of the transporta- tion industry.” Joint ODOT and Northwest Motorcoach Association certifi- cates of appreciation have gone out recognizing a casino and three ski resorts — four of the larger attrac- tions in Oregon, said McKane. The certificates thank the desti- nations for providing safe locations to conduct bus and motorcoach in- spections and acknowledging the commitment each have to the safe- ty of the traveling public. In addition to the certificate, the Partners for Passenger Safety program will list the participants on the Motor Carrier Transporta- tion Division web page (www.ore- gon.gov/odot/mct). Another effort the state is mak- ing centers on “an often over- looked” industry segment: Private businesses for which bus opera- tions might be incidental to a pri- mary business. These include re- tirement homes and assisted-living and medical facilities. “As we decided to spend more time inspecting bus companies, we realized we had a lot of seniors from the area taking buses,” said McKane. “For a lot of businesses, operating a bus is secondary to what they do. This program helped us get into that niche where we 6 May 1, 2014 THE DOCKET Bus & Motorcoach News Speeding drivers, ignored safety technology = shutdown LAWRENCE, Mass. — Fail- Compliance” score of 97.9 per- The cited incidents also in- “Pandora placed letters of dis- strating inconsistencies and inef- ure to rein in its drivers who centile in its BASIC (Behavioral clude a Jan. 21 crash in which a cipline in drivers’ files, but only fectiveness of Pandora’s safety thought they were driving race Analysis and Safety Improvement Pandora bus overturned with for those violations noted during management controls.” cars brought a revocation of fed- Category) ranking. The ranking seven passengers on board while roadside inspections.” In summary, said the FMCSA, eral operating authority to Pando- approaches the worst possible traveling on a snowy road during a The FMCSA shutdown order “Pandora’s motor carrier opera- ra Travel Inc. of Lawrence, Mass. score of 100. major snowstorm in the northeast- noted that Pandora President Jin tions demonstrate a willful failure The Federal Motor Carrier The agency order cited eight ern U.S. Chun Pan demonstrated a cell to comply with applicable federal Safety Administration yanked the instances in which “a Pandora When auditors compared driv- phone application that could alert regulations and willful failure to coach company’s operating author- driver was cited for speeding while ers’ records-of-duty status and him when a driver exceeded the exercise safety management con- ity after Pandora failed to “present transporting passengers in inter- company GPS records, “they iden- speed limit by five miles per hour, trols over its drivers.” evidence demonstrating compli- state commerce” between June 6, tified a high percentage of trips on “but Pandora was unable to show The FMCSA website says Pan- ance” with a federal “show cause” 2012, and Dec. 1, 2013. which the driver was speeding. that it took disciplinary or other dora’s 10 vehicles and 29 drivers order issued earlier this year. On another occasion, “a Pan- “Four of seven drivers were action” based on a speeding alert. drove one million miles in 2012. A The FMCSA said its Safety dora driver was cited for failure to found to be exceeding the posted Two drivers found to be speed- call to the company telephone Measurement System records obey a traffic control device and speed limits by 10 mph or greater for ing on a routine basis were still number was forwarded to an an- gave Pandora an “Unsafe Driving improper lane change.” 50 days out of 135 days reviewed. employed by Pandora, “demon- swering machine.

Imminent hazards practices in driver substance and found. Drivers also did not receive fuel leaks, insufficient tire tread because Woodburn had three “ele- alcohol testing and vehicle inspec- sufficient rest time before report- depth, muffler leaks, worn steer- vated” scores in the BASIC rank- CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 tions and maintenance. The carrier ing for the return trip. ing/suspension system compo- ings. Those scores were 84.8 per- unknown drivers and an unqualified “was unable to produce all — or The FMCSA also found 22 out- nents, including tie rods, and non- centile for unsafe driving, 80.3 driver operating its motorcoaches. even many — of the required vehi- of-service defects affecting all functioning stop lamps. percentile for hours-of-service “During the investigation, Je- cle records,” the order stated. Woodburn coaches they inspected. The company did not possess compliance, and 67.4 percentile for rome Carter Sr. could not identify One Motts coach was placed out “All six motor coaches had a valid annual inspections for its vehicle maintenance. all drivers who had worked for the of service for defective brakes twice, loose sway bar, which is a leading coaches and did not require drivers Said the FMCSA order: “This carrier during the previous 12 last June in Georgia and then in Jan- contributing factor resulting in mo- to prepare driver vehicle inspection finding means that based upon months…(he) told FMCSA inves- uary in South Carolina. On the latter torcoach rollovers. reports. It also dispatched drivers Woodburn Motor Coach’s present tigators he did not know four driv- trip the coach was being driven by “The brakes on two motor- before receiving pre-employment state of unacceptable safety com- ers listed on Motts Transportation’s Carter. Roadside inspections of coaches were in such poor condi- controlled substance testing and pliance, its operation of any com- roadside inspection reports and Motts coaches have produced a 60 tion that metal was striking metal, did not subject any drivers to ran- mercial motor vehicle poses an im- could not explain how or why these percent out-of-service rate. which, in addition to affecting abil- dom testing in 2013. minent hazard to public safety.” drivers were operating Motts A message left on the carrier’s ity to brake safely, is a leading Investigators stated that nearly In addition to curbside service Transportation motorcoaches.” telephone answering machine was cause of motorcoach fires,” the 20 percent of Woodburn’s records- between Atlanta and New York, Motts did not have driver quali- not returned. order said. of-duty status were false and said Woodburn offered charter services fication files for eight of its drivers Woodburn’s Tour and Travel, owner Howard Woodburn “admit- to school, church and civic groups. and allowed a coach to be driven by doing business as Woodburn Maintenance issues ted that (a) driver was being in- When Bus & Motor Coach an individual who did not hold a Motor Coach, scheduled trips be- The order listed six roadside in- structed to falsify his records-of- News attempted to call Woodburn’s, valid commercial driver’s license. tween Atlanta and New York City spections from Dec. 6 to Feb. 7 in duty status in order to conceal two of the carrier’s listed phone What records? so drivers were required to speed which coaches were placed out of hours-of-service violations.” numbers had been disconnected and Motts was cited for deficient or falsify records, investigators service for defects such as oil and The investigation was initiated a third line was not answered. Crystal Transport cluded in its pool employees who March 29 unless the company Company responds “Both companies have exten- were not subject to DOT testing, could prove to state authorities that Sheehan emailed a statement to sive experience in the operation of CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 including office clerks and dis- it had taken steps to improve its the Boston Globe that said: “Today safe bus transportation for a variety strating its compliance with the patchers. Including such employ- safety compliance. there are no know (sic) deficien- of clients, and are licensed and in Order to Show Cause and showing ees in the pool of employees sub- On March 31, executives of cies that would make Crystal non- compliance with federal regula- that its operating authority should ject to testing diluted the pool, and Crystal Transport were summoned compliant with the Federal Motor tions,” she added. not be revoked. evidenced a failure by Crystal to to a hearing with the Massachusetts Carrier Safety Regulations that we Paul Revere Transportation op- “Crystal failed to respond to the ensure that each driver had an equal Department of Public Utilities “to will abide by. Being committed on erates 135 vehicles. Academy Bus is Order to Show Cause. Moreover, chance of being selected for a ran- provide evidence that the carriers perfecting our safety rating, we the nation’s largest family-owned even if Crystal’s request for change dom test.” should remain on the road.” have hired two consultants from motorcoach company with a fleet of in its safety rating was to be viewed FMCSA declared Crystal’s driv- The company’s state operating MC Compliance Services who are upwards of 1,000 buses. The univer- as its response to the Order to Show er qualification files “inadequate.” certificate was then revoked in a let- certified in Compliance Reviews to sity warned riders they could face Cause, the request for change in Auditors found no medical examin- ter sent to Linda Carroll, president review all our documents and delays during the transition. safety rating failed to present evi- er certificate for two drivers and of Crystal Transport, by Brian F. procedures.” dence demonstrating compliance found records of 49 speeding viola- Cristy, director of the state’s Trans- Crystal transported “several Early challenges with the Order to Show Cause.” tions. “Of the 332 records-of-duty portation Oversight Division. thousand” passengers to the UMass The new providers were experi- status checked during the Compli- The letter cited state law, which campus, the John F. Kennedy Li- encing delays and “are over-taxed History of proglems ance Review, 42 were false. Crystal calls for revocation of a carrier’s brary and a Massachusetts Bay as of right now,” reported The Mass The FMCSA order charged that also required or permitted its drivers operating permit when it does not Transit Authority station, the Globe Media, the university student news- Crystal’s operations “reveal a will- to drive after having been on duty conform to federal rules and reported. paper, after the switchover. ful failure to comply” with Federal 70 hours in eight consecutive days regulations. Following the FMCSA revoca- On the other hand, “the drivers Motor Carrier Safety Regulations on 22 occasions out of 124 records “Please be advised that pending tion, the university signed up Paul were not taking long bathroom and cited previous enforcement ac- checked.” the resolution of the above men- Revere Transportation and Acade- breaks in between every ride and tions taken against the company in “Despite these violations,” the tioned (interstate) prohibitions, any my Bus to serve the campus. Paul leaving the buses running and unat- 2009 and 2011. Boston Globe reported, “the Febru- operations as an intrastate common/ Revere, of Chelsea, Mass., operates tended as had become the case with A Compliance Review earlier ary audit was Crystal’s first full charter carrier, are ordered by this the Logan Airport terminal shuttles, Crystal,” the newspaper added. this year faulted Crystal’s driver sub- safety review in five years, and its department to cease and desist, ef- and Academy, of Braintree, Mass., A posting to the Crystal Trans- stance abuse testing. The carrier safety rating has remained satisfac- fective this date,” the letter stated. serves Boston University, Tufts Uni- port Facebook page said: “I have failed to conduct pre-employment tory since 2009.” “In the event that Crystal Trans- versity and Emerson College. hired Crystal Buses for eleven testing for two drivers hired in the port Inc., enters into a consent “This was a necessary step to years and never had any problems. previous year and continued to dis- State steps in agreement with the FMCSA and ensure that our campus community Drivers are always pleasant and patch three drivers after they tested According to the Globe, Crys- has their carrier rating upgraded to continues to feel safe and secure helpful. Hopefully they can con- positively for controlled substances. tal continued to operate locally fol- “conditional” or “satisfactory”, the when traveling to and from cam- tinue doing business.” Also, the order stated, “Crys- lowing the March 13 FMCSA department shall reinstate each in- pus,” said Vice Chancellor Ellen The company response: “Thank tal’s random testing program in- order, but faced a shut down on tra-state operating certificate.” O’Connor in a media statement. you, we are working on fixing it.” Before you Get Lancer behind your fleet! take a turn Since 1985, motor coach companies have known that, when disaster for the worst... strikes, no insurer has their back like Lancer. Today, more than 1,250 industry clients rely on lightning on-site support from our exclusive Catastrophic Response (CAT) Team... and over 100 nationwide bus claims specialists whose only job is to get them back on the road to profits fast!

