There was Nothing SMALL in “Mini-apolis”
A look back at this year's BISC/BusMARC summer event in Minneapolis
Just a few short weeks ago, nearly 200 safety, maintenance, and other motorcoach industry professionals gathered for three days to examine our industry and ourselves. The Bus Industry Safety Council (BISC) and the Bus Maintenance and Repair Council (BusMARC) held our summer meeting in Minneapolis, preceding the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) National Truck Driving Championships and North American Inspector Championships.
Over the three days, we discussed the challenges in our industry from safety, operational, and maintenance points of view. Many of the challenges were apparent, yet we dove deeper to look at some of the less common but potentially disastrous events that could impact our industry. Starting the conference off was a half-day session presented by TSA and a group of BISC leadership to discuss bus ramming as a weapon in today’s world. We reviewed incidents to include the New Year’s pickup truck ramming in New Orleans and discussed how using a bus instead of a pickup truck could have been an even greater tragedy that occurred. We discussed bus security as well as hiring practices as to who we entrust to put behind the wheel of our buses.
BISC then began after lunch with several sessions, including the Safety Director 101 Session on the Safety Management Cycle, as well as several opportunities to discuss driver recruitment and retention, an ever-present and ongoing challenge for all of us. Discussions continued how to prepare for audits from several regulatory agencies. Audits to include FMCSA, IFTA, OSHA, and EPA, among others.
The group also had its first face-to-face meetings with staff from FMCSA in nearly a year. The Passenger Division team, as well as the FMCSA General Counsel, provided insight on what the goals and priorities are coming from D.C. and beyond. We also heard from CVSA as to what changes in the Out of Service criteria we may expect as well as how to get involved in making those decisions with our law enforcement partners.
Along with the safety topics, many maintenance and operational issues were covered as well. Topics ranged from safe practices for motor vehicle operations to the shortage of qualified diesel technicians. Maintenance sessions included cost-effective maintenance solutions for smaller fleets, as well as guidance on whether to perform maintenance in-house or outsource certain aspects of your maintenance plans. Day two closed out with maintenance sessions on HVAC and multiplexing, as well as how to integrate and use eDVIRs in your fleets. The day concluded with sessions on maximizing your parts inventories and a review to ensure your preventive maintenance plan was up to date.
The final day of the conference was our unique off-site visits that take the show on the road and showcase three operators in the Greater Minneapolis area. Very special thanks to Mike Canine from Lorenz Bus Service, Chad Ely at Voigt’s Bus Lines, and Steve Woelfel at Jefferson Lines for sharing your facilities and insights on how it is to do business in some of the toughest winter climates in the country.
I also want to mention our councils’ sincere thanks to the Minnesota Charter Bus Operators Association (MCBOA) for hosting BISC and BusMARC and throwing a fantastic welcome reception, as well as attracting many of their members and local operators to attend.
BISC and Bus MARC meet in person twice a year at ABA’s Marketplace as well as the annual summer meeting that moves about the country each year. You can also catch BISC at BISC EAST with GNEMA in late September as well as BISC WEST with the California Bus Association in late October. There are also several webinar series throughout the year.
Finally, another unique aspect of these two Councils is our mentor program. If you would like to work with a mentor or become a mentor, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at [email protected]. We have a cadre of over 40 mentors with more than 1,000 years of experience to cover any topic you may need assistance with in our industry. We look forward to seeing you soon at an industry gathering near you.
Mike McDonal is the Director of Regulatory Compliance and Industry Relations at Saucon Technologies and serves as the current Chair of the Bus Maintenance and Repair Council. He has also served as a past Chair of the Bus Industry Safety Council.
