Motorcoach Safety: Put Up Or Shut Up

For years I have heard how "safe" the motorcoach industry is. The industry points to its safe reputation based upon statistics kept by the Federal Department of Transportation. It keeps reminding everyone that it is not the trucking industry. And it keeps calling for rules and regulations that recognize it as a separate, unique, and "safe" segment of the commercial motor vehicle industry.

Over the past few years, numerous tragic accidents, the results of motorcoach vehicle inspections and the results of compliance reviews provided to motorcoach operators, have placed a dark cloud over the reputation of the motorcoach industry. Now, every motorcoach accident is a news event. With the Internet and SafeStat, everyone can know the results of vehicle inspections and compliance reviews as quickly as they are placed into the database.

From where I am sitting, the industry is at a crossroads. It can't continue to ask for privileged status unless it maintains the confidence of the public, regulators, and commercial vehicle enforcement officials.

Maybe some of these tragic accidents that have occurred over the past few years cannot be linked to a controllable cause; however, most of these accidents could have been foreseen and the elements which caused them could have been controlled in advance of their occurrence.

Out of service defects being found by commercial vehicle enforcement officers across this country are not "overnight occurrences". Brakes out of adjustment, frame rail cracks, etc., happen over time. They can and should be seen by people within your organization well in advance of being seen by the inspector.

Unsatisfactory or conditional ratings as a result of a compliance review may occasionally be subject to debate; however, more times than not, these ratings are a result of negligence in overseeing necessary functions and procedures which should be a part of your everyday life.

For too long, we have complained about "the other guy"-the guy that breaks all the rules; doesn't care about the maintenance of his vehicle; and brings down the price of a trip because of it. Ironically, "the other guy" is the reason why we have demanded motorcoach inspections and compliance reviews. Unfortunately, we have gotten caught in our own web. While the other guy may be bringing down the price; he is not he only guy who has problems in his house. Maybe it is easier to see the other guys problems than it is to see your own.

Then again, there has been unprecedented demand for motorcoach services over the past few years. This demand, coupled with the tight supply of drivers has caused continuing and growing pressure upon organizations to provide services demanded of you and accepted by you. But, unprecedented economic health cannot be a reason for operational mediocrity.

I am fortunate to work with many transit, school bus, and motorcoach operators across the country. I see what they do and how they do it. I hear their frustrations and their concerns. What I see are traditional organizations attempting to respond to untraditional times. I see management systems that are destined to break down and set the stage for the types of behaviors that result in accidents, out of service results, and less than satisfactory compliance reviews.

There is more than one enemy that is working against you; there is "the other guy" and there is yourself.

With the expectations of continued economic health and growth, the one enemy that you must fight and defeat is the mediocrity that you allow to exist within your own organization. "Safety" is not the key word here; "management" is. It is the most critical element toward your safety effectiveness.

I have been hearing for years about the driver shortage. Lamentation after lamentation. This problem won't solve itself. You must create the solution. You need to start recruiting at fire stations, police departments, military bases. Any place where retirement is eminent, you must go and excite people about the motorcoach industry. Hold job fairs; open houses; forget the traditional ads in newspapers, they are buried in hundreds of ads for drivers. Give referral bonuses to existing drivers as you hire and retain a qualified referral. If you can sell your operation to a customer, why can't you sell it to potential drivers?

On a long term basis, collaborate with fellow motorcoach operators in your area and hook up with a junior college or vo-tech school. Develop a complete training curriculum for interested students; assist in the training. Promote motorcoach driving as part of a career, not just a job.

The leading cause of out of service conditions for a motorcoach is out of adjustment brakes. One of the other leading causes is cracks in the frame within the engine compartment area.

Every operation that I have visited has mechanics who look "under the bus" to lubricate, change fluids, etc. on a regular relatively low mileage basis. How simple would it be to include as part of that inspection the actual measurement of push rod travel and a visual inspection of the engine frame rails to ensure their adequate condition and operation. Certainly, if you find something wrong you will want to fix it. And if you don't, you have the assurance that the vehicle is in road worthy condition. Last, but not least, make sure they document these inspections every time they are done. You can then prove to anyone that you attempt to maintain safe vehicles.

Driver time management is the leading cause of unsatisfactory or unconditional ratings. Allegations of log falsification, excessive driving time, are indications of lack of coordinated management within this area. Many times, I also see that daily vehicle inspection procedures are not completely carried through, causing breakdowns in the oversight of immediate repair to safety defects found through daily vehicle inspections.

In both of these cases, the enemy is a breakdown in management coordination. In one case, operations usually asks drivers if they have time available, and the safety department is never consulted. Even if they were, they may not know exactly the driver's last few days of activity and thus, the driver is in the catbird seat.

Drivers have a tendency to accept trips for obvious economic reasons; operations have a tendency to accept the driver's answer without question. And this is especially true in times of tight driver supply and high customer demand.

When it comes to vehicle inspection procedures, it is the maintenance department who receives the vehicle inspection reports with defects; it is maintenance who is expected to fix these defects; and it is the driver the next day who is required or expected to make sure that the defect has been fixed. While these procedures may be provided to the driver during his orientation by the safety department, the safety department never usually gets involved in carrying out these procedures. Inevitably, these procedures break down, and the auditor salivates when reviewing those daily vehicle inspection reports in conjunction with vehicle maintenance files.

In both of these cases, the key is to have seamless procedures and operations. Traditional organizations create too many walls; "departments" if you will. Because of these "walls", drivers can weave through the cracks because each department is focused simply on what it must do and not what the total organization must do.

I have said before and I will say again that safety and operations are the same thing. There should be no departments. Dispatchers, maintenance managers, and any one else should have the obligation to not only make good business decisions, but safe business decisions. Drivers must understand that they cannot "divide and conquer"; that stiff discipline will be provided if they attempt to do so.

There are computer programs and other such procedures that can keep a "real time" tracking of driver's hours to ensure compliance with hours of service regulations.

A simple procedure of required signatures on daily vehicle inspection reports by the driver performing the post-trip inspection; any mechanic or person who repairs safety defects; and the driver performing the pre-trip inspection the next day should ensure better compliance with regulations and result in safer vehicle conditions.

I could keep going but this column is too short. From where I am sitting, your challenge is to conquer the internal enemy. It is time to change how your operation works to meet the demands of safety performance and customer satisfaction. You can no longer hide behind what "the other guy" does. It is time to "put up" and meet the challenge. Otherwise "shut up" and let the other guy go; he is not much different than you.

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