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5440_Lancer_BusMotorcoachNews_FP_Ad.indd 1 2/20/14 5:08 PM 8 May 1, 2014 THE DOCKET Bus & Motorcoach News FMCSA: Enough medical examiners Idaho to get 80 mph limit BOISE, Idaho — Speed limits once it has completed studies to LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The enough examiners certified to do tion to be able to control that kind in Idaho could soon move to as see which routes could handle Federal Motor Carrier Safety Ad- the physicals for the nation’s three of thing,” she said. high as 80 miles per hour. higher speeds. ministration remains confident million commercial vehicle license Drivers whose medical cards Legislation signed into law by Higher limits could begin ap- there will be an adequate number holders, she also said the agency expire after May 21 must have Gov. Butch Otter allows an in- pearing as soon as this summer, of certified medical examiners as was concerned about the number exams done by someone in the crease of up to 80 mph along in- according to published reports. of May 21, when U.S. government of certified examiners in rural registry, she said, stressing that terstates and 70 mph along state Once IDOT acts, Idaho would certification supplants individual areas, where many drivers live. drivers who have a valid medical highways. join Texas and Utah, which cur- state approaches to bus and truck The FMCSA is implementing card do not have to get an exami- Trucks with five or more axles rently allow a top speed limit of 80 drivers’ physical exams, an agen- the standardized certification ap- nation until their card expires. would be limited up to 10 mph mph along select routes, while leg- cy official said. proach after abuses of the process Perry added that there are no slower than everyone else. islation in Wyoming was recently Pamela Perry, nurse consult in on the state level, including an ex- changes in health qualifications. The law leaves the final deci- signed into law allowing the same the Office of Carrier, Driver and aminer who certified a driver She also said the FMCSA has sion for any increase up to the increase, provided they are ap- Vehicle Safety at the FMCSA, whose health problems led to the no idea how many people do the Idaho Transportation Department, proved by the Wyoming DOT. told a trucking conference here infamous “Mother’s Day bus exams on a state level. Asked that 11,000 medical examiners crash” in 1999 that killed 22 peo- about a possible extension of the have been certified, with 26,000 ple near New Orleans. That exam- date while more examiners are Overhaul for FMCSA website in the process of obtaining certifi- iner, Perry said, reported the same certified, she said that decision WASHINGTON — The Fed- “We’ve also restructured our cation after training and testing. blood pressure for everyone. would have to be made by Admin- eral Motor Carrier Safety Admin- content based on who you are — While confident there will be “We need that national regula- istrator Anne Ferro. istration has revamped its website, driver, carrier or consumer — and giving it much less government- what you’re interested in — news, like feel. The site can be founded safety, registration, or regulations. Certificates issued by Ga. doctor invalid at www.fmcsa.dot.gov. Critics have already weighed, FMCSA Administrator Anne with one user noting that “some GARDEN CITY, Ga. — Bus er’s license holders who currently nah, Ga. Ferro, writing in the USDOT Fast previously easy-to-find content is and truck drivers who received possess a medical certificate The FMCSA said it believes Lane blog, labels the redesign as not so easy” to find. medical certification from a doc- signed by Dr. Besdansky are di- that a majority of CDL holders putting “our best foot forward by For example, FMCSA news tor here are being ordered to be re- rected to be immediately re-exam- with medical certificates signed featuring the pages visitors access releases are no longer posted on examined by the Federal Motor ined by a medical examiner and to by Dr. Besdansky reside in Flori- most often. the website’s opening page. Carrier Safety Administration. submit a new medical certificate to da, Georgia, and North and South The FMCSA announced it had both the state agency that issued Carolina. Law enforcement agen- Oregon programs Motor Carrier Safety Administra- determined that the late Dr. Paul their CDL and to their employer. cies have been alerted to watch for tion Safety Measurement System as Besdansky, who ran an accident and All current medical certifi- the certificates. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 a carrier needing corrective inter- injury clinic in Garden City, failed cates signed by Dr. Besdansky Drivers having questions involvement is recent, but McKane ventions; no record of safety viola- to conduct proper USDOT medical will be invalid as of May 2. should contact the FMCSA South- expects the program to grow. tions, including violating an out-of- examinations before his death. Dr. Bedansky died Oct. 26. ern Service Center by email at The program is open to Ore- service order or having a driver As a result, commercial driv- Garden City is outside of Savan- [email protected]. gon-based companies operating in found driving under the influence, the state for at least a year with an and no driver and/or vehicle out-of- says you’re treated with a CPAP or ing to McDermand. exemplary record of compliance service percentage greater than the Sleep apnea with safety, registration and tax national compliance average. that says you’re negative and Drivers only need to be able to requirements. “Efforts like these demonstrate CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 they’ll leave you alone,” he said. show their FMCSA-approved ex- The specific safety criteria in- that ODOT is working with indus- certification. Drivers can get tested at any aminer documents showing clude a valid USDOT number; no try members to further the goal of “I recommend you find a clinic or testing service they’d like they’ve been tested and are being unsatisfactory safety rating with the a safe, efficient and responsible place to get tested so you can walk — those examiners don’t have to treated, if they test positive for state or federal regulatory agencies; transportation system for all Ore- in with a clean piece of paper that be certified by FMCSA, accord- sleep apnea. no identification by the Federal gonians,” says McKane. Austin their vehicles have passed annual tionally enforce the law while also Sparks wrote that evidence of order entitled “UMA’s Various Al- vehicle inspections, and to keep a upholding their safety objectives.” safety concerns was his measuring ternative Arguments” and declined CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 written or electronic trip ticket in The city of Austin Law De- stick as he considered the to consider complaints on matters emption,” Sparks wrote in his each vehicle with details on the partment also reacted positively to ordinance. such as operating authority decals. order. “After the record in the case trip, passengers, rates charged, ve- the ruling. “The city has produced no evi- Sparks ordered UMA and the is fully developed, and the issues hicle owner and operating author- “We are pleased with the dence of any actual safety con- city to provide a report on alterna- finally presented, the answers to ity holder. court’s ruling upholding nearly all cerns or problems it has sought to tive dispute resolution by May 19, the various preemption questions “The UMA applauds that the of the city’s regulations on charter address through the ordinance,” he and a written offer of settlement posed may change.” Austin court has enjoined certain services,” the department said in a wrote. “This dearth of evidence by “parties asserting claims for re- Sparks upheld subsections he components of the ordinance,” said written statement. “The city will significantly hurts the city’s de- lief ” by June 18. deemed safety-related, such as re- UMA attorney Dan Mastromarco. continue to defend and enforce fense of the ordinance, but does “We will file an amended com- quirements for charter services to “This is a good first step. We invite these important regulations, which not necessarily doom it.” plaint to drill deeper into the Aus- provide copies of drivers’ com- the city to speak with industry of- help ensure the safety of Austin The judge also reacted to tin laws on the books before the mercial driver’s licenses, to prove ficials as to how they can constitu- residents.” UMA’s tactics in a section of the ordinance,” Mastromarco said. Stanford “Stanford University is private campus for repeated failure to fol- tours without prior arrangements panied at all times by a tour guide property, and Stanford can estab- low such rules as: are the Stanford Bookstore and or staff member, and members of CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 lish and enforce rules regarding • Do not disrupt campus and Tresidder Union.” group tours may not wander the are available online at https://pmp- access to campus and use of cam- classroom activities. • Groups may not walk on campus unaccompanied. lus.stanford.edu/pats/transporta- pus space by visitors and third- • Do not talk loudly or smoke landscaped areas or pick flowers • Tour groups and buses must tion/tour/. party businesses,” says the univer- near buildings. or other vegetation. Visitors may have at least one person who In addition, tour buses and sity website. • Do not use amplified sound. not climb on structures or outdoor speaks English to ensure effective groups of nine visitors or more are It also states the institution “re- • Do not enter campus artwork. communication with Stanford only allowed to visit between 6 serves the right to take appropriate buildings. • There are two public rest- University personnel in case of a.m. and 6 p.m. daily, and are legal action against those failing to “These are private workplaces rooms located on each side of Me- emergency or issues related to the barred from visiting during major comply with the policy, including and classrooms. Visitors should morial Church. tour group or tour bus. university events. actions under civil or criminal stay 20 feet away from campus • Commercial photography For additional information, go This year, tour buses are pro- trespass laws,” and that campus buildings and refrain from open- and filming anywhere on campus to http://tourbuses.stanford.edu; hibited June 12-15; September 16- safety officials can ban tour-group ing doors or peering into windows. is prohibited. email [email protected], or 21, and October 23-26. and tour-bus operators from the The only buildings open to large • Tour groups must be accom- call (650) 498-7882. Bus & Motorcoach News INDUSTRY NEWS May 1, 2014 9 Coast Guard initiates surprise cruise ship inspections WASHINGTON — The U.S. Coast Guard before they can allow “When a passenger steps onto aboard the Carnival Triumph as it that “Coast Guard analysis of re- Coast Guard has begun unan- passengers to board at U.S. ports. a cruise ship, they have the right to was slowly towed last year through cent actions taken on U.S.-flag nounced inspections of cruise It was not expressly stated the expect the safest vessel possible,” the Gulf of Mexico to port in Mo- vessels by port state control au- ships at U.S. ports, targeting those Coast Guard would block a ship said Hersman, whose agency has bile, Ala. thorities overseas indicates an with patterns of safety problems, from sailing but it appears that limited authority to investigate Winbow said that beginning in alarming trend in the number of officials told the National Trans- would be the case. cruise ship accidents occurring 2000, the cruise industry adopted a significant deficiencies noted.” portation Safety Board at its first- within 12 miles of U.S. coasts. policy of using lifeboats for so The deficiencies mainly related ever forum on safety on board the String of incidents many thousands of people only as to improper manning, primary life- vessels. The NTSB hearing, held in Weak oversight a last resort, essentially deciding a saving equipment, engine room fire Capt. Eric Christensen, who Washington and webcast, follows Much of the hearing involved crippled ship is usually safer un- hazards, structural hull safety, and oversees ship inspection policy for last year’s fire aboard the Carnival the interplay between the Coast less it is sinking. the inability to verify compliance the Coast Guard, said regular Triumph that left the ship adrift for Guard safety inspections, rules ad- In 1912 when the Titanic sank with international conventions due twice-a-year inspections of 140 days in the Gulf of Mexico, sub- opted by the Bahamas Maritime in the North Atlantic, Winbow to missing or non-endorsed docu- cruise ships based at U.S. ports in jecting 3,000 passengers to squalid Authority for ships flying under its said, “the philosophy (was) you mentation such as International 2013 found 351 deficiencies, most conditions. flag, which include many based at jump off and get into a lifeboat and Safety Management certificates. frequently problems with fire A fire also knocked out power U.S. ports, and a maze of interna- go to your rescue.” “This pattern is illustrative of a doors and lifeboats. in 2010 to the Carnival Splendor at tional conventions and rules. “Ships (now) are much bigger decline of registry performance, The stepped-up inspection pro- sea in the Pacific Ocean, also Officials from these organiza- and operate in areas like the Titan- which has firmly landed the U.S. gram began last month. stranding passengers and requiring tions, including the United Na- ic did, and areas where there are on the ‘grey list’ in at least one of “There was a population of it be towed to port. tions’ International Maritime Or- less available search and rescue re- the regional (port state control) re- cruise ships that had the lion’s In 2012, the Costa Concordia ganization, described robust safety sources. It makes the logic of stay- gimes since 2008,” wrote share of deficiency. You want to capsized off Italy, killing 32 standards and compliance pro- ing on board a much stronger one,” Christensen. focus your efforts on those ves- people. grams, but they also acknowl- he said. “To make the passenger “This status is indicative of an sels,” Christensen told the board, NTSB chairwoman Debbie edged they have few enforcement ship itself — I won’t use the word average performance over the pre- without identifying which ships or Hersman cited those incidents and powers and must rely heavily on unsinkable because that was used ceding three years and signifies cruise lines were involved. others aboard increasingly gigan- the cruise industry itself. for the Titanic — but to make the the necessity to implement imme- “They don’t know you are tic ships — some of which can “IMO is not a policeman, as it ship a fit place to stay.” diate corrective action. coming, but this is how you can carry 6,000 passengers and 2,000 only develops and agrees to stan- “Compounded with the results summarize they would normally crew members — to underscore dards and does not implement Scathing overview from Coast Guard and class over- operate,” he added. “The bottom the need to assure the safety of them,” said Capt. Andy Winbow of In something of a White Paper sight efforts, multiple substandard line is we hold substandard vessels every voyage. the International Maritime issued by the Coast Guard’s Capt. conditions have been identified and accountable.” She said more than 22 million Organization. Christensen in March, titled attributed to habitual offenders in- Cruise ships must address any people will take a cruise world- One of those standards could “Sounding the Alarm on U.S.-Flag dicative of a flawed safety manage- safety problems identified by the wide this year. explain why passengers remained Compliance,” Christensen wrote ment culture,” Christensen added.

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Full line oF Super-eFFective SolutionS For MotorcoacheS! 10 May 1, 2014 NEWS ANALYSIS Bus & Motorcoach News The appalling campaign against small bus companies By Jay Epstein their logs incorrectly, that the Rodgers nies benefit from seeing their more Director of Communications Marissa struggle to get FMCSA administra- failed to provide their employees with nimble rivals driven out. Padilla wrote: “We make no apolo- tors to answer their phones or return Jeff and Judy Rodgers, who met educational materials, and that they By emphasizing that its efforts are gies for highlighting the results of emails. in high school and have three grown allowed a former driver to get back be- a matter of saving lives, the govern- our investigations to send a strong “It’s sad they (small bus opera- children together, started a charter hind the wheel before waiting for the ment has gotten away with denying message to the motor carrier industry tors) need to hire a litigator to con- bus company called Southeastern results of his alcohol and drug tests. owners like Jeff and Judy Rodgers their that unsafe operations will not be duct business,” says Carey, who Tours 20 years ago in their hometown (The tests came back negative.) constitutional right to due process. tolerated.” began representing bus companies of Greenville, N.C. The government’s power is al- about two years ago. “My clients Jeff had been working as a bus Whatever it took most unchecked in this arena. Misrepresenting facts aren’t criminals.” driver for Greyhound and dreamed of When their troubles with the The rules that govern how bus In some instances, FMCSA Jeff and Judy Rodgers’ nightmare running his own company. FMCSA began in early August, the companies run their operations are agents have been guilty of misrepre- began in early August, when FMCSA In 1994, in partnership with Judy’s Rodgers committed to doing whatev- complex enough that FMCSA in- senting facts to build a case against a Inspector Mark Halter conducted a mother, the couple took out a loan, er it took to get back in the govern- spectors looking to take out even company. three-day investigation of the compa- built a garage, and launched their busi- ment’s good graces. well-managed outfits like Southeast- In November in The Daily Beast, I ny’s records and maintenance program. ness. They struggled for a few years, They hired a consulting firm that ern Tours can almost always dig up wrote about the government’s shutdown When he first showed up on Aug. but gradually built a loyal clientele. was personally recommended by an enough violations to accomplish of Lucky Star, a Boston-based carrier 6 — and before he had a chance to As recently as eight months ago, FMCSA investigator; they installed their goals. with an impeccable safety record. The examine the company’s books or the company was thriving with seven new devices on their buses for wire- forced closure of that company was buses — Halter told Rodgers that he buses and gross annual revenue of lessly submitting drivers’ logs as a Double trouble based almost entirely on violations that would likely end up forcing his com- about $1 million, including a contract way to eliminate bookkeeping errors, Once companies are forced out of turned out to be unfounded. pany to halt its service. with Amtrak worth $48,000 a month and they retained a respected mainte- service and starved of their operating Fearful of reprisal and wary of “I’m going to warn you right now to transport passengers between train nance company to conduct regular revenue, they have to apply to regain getting mired in an interminable ap- that we have done five audits like this stations in North Carolina. vehicle inspections. their operating authority twice: once peals process, the owners didn’t pub- and we’ve put four out of business,” Today, Southeastern Tours is on But, after a tumultuous six with their local FMCSA field office licly dispute the FMCSA flawed as- Halter announced, according to Rod- the verge of bankruptcy. months of dealing with the FMCSA, and then again with the agency’s sessment of their company. gers. (The FMCSA declined my re- the Rodgers are still forbidden to run headquarters in Washington, D.C. Ultimately, Lucky Star hired a quest to speak with Halter.) Rapid descent their buses and they’re beginning to Both process can take several team of ex-government officials to At the end of his three-day audit, In December, Amtrak canceled make plans to dissolve the company. months because FMCSA field offices plead their case behind closed doors, Halter gave the company a conditional its contract with the company, trans- The case of Southeastern Tours is and headquarters often don’t commu- spending upwards of a million dol- rating of “unsatisfactory.” ferring its business to a different typical of the FMCSA tough-on- nicate with each other, and companies lars to get back on the road after carrier. crime approach to regulating the bus aren’t allowed to begin one applica- being grounded for seven months. Paperwork blunders Unable to make their monthly industry. tion process before the other is com- The consulting fees aside, most One of Southeastern’s more seri- payments, the Rodgers returned six The 2012 federal highway bill plete. To successfully navigate this bus companies can’t afford to stay ous violations was that its drivers’ log- of their seven buses. They may lose gave the agency new powers to force process, companies need help from afloat for an extended period of time books didn’t accurately reflect their their home of 22 years, which served bus companies to halt their operations experienced lawyers and consultants. without earning any revenue. hours of service, which Jeff Rodgers as collateral on a business loan. without a standard review. “The FMCSA has become much attributes to clerical errors. Halter also “I don’t have anything to fall more interested in the publicity that Due process-less found that the company failed to con- back on,” says Jeff. “This company ‘Quick Strike’ strikes goes with enforcement than with try- “It’s OK to scrutinize compli- duct drug and alcohol tests on a driver was my livelihood. It’s how I pay for In 2013, the FMCSA launched a ing to improve the situation,” says ance,” says Dru Carey, a New York named Albert Dixon after his bus was my food and everything.” new safety initiative, called “Opera- Paul Sullivan, a retired Massachu- City-based criminal defense attorney, hit by another car on the road. (Dixon What led to the rapid downfall of tion Quick Strike,” that forced 52 setts State Police lieutenant and for- who represents numerous small and was not at fault in the accident.) Southeastern Tours? companies off the road, including mer president of the Commercial Ve- medium-sized bus companies. Rodgers asked Halter if he could On Oct. 14, the Federal Motor Southeastern Tours. The agency rou- hicle Safety Alliance, the organization “But, if you’re going to take away recommend a consultant who could Carrier Safety Administration or- tinely touts its heightened vigilance that determines official safety stan- someone’s right to run a business in help him write a corrective action dered the company to cease opera- in the press, depicting itself as the dards for commercial vehicles. this country,” she says, “you better plan to reverse his negative rating. tions on the grounds it was a hazard valiant protector of the riding public. “The agency is stretching the in- have some due process.” Halter directed him to a local outfit to public safety. As is often the case when the gov- tent of the regulation to make critical Carey, who represents several called Mayberry Safety Solutions, Southeastern Tours had never ernment cracks down on an industry, examples,” says Sullivan, who now companies that have had their operat- and Rodgers called the company that been involved in a serious accident, small carriers lacking political con- works as an independent consultant ing authority taken away by the very day. but during a three-day audit in August, nections and the right attorneys have for bus companies that have gotten FMCSA, says it can take several “We wanted desperately to an- FMCSA inspectors found, among received the brunt of the punishment, into trouble with the FMCSA. months for the agency to consider swer their questions and get every- other things, that its drivers filled out while the large corporate bus compa- In an emailed statement, FMCSA objections to its actions and that it’s a CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 c

ISSUE NO. 260 David Moody How to contact us Holiday Tours Randleman, N.C. To submit or report news, Letters to To advertise: Interested in placing an ad, Michael Neustadt the Editor, articles, news releases or to and new to Bus & Motorcoach News? Coach Tours Brookfield, Conn. report corrections: Call: Jamie Williams at (352) 333-3393 A PUBLICATION OF THE UNITED MOTORCOACH ASSOCIATION E-mail: E-mail: [email protected] Jeff Polzien Red Carpet Charters [email protected] Staff Advisory Board Oklahoma City Fax: (405) 942-6201 Existing advertisers, or to submit William Allen Callen Hotard Tom Ready Mail: 3108 NW 54th Street Editor & Publisher: Victor Parra Amador Trailways Calco Travel Ready Bus Lines advertising materials: Sacramento, Calif. Geismar, La. Oklahoma City, OK 73112 Senior Editor: Bruce Sankey LaCrescent, Minn. Call: (866) 930-8421 Call: Johnny Steger at (866) 930-8426 Brian Annett Larry Hundt Brian Scott E-mail: Sales Director: Johnny Steger Annett Bus Lines Great Canadian Trailways Escot Bus Lines Sebring, Fla. Kitchner, Ontario Largo, Fla. To subscribe or inquire about your [email protected] Mail: 2200 N. Yarbrough, Suite B Industry Editor: Ken Presley James Brown Sr. Dale Krapf Dennis Strief subscription: Magic Carpet Tours Krapf Coaches Vandalia Bus Lines Box No. 336, El Paso, TX 79925 Associate Editor: Ellen Balm Richmond, Va. West Chester, Pa. E-mail: Caseyville, Ill. [email protected] Art Director: Mary E. McCarty Dave Dickson Godfrey Lebron Alan Thrasher To contact the Elite Coach Paradise Travel Thrasher Brothers Trailways Fax: (405) 942-6201 United Motorcoach Association: Ephrata, Pa. Hicksville, N.Y. Birmingham, Ala. Mail: 3108 NW 54th Street Editorial Assistant: Michele Nosko Call: (800) 424-8262 Gladys Gillis Joan Libby Tim Wayland Oklahoma City, OK 73112 Starline Luxury Coaches Cavalier Coach Trailways Online: www.uma.org Editorial Assistant: Maggie Vander Eems ABC Companies Call: (866) 930-8421 Seattle Boston, Mass. Faribault, Minn. Editorial Assistant: Greg Lange Bob Greene Marcia Milton T. Ralph Young ©2014 by the United Motorcoach Association. Reproduction in whole or in part without Radio Engineering Industries First Priority Trailways Young Transportation written permission is prohibited. Accountant: Ted Williford Omaha, Neb. District Heights, Md. Asheville, N.C. 11Bus &May Motorcoach 1, 2014 News OPINION Bus &May Motorcoach 1, 2014 News11 Should bus safety gear include a rope or rope ladder? By Dave Millhouser blame this column on him. problem: When you pop out from out. You and your safety team What do we do when passen- one, you’re still four feet from the might want to give some ad- “Millie…MILLIE… gers are trapped on top of a bus? ground, and you are only one vanced thought to dealing with MILLIE!!!” I hear you snickering. But… Sumo wrestler (or injured passen- this sort of thing, and drivers You could hear my pal Oakie’s there truly is potential for real ger) from a disastrous bottleneck. should be aware that some wind- voice rising in desperation as the trouble. Since a sizable portion of our shields are harnessed in, while lights went out in Chicago’s The Methodist minister who customer base is senior citizens others are glued. They’re all lami- sprawling McCormick Conven- taught me to drive a bus (believe and school children, climbing on nated, making them difficult to tion Center. me, I don’t make this stuff up) al- to the side of the bus…which has smash. Dave Millhouser We had been prepping a demo ways told me a key to safety is to become the top…is a major un- One possible solution could Eagle for an exposition, and he keep the bus on the road. Obvi- dertaking (BAD pun). be some sort of rope ladder, hid- ing with this situation. was on the bus roof cleaning. ous, right? Adrenaline works wonders, so den in the package rack. (Hidden Just sayin’. The PA system was announc- What he meant was that when let’s assume everyone can get out. because how do you explain it?) Before retiring from bus sales, ing they were locking the audito- a situation turns poopie, it’s often However, they suddenly may find Once a few folks are down, I drove a demo under low hanging rium and turning out the lights till safer to plow through a pile of themselves atop the overturned they can help out from below. So, wire in a customer’s parking lot. the next morning. cars than to flop the coach over coach. How do they safely reach evacuate able individuals first. The wire laid atop the coach I had swiped the ladder he’d into a ditch. the ground? A long-term solution might be roof and caught on the escape used to get on the roof, leaving On a REAL bad day, it doesn’t In news coverage we see fire- rungs on coach roofs. It sounds hatch. My boss was with me, and him with no easy…or safe way work out that way and the bus fighters climbing ladders and silly till you think about it. One or he offered to climb through the down. ends up on its side. helping folks down. That’s be- two metal handholds built into the hatch to pop it loose. As the banks of lights were When that happens, how does cause, if a photographer could get roof, parallel to the side of the While he was atop the bus, I being doused, the room grew in- everyone get out? The passenger there, so could a fire truck. coach, would offer a bit of over- yanked the hatch closed, leaving creasingly silent and dark. Oakie door is useless, and the emergen- What happens if you’re in the head protection to roof hatches him with no way off the roof. quickly envisioned a night spent cy windows are difficult to open boonies? Or, it’s urgent to help in- and antennas. In a catastrophe, Over the years, bus roofs have sleeping on a bus roof. because they’re heavy, and diffi- jured people? What alterna- with a coach lying on its side, been good to me. Fearing he’d eventually get cult to open when you’re standing tives do you have? they’d act like a built in ladder. And now you know at least even, at the last possible moment I on a sideways seat. On existing coaches — not They wouldn’t be obvious part of the reason I’m “retired” raised the ladder, letting him climb Roof hatches are helpful but many. from the ground, and, properly from bus sales. down. I, meanwhile, dashed for represent a choke point. They With luck, the windshields done, wouldn’t look out of place. Dave Millhouser is a bus ­industry the exit before he could catch me. sometimes jam (which may be may have popped out, providing Maybe it’s a bad idea, or you marketing consultant and freelance Oakie has been a source of why we have emergency windows ground level egress. If they have a better one. But it would be writer. Contact him by email at: bussly inspiration for years, so as an alternative). There’s another haven’t, often they can be kicked nice if we had a safe way of deal- [email protected].

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“ We have been testing the Toyo tires and they “ DATTCO has 20 sets running on our Van have been performing extremely well” Hools and while we do not have mileage Brian Scott, President, Escot Bus Lines, Largo, FL collected as of yet, the response from the drivers has been very positive concerning “ The tires are doing great. Thanks for the handling and ride quality” For more information contact: good service and product” Mike Verna, Fleet Manager, DATTCO Bus Lines, New Britain, CT www.motorcoachtiresales.com Andy Barder, President, Corporate Coach, Ft Lauderdale, FL or Call: 678-463-4110

685448_Motorcoach.indd 1 3/12/14 10:37 AM 12 May 1, 2014 NEWS ANALYSIS Bus & Motorcoach News Small companies Tours to run the Amtrak buses, but in the case. “minor administrative errors” that says isn’t true. early November, Mary’s Tours told The FMCSA rejected the petition didn’t pertain to passenger safety. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 him that it didn’t have any buses avail- on a technicality: Southeastern Tours Soon after Graham filed the law- Favorite targets thing done in a timely manner,” says able to keep servicing the contract. wasn’t allowed to ask for a factual re- suit, the FMCSA backed off and al- “The inspectors are catching bus Rodgers. So, he reached out to an old friend view at the same time that a corrective lowed the company to start operating companies because their paperwork With help from Mayberry, Rodg- named Caroline Rouse, the owner of a action plan was pending. In February, again. isn’t as good as it should be, or maybe ers submitted plans for a new safety company called LaGrange, who was the company’s corrective action plan In an email, the FMCSA’s Marissa they missed some things here and management program a few weeks in the process of retiring and unwind- was denied, so the Rodgers submitted Padilla disputed Graham’s character- there,” says Graham. “But instead of later. The FMCSA didn’t accept the ing her company. Rodgers had been in another petition for review. Southeast- ization of the violations, writing that helping them fix their paperwork, plan on the grounds that it was missing the process of purchasing some of ern Tours may not survive to see a the company “has been subject to two they’re taking them off the road,” said certain details. So the agency issued an Rouse’s old buses, so as a favor she resolution. investigations in two years because of Graham. “And they don’t go after the order on Oct. 14 forcing Southeastern agreed to put them into service under The company would likely be op- its poor safety record,” and listing the big bus companies.” to halt its service altogether. LaGrange’s operating authority to erating today if the Rodgers had hired company’s alleged offenses. Attorney Dru Carey concurs that With their buses sitting idle in the work the Amtrak contract. a more experienced lawyer and taken Transouth was cited by the the FMCSA enforcement actions dis- garage, the Rodgers quickly revised In early November, the FMCSA a more adversarial approach. FMCSA for, among other things, proportionately target small, minori- and resubmitted their corrective ac- conducted a sting operation on the Am- failing to correct mechanical defects ty-owned carriers. tion plan. After a productive meeting trak routes, and determined that it was Courts can help in its buses, failing to provide a driver She started the Asian Motor- at the FMCSA field office in Ra- actually Southeastern, not LaGrange, Georgia-based Transouth Motor- with written materials on drug and coach Owners Association to repre- leigh, N.C., on Oct. 16, Southeast- that was running the buses. The agency coach, which was shut down by the alcohol tests, and failing to ask a sent members of the Chinatown bus ern’s rating was upgraded to “condi- fined Southeastern $25,000 and re- FMCSA in July, got its operating au- driver’s previous employer for infor- industry, a subset of the industry tional,” meaning the Rodgers had voked its conditional rating. thority back by wisely avoiding the mation about his record before hiring that’s been decimated by the FMCSA. permission from the regional office FMCSA’s appeals process and going him. (A list of Transouth’s violations (Back in July, I wrote about the case to operate. Mistakes admitted directly to the courts. (See Sept 15 can be found at http://reason.com/as- of Fung Wah, the iconic Chinatown Rodgers, who was desperate to and Aug. 15 issues of Bus & Motor- sets/db/1395678546999.pdf.) bus company, which was forced off Procedural delays save his business, admits he made a coach News.) The FMCSA also charged Tran- the roads in March 2013 because of But because of a change in mistake by turning to a company that Transouth’s attorney, J. Hatcher south with being over-vigilant in regulatory incompetence on the part FMCSA internal procedures that took didn’t have entirely distinct opera- Graham, first considered suing some cases. of Massachusetts state inspectors and effect in 2012, the Rodgers still had to tions from his own. The following FMCSA chief Anne Ferro for defama- The company racked up violations the FMCSA.) apply to get the company’s operating month, Amtrak canceled its contract tion because of remarks she made to for testing a driver for drugs and alco- Jeff Rodgers, who still shows authority back from FMCSA head- with Southeastern Tours. the press about his client’s firm. In- hol after a traffic incident when the up for work everyday to an empty quarters in Washington, D.C., before With their bills piling up and no stead, he filed a temporary restraining tests weren’t required, and unneces- garage, says his company’s days they could start running buses — a pro- revenue coming in, the Rodgers be- order and permanent injunction sarily requesting that a driver take a are probably numbered. “We spent cess that can take two to five months. came ensnared in a bureaucratic ap- against the FMCSA and several of its drug test. “No good deed goes unpun- 20 years running people across the During this period, Jeff Rodgers peals process. In early January, they top officers in U.S. District Court, ished,” says Graham. country safety, and then they came was panicked he might lose his prized submitted another version of their maintaining that his client’s alleged Another violation had to do with and took a man’s livelihood and contract with Amtrak. He hired anoth- corrective action plan and at the same violations were a combination of “mis- an allegation that a driver operated a threw it in the dirt.” er charter company, called Mary’s time petitioned the agency to review representations of the actual facts” and bus with a flat tire, which Graham Reprinted from Reason.com.

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Family Owned & Operated Since 1972 361 N. Main St., Miamisburg, Ohio 45342 3108 NW 54th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73112 Phone (937) 859-3331 • Fax (937) 859-7086 Fax to: (405) 942-6201 www.WhitworthBusSales.com Questions: [email protected] … or call (405) 948-6555 SUBSCRIBE Bus & Motorcoach News INDUSTRY NEWS May 1, 2014 13 Luxury D.C.-N.Y.C. shuttle service is launched Weather hampers WASHINGTON — A well- for a little more,” Seligman says. FirstGroup in U.S. known Washington restaurateur “There is really nothing else like ABERDEEN, Scotland — The and entrepreneur has launched an Royal Sprinter out there.” parent company of Greyhound upscale bus service from the Dis- Vamoose, one of a half-dozen trict of Columbia to New York City. motorcoach companies running be- Lines announced it will report that Andy Seligman, leasing man- tween Washington and New York revenue at the nation’s largest in- ager at Federal Realty Investment City, has a limited Gold Bus ser- tercity bus company was down 2.9 Trust and owner of the restaurants vice that includes reclining leather percent during the fiscal year Grand Central DC in Adams Mor- seats and more room for passen- ended March 31. gan, a culturally diverse neighbor- gers that starts at $60 each way. In a “trading update,” First- hood in northwest Washington, Trips on other operators, like Group plc said its company-wide and Brickside Food & Drink in BoltBus, Greyhound and megabus. operating profit for fiscal 2014 suburban Bethesda, Md., thinks com run about $30-$50 round trip. will be in line with expectations, people will pay a premium for lux- Royal Sprinter has partnered excluding a $23 million hit from ury shuttle service. with the Park Hyatt Washington, Greyhound and its First Student The “boutique bus service” about $120,000 each and feature The DC-to-NYC service began Embassy Suites at the Chevy school bus operation as a result of uses opulent conversion Mercedes eight reclining leather seats. last month for $90 each way. Chase Pavilion and the Loews Re- bad winter weather across the U.S. Sprinter vans for its twice-daily Amenities include DirecTV, Seligman plans to add service to gency Hotel in Manhattan as pick- It also said that year-over-year runs between Washington and WiFi and refreshments. New York from Tysons Corner, from up and drop-off spots. Riders will revenue at Greyhound would have mid-town Manhattan. The conversions were done by D.C. to Philadelphia, and Philadel- be able to use the hotels’ lobbies been up about 2.1 percent in the fis- Seligman launched his Royal American Custom Vehicles of phia to New York in the future. while waiting for the bus. cal fourth quarter if the impact of Sprinter service using two of the Elkhart, Ind., which specializes in “I believe there is a market for For more information, go to the weather were excluded, reflect- Sprinter conversions, which cost Sprinter van conversions. people who will pay a little more www.royalsprinter.com. ing an improved U.S. economy. Online resource for tour buses visiting Washington, D.C. is updated WASHINGTON — The Dis- motorcoach transportation in the coach signing The D.C. DOT says it works to al Tour Association). trict of Columbia Department of U.S. capital,” including: • National Park Service bus ensure efficient and safe mobility “The city is truly going all out Transportation has updated its web- • Additional parking spaces parking meters of motorcoaches while mitigating to make it easy to grow this busi- site for providers of motorcoach downtown • Outreach programs such as community impacts and preserving ness in a friendly and considerate transportation in the U.S. capital. • An inventory of long-term Board A Bus, DC Loves Buses, transportation infrastructure. way. It’s always a thrill to see the The comprehensive goDCgo and overnight parking District Idle Reduction Program The department “is working daily volume of motorcoach tours website now contains “all of the • Motorcoach operator guide and driver warnings hard to serve tour operators,” noted in this top destination.” timely, relevant information tour • Regulations, including sched- • Use of Union Station bus Steve Richer, public affairs advo- To learn more, go to www.go operators need to know when using uled stops, route filings and motor- deck, fees and services for drivers cate for NTA (formerly the Nation- DCgo.com. 14 May 1, 2014 INDUSTRY NEWS Bus & Motorcoach News

planement total, there were more companies. Responses from 304 than the figure reported in the Employment by Company Motorcoach Census than 791 million U.S. and Canadi- companies were collected over a originally published 2011 census.” Size. Fifty-two percent of motor- CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 an enplanements during 2012, or seven-month period, meaning The Motorcoach Census was coach industry jobs were at small a wide variety of services. About 154 million more than motorcoach roughly 7 percent of the industry conducted by John Dunham & As- companies (those operating fewer 97 percent provide charters, 45 passenger trips in the two participated in the survey, not an sociates of Brooklyn, N.Y., an eco- than 25 coaches). Midsize compa- percent provide tour service, 21 countries. encouraging number. nomic research firm that special- nies (those operating between 25 percent offer sightseeing, 25 per- A similar comparison problem By comparison, 24 percent of izes in economic and fiscal impact and 99 motorcoaches) provided 20 cent run airport shuttles, 23 per- occurs for Amtrak. Amtrak, the the members of the United Motor- studies that typically are used in percent of the industry jobs. Large cent provide scheduled service, 15 domestic rail line, carried 31 mil- coach Association participated in government relations and for legis- companies (those operating more percent have special operations, lion passengers in 2012. that association’s 2013 Membership lative advocacy. than 100 motorcoaches) provided and 10 percent do commuter runs. Survey and Industry Assessment. Dunham estimates there were 29 percent of industry jobs. • Charters accounted for about Just how big? Additionally, the Motorcoach 3,623 motorcoach companies op- Fuel Efficiency. In 2012, the 47.7 percent of motorcoach ser- One of the most significant as- Census has a relative high margin erating in the U.S. during 2012, average fuel efficiency of a motor- vice mileage in 2012, followed by pects of the latest census is what of error for a survey of 5.4 percent down from 3,648 in 2011 and coach was 6.1 miles per gallon of scheduled service (30.9 percent), appears to have been a more seri- at a 95 percent confidence interval. 3,672 in 2010, or a 1.3 percent de- fuel. That means a motorcoach commuter runs (6.2 percent), ous effort to get a firmer grasp on cline during the period. carrying the industry average of packaged tours (6 percent), airport the actual size of the North Ameri- ‘The actual number It also estimates U.S. operators 39.3 passengers achieved 222.7 service (4.1 percent), sightseeing can motorcoach industry. maintained a fleet of 35,354 mo- passenger miles per gallon of fuel (2.7 percent), and special opera- Unlike the airline industry, no of carriers operating torcoaches in 2012, down from in 2012. The average coach used tions (2.5 percent). one has ever known the actual size 36,017 in 2011 and 36,888 in 8,600 gallons of fuel. While the number of motor- of the U.S. and Canadian motor- in 2010 was likely 10 2010, or a 4.3 percent drop be- Motorcoach Use. The average coach industry passenger trips coach industry. The problem is percent lower than tween 2010 and 2012. coach traveled 52,400 miles in grew in 2012, versus 2011, the complex and complicated because 2012. The largest carriers, those pace of industry growth slowed. In it is (1) fundamentally difficult to the figure reported Demographic shifts with more than 100 coaches, aver- 2011, the industry had 626.99 pas- define the industry (just exactly The composition of the indi- aged 78,600 miles per coach, senger trips, up 4.3 percent from what constitutes a “motorcoach” in the originally pub- viduals who traveled by motor- while the smallest carriers, those 2010. company?); (2) no government lished 2011 census.’ coach in 2012, or industry demo- with 10 or fewer coaches, aver- The census figures also sug- unit has ever devoted the time or graphics, also saw movement aged 37,400 miles per coach. gest the gap in size between the resources to define the industry between 2010 and 2012. The American Bus Association motorcoach and airline industries and ferret out its size, and (3) the More diligent effort In 2012, 24.1 percent of the Foundation says the overarching widened in 2012, with the airlines industry is composed of thousands Despite the difficulties, the passengers were students, com- goal of the Motorcoach Census is further distancing themselves of small private companies run by company preparing the Motor- pared to 25.6 percent in 2010, or a to reveal the scope and impact of from bus operators. individuals who more often than coach Census conducted “a much 5.8 percentage point decline. the motorcoach transportation in- The 637.4 million passenger not are loath to provide fleet and more extensive review of the in- At the same time, the number dustry in the U.S. and Canada. The trips by U.S. and Canadian bus op- other information. After all, it’s dustry, including contacting nearly of senior riders went from 23.4 picture it paints is of an industry erators compares to 736 million their business. 5,000 companies to determine if percent in 2010 to 26.1 percent in that serves a broad range of cus- enplanements just for U.S. airlines Two points illustrate the they fit the industry definition and 2010, or an 11.5 percentage point tomers, from students to seniors, in 2012 challenge. to verify ownership structure. increase. and that moves people with nota- An apples-to-apples compari- In fall 2011, researchers at the “Critical to our revision,” say Other age groups made up ble fuel efficiency. son of passenger totals is not pos- National Transportation Safety the census researchers, “was deter- nearly 50 percent of passengers in The industry provides a wide sible from data presented in the Board estimated there were 4,172 mining the number of active mo- 2012, versus 51 percent in 2010. variety passenger transportation Motorcoach Census. The passen- motorcoach operators in the U.S. torcoach carriers by adjusting for Other noteworthy findings services that are vital to the econo- ger trip total for the motorcoach Their research was conducted in companies that were not operating from the census include: my’s travel and leisure sectors, and industry includes both U.S. and connection with the NTSB’s in 2010, companies that were sub- Industry Employment. The intercity and commuter services. Canada carriers, while the figure flawed and maligned study of the sidiaries of other companies, and motorcoach industry provided jobs The ABA Foundation is the for the airline industry includes U.S. curbside industry, making the companies that merged with other for 132,900 people in 2012; 71,600 scholarship and research arm of only domestic air carriers. figure suspect. companies prior to 2010. full-time and 61,200 part-time. the ABA. The latest census, which If you add the passenger en- No. 2. The latest ABA Motor- “This means that the actual The average motorcoach company is titled Motorcoach Census 2013, planements for the 50 largest air- coach Census is largely based on a number of carriers operating in provided 33.6 jobs, or 3.4 jobs per can be found at www.buses.org/ ports in Canada to the U.S. en- survey sent to upwards of 4,000 2010 was likely 10 percent lower motorcoach. files/Foundation/Census2013.pdf.

New coach sales fourth quarter of 2013 by far the the first quarter of this year, year- gain. The increase over 2011 sales Cummins continued to be the strongest sales period of the year. over-year quarterly comparisons was nearly 39 percent. dominant engine in new motor- CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 By comparison, 426 new 45- should be possible, however. At the same time, sales to public coaches and buses delivered last of coach shells, which are not in- and 40-foot models were sold by Private-sector bus operators transit agencies plummeted last year. year, going into 815 new models cluded in the annual new delivery the five brands during the second significantly stepped up their pur- Public transit systems pur- sold by MCI and ABC/Van Hool. figures compiled by the American quarter of last year, with fewer chases of new coaches last year. chased a total of 227 new 45- and By comparison, 494 Prevost Bus Association Foundation, which than 350 coaches delivered in both Sales of new 45- and 40-foot 40-foot monocoque coaches dur- and Volvo coaches were delivered took over reporting of industry the first and third quarters. MCI, Prevost, Setra, Van Hool and ing 2013, down 35 percent from with Volvo engines, which are only sales figures last year. Previously, Year earlier quarterly sales fig- Volvo coaches to private operators the 348 delivered to transit agen- available in those brands. the numbers had been assembled ures are not included in the ABA jumped from 1,177 units in 2012 cies in 2012. Transits purchased Detroit and Mercedes engines, by National Bus Trader magazine. Foundation report. Beginning with to 1,412 last year, or a 20 percent 347 coaches in 2011. which are essentially power-plant Shell sales are broken out sepa- twins, went into 328 new MCI, rately and only reported by quarter Setra and Van Hool coaches. in the ABA compilation. A total of Calendar 24-25 UMA Capital Hill Days, Allison was again the domi- 51 shells were sold during 2013. 16-19 Greater New Jersey Washington, D.C. Info: Ken nant transmission. A total of 1,508 Nearly 40 percent of 2013 coach JUNE 2014 Motorcoach Association and Presley at UMA, email kpresley@ new coaches were delivered last shell sales came during the fourth 7 Museum of Bus Transporta- Pennsylvania Bus Association uma.org, or call (800) 424-8262. year with Allisons, compared with quarter when 20 were delivered. tion Spring Bus Fling, Museum Joint Annual Meeting, Industry 108 ZF and 81 Volvo transmis- JULY 2014 Also missing from the ABA of Bus Transportation, Hershey, Expo and Sales Retreat, Sands sions. Both the Volvo and ZF are Foundation report are sales of Pa. Info: (717) 566-2001 Ext. 119. Bethlehem (Pa.) Info: www.pabus. 13-16 Joint Annual Meeting of semi-automatic transmissions, Temsa and Caio coaches. org or www.gnjma.com. Virginia, North Carolina and while Allison is fully automatic. During the final three months 12-14 The Bus History Associ- South Carolina Motorcoach To view the dataset for the of last year, 576 new 45- and 40- ation 2014 Annual Convention, 18-21 New England Bus Asso­‑ Associations, Richmond Mariott, ABA Foundation 2013 coach sales foot MCI, Prevost, Setra, Van Hool Country Inn & Suites at Mall of ciation 2014 Annual Conference, Richmond, Va. Info: www.scmotor- report, go to www.buses.org/files/ and Volvo coaches, including America, Minneapolis. Info: Hilton Mystic, Mystic, Conn. Info: coach.org, www.ncmotorcoach. Foundation/ABAF-Motorcoach- shells, were delivered, making the www.bus-history.org. [email protected]. org, or www.vamotorcoach.org. Sales-2013.pdf. Bus & Motorcoach News INDUSTRY NEWS May 1, 2014 15

the “Outstanding Driver of The Year People Award” in the scheduled route division. CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Sunway Laurent began his driving career Charters & Tours, a division of with Trailways of New York in May Trolley’s Inc., announced that Bren- 1979. Since then he has driven more da Sherlin, a motorcoach, tourism than 1.5 million accident-free miles and travel industry veteran, is now in nearly all corners of the state. heading Sunway’s tour and travel di- Fodor has been with Fullington vision offices in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Trailways since 1982. Last year, he and Charlotte. drove 51,855 accident-free miles. Gottfried Fodor William Laurent Jeff Goldwasser Allen Abbott Trey Hertel Eloy Torres After 10 years in the hotel and The awards for Laurent and attraction side of the business, Sher- Fodor were announced at the 78th phone at (551)482-1608. kansas. Contact him at (512) 284- Abbott left his postion as execu- lin has returned to her roots in the annual Trailways Stockholder Meet- AUSTIN, Texas — Trey Hertel 4854, or [email protected]. tive director of the American Red bus industry by joining the team at ing and Conference here. joins Prevost as the new coach re- Prevost also announced that Eloy Cross in Columbus, Ga., to become Sunway and Trolley’s Inc., owned LA FRANCE, S.C. — La gional sales manager for the south Torres has been named pre-owned the first executive director of the and operated by Lee Helms. France Industries announced that central U.S. coach regional sales manager, cover- Faith Travel Association. Sherlin is widely known in the Jeff Goldwasser has joined the com- Hertel has 19 years of sales ex- ing Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, NTA formed the Faith Travel As- industry both in the Carolinas and pany as sales executive for La perience with manufacturing com- Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minneso- sociation earlier this year and formal- nationally. France’s transportation fabrics. panies, plus a background in busi- ta, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexi- ly introduced it at the UMA/NTA As owner of her own bus com- Goldwasser grew up in the mo- ness financial planning. co, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Travel Exchange in February. pany until 2003, she was the first torcoach industry and has more than He spent the past 14 years in the Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin. Abbott, an ordained minister, woman elected to the board of the 30 years of professional experience recreational vehicle industry, first as Torres has been with Prevost for has worked in fundraising, financial North Carolina Motorcoach Asso- in the business. product sales specialist and trainer 14 years. Contact him at (817) 371- planning, telecommunications, and ciation and was the first female His family operated Peak Tours, for Fleetwood Motor Homes, then 6173, or [email protected]. nonprofit leadership. He is a child of elected president, serving two terms. a coach and school bus company, in as regional sales manager for Thor RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Fleet Fi- missionaries. During the 20 years she had her New York for 40 years. He also was Manufacturing. nancing Resources announced the “I’m excited about the opportu- own company, she was appointed to general manager of Classic Coach Hertel also acted as national promotion of Jonathan Tillery to fi- nity to work with FTA — an incred- the North Carolina Travel Coun- on Long Island for a number of years. sales manager and product manager nance officer. ible, new organization that pairs two cil, and a seat on the board of the He spent two years selling pre- for the RV division of The Alumi- In his new role, Tillery will lead of my great passions, faith and trav- American Bus Association. owned coaches in the northeastern num Trailer Co. Fleet Financing Resources’ regional el,” Abbott said. DESTIN, Fla. — The 2013 U.S. for Daimler Buses of North At one point, he also operated a sales efforts. “There’s a spiritual transforma- Trailways “Outstanding Driver of America, and later operated his own financial planning consulting He has worked at Fleet Financ- tion that comes with pilgrimages, the Year Award” winner in the char- bus brokering service. company. ing Resources for six years. tours and mission trips. Through ter and tour division is Gottfried Most recently, Goldwasser was Hertel holds a degree from West- LEXINGTON, Ky. — Z. Allen travel, people of faith can take their Fodor of Fullington Trailways in with National Seating. ern Illinois University. Abbott, Ph.D., has been named ex- belief beyond borders.” Clearfield, Pa., while William Lau- Contact Goldwasser via email at He will support motorcoach op- ecutive director of the Faith Travel For more information, go to rent of Trailways of New York won [email protected], or by erators in Texas, Oklahoma and Ar- Association. www.faithtravelassociation.com.

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MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! 16 May 1, 2014 INDUSTRY NEWS Bus & Motorcoach News Fatigue nar, Crescenzo called fatigued er from ‘soldiering on’ if he or she driving the industry’s primary “un- feels tired. It is much easier for the CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 controlled risk” and the primary driver to ask the co-driver to take try safety. cause of severe motorcoach over for an hour or two than it is to “Our declining such a trip — accidents. tell the group ‘I’m tired and I’m over safety concerns — will not stop The risk of a motorcoach crash going to pull over and rest.’” the trip,” he said. “It will only put reaches its highest point during the Added Scott of Escot Bus the trip in the hands of another, per- early morning hours, peaking at Lines: “I can’t help but feel how Michael Neustadt Brian Scott Bob Crescenzo Deborah Hersman haps not-quite-as-safe, company.” 4:30 a.m. Crashes are five times disconnected FMCSA, and per- Brian Scott of Escot Bus Lines All five members of the NTSB more likely to occur at that time difficulties of addressing operator haps the insurance industry, is in Largo, Fla., was even more em- concurred in the addendum to the than during daylight hours. fatigue, which she said is a con- from business reality,” he said. phatic. “If the FMCSA, or the in- report on the May 30, 2011, highly cern in all transportation modes. “We have not taken a trip that surance industry for that matter, publicized crash of a Sky Express The complexities “We know that fatigue-im- required driving through the night think these trips are being — or Inc. motorcoach on Interstate 95 Fatigue also is a complex issue paired individuals are terrible at in probably five years, and we can be — converted to convention- near Doswell, Va. to manage. recognizing their own impairment. have lost a tremendous amount of al (daytime) charters with simple The Sky Express coach drifted Crescenzo described many fac- One of the major challenges we business. So much that we have re- ‘customer education,’ they are off the highway, struck a cable bar- tors that contribute to dangerous face now is in refining the ways evaluated that policy and now are sorely mistaken,” said Scott. rier and overturned onto its roof. levels of fatigue — individual that we identify fatigue and its im- taking those trips, but only during “We find the customer takes The roof collapsed and four of the physical responses, total hours of pairing effects. slower times when our driver pool our declination and ‘education’ as 58 passengers were killed. Another service, irregular or “flip-flop- “There is a responsibility on is not taxed.” a sign we are simply not interested 14 received serious injuries and 36 ping” shift schedules, and over- the part of the transportation in- and the trip goes to the next carrier received minor injuries. night travel in general. dustry to have policies that allow ‘Sleepy time’ down the road,” he added. Operator fatigue has been a their employees to call in fatigued. The infamous Sky Express The 5 a.m. accident focus of outgoing NTSB Chair- This should be a written policy crash was a textbook example of ‘Managing’ fatigue The crash occurred at 4:55 man Deborah Hersman. that will address the implications unmanaged fatigue behind the For its part, the FMCSA hasn’t a.m., during what sleep experts “There are too many accidents of fatigue calls.” wheel. shown much inclination toward call a “circadian low” that can re- where the lack of sleep and fatigue During her speech at Motor- The driver was Kin Yiu mandating a “fatigue management sult in driver sleepiness and re- have either caused the accident or coach Expo, Hersman added: “We Cheung, 37, who had been hired program” for bus and truck opera- duced focus. been a contributory factor,” she know FMCSA is working hard to by Sky Express in July 2010 with tors — despite urgings. “The National Transportation said in a statement released in detect unscrupulous operators and no previous commercial driving Last July, an online interactive Safety Board determines that the March 2013 to support National prevent reincarnated carriers from experience. He previously was a program for fatigue management probable cause of this accident Sleep Awareness Week. re-entering the marketplace. But, restaurant delivery driver. was announced by the FMCSA was the failure of the motorcoach In a 2012 speech at UMA Mo- frankly, the barriers to entry are ex- During his trial on four counts and Transport Canada. driver to maintain control of his torcoach Expo in Long Beach, tremely low, the penalties aren’t a of manslaughter, a Virginia State The comprehensive North vehicle due to his falling asleep Calif., she said NTSB had investi- deterrent and the FMCSA is over- Trooper said Cheung admitted im- American Fatigue Management while driving because of fatigue gated 36 bus accidents since 1998. burdened with about one investiga- mediately after the crash that had Program was developed by a num- resulting from acute sleep loss, “Again and again, just like in tor per 1,000 motor carriers.” fallen asleep while driving. She ber of Canadian and American poor sleep quality, and circadian the movie Groundhog Day, we see About three-quarters of re- said he wrote a statement that said, agencies. disruption and the failure of Sky the same thing, the same issues – spondents to last year’s UMA “Maybe I feeling tired and sleepy FMCSA Administrator Anne Express Inc. management to fol- fatigued drivers, poor occupant Membership Survey said their time.” S. Ferro called it “another support- low adequate safety practices and protection and marginal operators companies conduct fatigue man- According to the NTSB report, ive resource truck and bus drivers to exercise safety oversight of the that are only put out of service agement programs. On the other the Sky Express trip had departed can utilize in addition to comply- driver,” the report stated. after a fatal accident.” hand, 21.5 percent of the respon- Greensboro, N.C., at 10:30 p.m. en ing with our hours-of-service “Contributing to the accident In a 2010 speech to the Nation- dents — carriers sufficiently pro- route to the Chinatown neighbor- rules.” was the Federal Motor Carrier al Sleep Foundation, Hersman fessional to join a trade association hood of New York City. The North American Fatigue Safety Administration’s lack of ad- compared the effects of fatigue to — said they do not have programs Surviving passengers inter- Management Program is an educa- equate oversight of Sky Express those of alcohol consumption. to manage driver fatigue. viewed after the crash said Cheung tional and training resource drivers Inc., which allowed the company Numerous studies have shown had consumed several energy and carriers may use on a volun- to continue operations despite that “sleep loss is at least as potent No getting away drinks and cups of coffee during tary basis. known safety issues.” as ethanol in its performance-im- While most carrier executives the night. One passenger saw the In its report, the NTSB noted pairing effects and two hours of see fatigue as a significant con- driver leaning over the steering NTSB seeks mandate that a report it issued on a 2011 sleeplessness equates to a breath cern, many also see overnight trips wheel with his head bobbing up The National Transportation truck accident had recommended a ethanol concentration of approxi- as a necessary evil. and down. Safety Board, on the other hand, mandatory fatigue management mately .05 percent,” she said. Neustadt of Coach Tours called A passenger who spoke Man- has called for fatigue management program. “Prolonged wakefulness sig- overnight charters “part of the darin heard him talking into his programs to be mandatory for all However, “The FMCSA indi- nificantly impairs speed and accu- business.” cell phone and telling someone he motor carriers. cated that, before mandating the racy, hand-eye coordination, deci- “I think that there is a middle was tired and had not had much “The NTSB reiterates the rec- use of fatigue management pro- sion-making and memory. ground — have policies that will turnaround time between trips. ommendation to require fatigue grams, a non-regulatory approach Prolonged wakefulness correlates make the trip as safe as possible. The driver’s post-crash blood management programs for all should be tried…The NTSB be- with impairment — being awake Some things are simple, like sched- and alcohol tests were negative. motor carriers,” wrote NTSB lieves that, although some carriers for 16 hours is equivalent to a .05 uling the overnight drivers carefully His logbooks indicated a hectic member Mark R. Rosekind in a will adopt fatigue management blood alcohol concentration.” in the days before and after the trip, schedule. The company was able concurring opinion to a 2011 high- programs to improve the safety of and getting the relief drivers a qual- to provide only a portion of way accident report. their operations, many will not. Many could do more ity, single hotel room with plenty of Cheung’s logbook pages, but “the “It has become clear that the “In fact, those carriers with the In his presentation, Crescenzo rest time,” Neustadt said. available records showed the driv- complex nature of fatigue requires weakest safety management — included the effects of the human “Another thing we started a er had violated the hours-of-ser- a comprehensive and programmat- that is, the operations that most body clock in the equation. few years ago is to require that two vice rules at least 85 times.” The ic approach to manage effectively need a fatigue management pro- He noted that, due to our sun- drivers be on every coach during records covered three full months the safety, performance and alert- gram — are the least likely to im- light/darkness responses, we find the hours from about 1 to 6 a.m., and portions of two others. ness risks created by fatigue. plement one.” it most difficult to function be- even if the hours-of-service rules Cheung had been off duty 16.5 “While science-based, hours- The NTSB classified the tween midnight and 7 a.m. and do not require it. hours before his fatal trip. His cell of-service regulations are neces- FMCSA position as an “Open — again between 1 and 4 p.m. During “It might turn a legal two-driv- phone records indicated that many sary, they are not sufficient to Unacceptable Response.” those hours our body desires sleep er move into a three-driver move of those hours were interrupted by manage this complexity,” Rose- During his presentation at the or a nap. but I think that having another calls that limited his “maximum kind asserted. UMA Safety Management Semi- Hersman acknowledged the driver available will prevent a driv- CONTINUED ON PAGE 18 c Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Good Times. Good Friends. GREAT Business.

www.motorcoachexpo.com 18 May 1, 2014 INDUSTRY NEWS Bus & Motorcoach News megabus paces Coach USA growth New certification program NEW YORK — megabus.com rier currently operates in 32 states, story garage measuring 183,000 continues to be the fastest growing serving more than 120 cities. square feet. segment of Coach USA, with rev- Additional cities are expected Smaller auxiliary structures will aimed at group tour leaders enue climbing more than 20 per- to be added throughout the year. house diesel fuel tanks, power gen- SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — coach driver cent during the nine months ended Meanwhile, Coach USA and erators, garbage bins and water tanks The International Tour Manage- • How to work with suppliers Jan. 31, despite the impact of its Short Line unit were expected for the fire-suppression system. ment Institute, a leading training • How to deal with disabled harsh winter weather in December to move from Mahwah, N.J., to a The mammoth garage will en- and certification program for tour participants and January. new $16 million garage and office able Short Line to consolidate bus directors and guides, has launched • How to effectively navigate The nation’s largest curbside complex in a Chester, N.Y., indus- storage, service and maintenance a “Group Tour Leader Certifica- unexpected and challenging operator also announced it has trial park around May 1. tasks spread over several loca- tion Program.” situations served more than 35 million passen- “Everything’s basically done; tions. The 105-plus fleet of buses “Group leaders are individuals During the course, much of gers since its start-up in April 2006. it’s just the finishing touches now,” will be stored indoors. who lead tour groups for religious which will take place on a motor- In celebration of the milestone, said George Grieve, general man- At the end of daily runs, buses or fraternal organizations, students coach, the group leader will learn megabus.com awarded customer ager of Coach USA’s northern dis- will have dump tanks emptied, groups, professional associations everything he or she needs to know Lena Jackson of Akron, Ohio, with trict and president of Short Line. fuel tanks filled, exteriors washed, or private groups,” noted Interna- to assure all tour participants enjoy an Apple iPad Mini during a cele- The 200,000-square-foot facil- and interiors cleaned at a series of tional Tour Management Institute a safe and positive experience, bration at the megabus arrival/ ity has been under development stations inside the garage. Then, CEO Ted Bravos. says Bravos. “Group leaders are responsible The motorcoach classes, which departure location at the Greater for three years. they’ll move to the maintenance for the welfare of the participants will be limited to 10-12 students, Cleveland Regional Transit Au- The complex, which utilizes area for any tire changes or me- and the positive outcome of the will in Northern California. thority Stephanie Tubbs Jones 20 of the 52 acres Coach USA chanical repairs. experience.” Besides the two days of on-bus Transit Center in Cleveland, Ohio. bought in Tetz Industrial Park off Security cameras will monitor According to Bravos, the Inter- field trip classes, which include an megabus’ latest service expan- New York Route 94, includes a the isolated complex, and access national Tour Management Institute overnight stay, the program in- sions have been in North and 16,000-square-foot, two-story of- for Coach USA’s 225 employees group tour leader certification pro- volves three, one-hour webinars, South Carolina. The intercity car- fice building, and an adjacent one- will be controlled with key cards. gram will provide individuals who and a one-hour post field trip complete the program with the webinar. knowledge and understanding that Tuition for the certification MCI rallies showcase technologies allows them to feel confident and program is $595. The fee does not well-prepared for their role. The include travel to San Francisco or DES PLAINES, Ill. — Motor later this year. dius of a J4500 MCI coach from curriculum addresses the following: one- or two-night stays, in San Coach Industries is hosting a se- The rallies will feature test 47 feet to just under 41 feet. Also • The psychology of group Francisco. ries of customer events at auto race rides, supplier booths, training ses- new is a Bendix air disc brake and travel The program will be conducted tracks and major sports stadiums sions and lunch. adaptive cruise control. • Working with a tour director monthly. around the country this spring and The events also will showcase Adaptive cruise control moni- or a tour guide, and the differences For more information, go to summer. the latest Setra coaches; a selec- tors a coach’s position behind between the two www.itmtourtraining.com, or call The MCI Reliability Rallies tion used coaches, and parts and other vehicles and automatically • How to work with the motor- (415) 957-9489. will serve as launch sites for new MCI Service Center promotions. reduces the throttle or applies the axle, suspension and brake tech- MCI will introduce a new ZF brakes to maintain safe following nologies that will be offered on axle and independent suspension distances. Miami stadium is target MCI J4500 and D-series coaches designed to reduce the turning ra- MCI has nine coaches, featur- ing the ZF and Bendix systems, in of restoration program field tests with larger operators MIAMI — Tourism Cares an- In 2010, the World Monuments Excellent Condition–none nicer! across the U.S. nual spring clean-up/restoration Fund placed the stadium on its list Cummins • B500 • 58 pax w/lav The rallies and test drives will event will be May 29-30 in Miami. of significant and endangered sites <150K TCM Michelin Tires be April 30 at Texas Motor Speed- The travel industry philan- and, two years later, the National Alcoa Rims • Cordless Mics way in Ft. Worth; May 22 at Chica- thropic group continues its legacy Trust for Historic Preservation CD/DVD • Lots more options goland Speedway in Joliet, Ill.; of community service by helping a named it a “national treasure.” Partial Financing O.A.C. June 4 at Gillette Stadium in Fox- local group restore Miami Marine Anyone in the travel and tour- Starting at $350,000/OBO boro, Mass.; June 11 at the Sands Stadium, a Florida landmark and ism industry can join hundreds of Trades for clean MCI D model considered • More available Resort & Casino in Bethlehem, Pa.; considered by many to be a mod- volunteers who will work to rejuve- June 26 at Atlanta Motor Speedway ern architectural masterpiece. nate key parts of the stadium, as Call / Email today for photos and more info! Built in 1963 on Biscayne Bay, well as sites within the Virginia Key [email protected] / 808.832.6261 in Hampton, Ga., and July 8 at AT&T Park in San Francisco. the 6,566-seat stadium, noted for area, during the two-day event. its cantilevered concrete roof, fell To join Tourism Cares in Each event will run from 9 into disuse after Hurricane An- Miami, go to www.tourismcares. a.m. to 3 p.m. Learn more at www. drew in August 1992, and had been com, or call Jessica Ahern at (781) REPOS FOR SALE mcicoach.com. •“Bank Repos” across the US • Priced to Sell slated for demolition. 821-5990, ext. 212. • Variety of Makes & Models Fatigue on sleep quality and quantity.” dangers of fatigue.” 1-877-737-2221 x30716 In addition, the report stated, Sky Express had no written  CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16 “The accident occurred at 4:55 safety policies until the month pre- www.Bus-Buys.com — View “Repo Inventory” sleep opportunity” to 6.5 hours. a.m., nearly the midpoint of the ceding the accident. NTSB also Investigators could not determine lowest ebb of the circadian cycle.” said it had no office or terminal. how much of that time may have Because Cheung already knew The Charlotte address used in of- been spent sleeping and it was he was tired and continued to drive, ficial paperwork was the home of “unlikely he could have obtained “technologies designed to alert a secretary. Be sure to update your prolonged, restorative sleep.” drivers to their diminished perfor- Cheung was tried in Caroline mailing information mance would have had only limited County, Va., Circuit Court in No- Upside down benefit…To keep its fatigued driv- vember 2012. His attorney called with us so you don’t Investigators wrote that his ers off the road, a motor carrier the crash a “horrendous accident” miss a single issue! “inverted sleep schedule” of work- must provide appropriate guidance rather than the result of criminal ing night hours and sleeping dur- and exercise reasonable safety negligence. Cheung was found Call 866-930-8421 ing the day “was not optimal. In- oversight. Sky Express did not have guilty of four counts of involun- or email changes to: verted sleep schedules have been a fatigue management program and tary manslaughter and later sen- [email protected] shown to have a negative impact did not educate its drivers about the tenced to six years in prison. ONE TEAM WITH ONE JOB: TO HELP YOU KEEP DOING YOURS.

A motorcoach is only as good as the people who stand behind it. Every Prevost is supported by a professional service team with over 500 years of bus and motorcoach service experience, knowledge, and integrity. Our fi eld service experts are dedicated to doing whatever is necessary to keep you on the road. What’s more, every Prevost motorcoach is backed by the Prevost Action Service System (PASS) 24-hour emergency assistance line, our eleven Prevost service centers across North America, and more than 150 Prevost-certifi ed service providers who are experts in the Volvo Powertrain. While unforeseen downtime is inevitable, Prevost will have you up and running in no time at all.

For more information: USA 336-393-3929 Canada 418-883-3391 www.prevostcar.com Reliability Rally Reliability Rally Rally around MCI’s and Setra’s latest equipment and technology

Looking to put a new MCI or Setra coach through the paces? Race on down to a speedway or stadium near you, and join the MCI Reliability Rally. Our big spring-summer test-ride event is your best chance to get a look at what’s new:

 The best-selling MCI J4500, introducing our upcoming, tight- turning ZF axle, independent front suspension, and Bendix Join MCI at one of these braking with available adaptive cruise control. Reliability Rally locations: Texas Motor Speedway, Ft. Worth, TX  The luxurious, custom-tailored Setra S 417 with second door and Wednesday, April 30 club corner. Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, IL  The latest, greatest pre-owned coaches, priced to sell. Thursday, May 22 Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA  Supplier showcase, featuring system updates and maintenance Wednesday, June 4 tips from key vendors. Sands Resort & Casino, Bethlehem, PA  Lunch, giveaways and prizes. Wednesday, June 11 Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, GA Plus, our top technical troubleshooters, parts reps and other MCI team members Thursday, June 26 will be on hand to answer your questions, lead educational sessions and more. AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA This event has something for everyone, from business owners to drivers and Tuesday, July 8 technicians. So bring your team, mark your calendars, and start your engines!

Scan this code to sign up for one of MCI’s Reliability Rally events, or visit mcicoach.com/rally

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