Check Those Mirrors Today!!

In an effort to spark extra careful attention to what's happening outside the bus during loading and unloading times, we're mandating mirror checks for our employees.

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 111 regulates mirror adjustment. The diagram looks like this:

To help drivers best adjust their mirrors, we paint the ground and give them space to check their mirror adjustments.

This orange "c" section is for Type C school buses - the ones with "noses."

This yellow "f" section is for Type D school buses - the ones with a flat front.

Basically, drivers park their buses with the bumper at the front of the painted box. The dots on the ground correspond to the dots on the FMVSS 111 diagram.

With properly adjusted mirrors, drivers will be able to see each and every dot using one or more of the mirrors. Properly adjusted mirrors mean drivers have fewer blind spots and are more able to see students in the "danger zone" around the bus.

Though properly adjusted mirrors are critical, we know it is by far best to keep students in the driver's direct line of vision. We teach students to cross approximately ten feet in front of the bus after making eye contact with the bus driver and clearly seeing the safety signal ("Thumbs UP for Safety). We encourage students to return the signal as they cross, making them active participants in their own safety. With large group stops, we teach students to wait in a designated location until the bus leaves the area. We try to teach students not to run toward the bus at any time, but wait at the bus stop and walk in an orderly fashion toward the bus at the appropriate time.

In my experience, students are not often actively thinking about their own safety. As public safety stewards, it is our most sacred job to constantly and consistently remind them to be safe.

Safe Driving!

Kari

In the News... 6-Year Old Killed By Bus

Yesterday I was thinking about student safety outside the bus. You can read the blog post, "On Crossing the Street" from Monday, March 22, 11:08 am.

Not long after publishing my own thoughts about student safety and the high percentage of students hurt in the spring, we learned a young boy died yesterday. He was hit by his own bus, and his bus driver, according to news reports, is devastated. I imagine the entire community is devastated.

So am I.

We teach new drivers about student safety outside the school bus just like we teach students how to be safe using a booklet, "The Moment of Truth: School Bus Loading and Unloading Safety." Like most of our materials, the book is dated (the latest statistics it contains are for 1994.

There are fourteen practices and suggestions in the booklet:

1. Establish and enforce safe crossing procedures at each and every stop with each and every student. Key point: if a student fails to follow safe crossing procedures, teach them how.

2. Count students. Key point: if a driver loses count or gets confused about how many students were present, get up and look for them.

3. Assume traffic will fail to follow rules, laws, and best practices. Key point: a defensive attitude and posture keeps the most people safe and healthy.

4. Remain focused on those students outside the bus. Key point: learn to count to ten before looking into the rearview mirror when motion catches your attention; the students inside the bus are safe.

5. Pay attention to the statistics. Key point: again, statistics report important things; statistics do not predict. * 25% of student fatalities occur when a student is hit by his or her own bus * young children are most vulnerable, but middle school students come a close second * pm routes in the spring are most dangerous.

6. Drive a bus only once the mirrors are properly adjusted. Key point: mirror adjustment requires expert help; get it.

7. Maintain safe schedules. Key point: avoid rushing.

8. Understand safety. Key point: avoid desensitization caused by continuous performance of routine activities.

9. Use safety equipment correctly. Key point: if the bus is equipped with a crossing gate, DO NOT RELAX!! Too often students circle round the gate and walk toward the bus instead of continuing in a straight line.

10. Teach students to be safe. Key point: if students don't take their own safety seriously, it's more challenging to keep them safe.

11. Expect students to engage in unexpected and confusing behavior. Key point: drivers need to be familiar with each student's habits and watch for changes in behavior.

12. Practice middle loading when assigning seats. Key point: the safest seats (the ones with the most cushion) are in the middle of the bus.

13. Listen to what students say. Key point: they have a gut instinct too, and sometimes adults don't take them seriously.

14. Education begins with drivers and students, but doesn't stop there. Key point: educate the public.We add one practice to safe crossing practices: we teach and use the "Thumbs UP for safety" signal. I'd like to see all bus drivers and all students using it. Practical? No. I cannot imagine our seniors giving the driver this hand signal. We'll keep trying. Maybe if we keep working on it, our students will all be participating in the next decade.

Keep the community of Pine River in your thoughts and prayers. Their pain will not ease quickly.

Safe Driving...
Kari

On Crossing the Street

Statistics do not predict. They report. That's an important difference.

That said, spring school bus fatality statistics alarm me every year. The most common time for a school bus to hit one of its riders is in the spring.

There are all kinds of theories about why spring is so dangerous.

While it's important for us to know and appreciate those theories, we believe our energy is best spent teaching drivers and students to be safe outside the school bus.

Key to safe crossing? Visual contact between a bus driver and a student!

We teach our students to watch for the driver's "Thumbs UP." We teach our students to return the "Thumbs UP" so the driver knows the student is an active participant in his or her own safety.

During school bus safety training, we tell our kids the "Safe Crossing with Safety Sam" story. The story's a little bit lame and the pictures are very dated. We keep using it because it accomplishes our goal.

Here's the story:

We desperately new artwork.

Safe Driving!

Kari

Best EVER Compliment...

At Thursday's Kindergarten Round-Up, we received the BEST OF ALL COMPLIMENTS.

I was gathering forms and data and Important Stuff when a parent approached me and had this to say:

"I was going to skip the transportation portion of the night. I stayed for who knows what reason, and let me just say, I AM SO GLAD I DID. I was scared to send my child to school on the bus. And now I'm not. THANK YOU!"

Nice.

I care about your children.I care about YOU. I care about making YOU happy because your children are happy.

That's not always easy.It's also not always a place where people offer praise.

Last night it was both! Halleluiah

Safe Driving!
Kari

Interesting Fact #2,043

Did you know you can request a speed zone study?

We called the city about the intersection of CR 39 W and Chelsea Road because we have concerns about the increasing speed limit for west-bound traffic on CR 39 W and visibility for the north-bound Chelsea traffic.

There's something of a process to initiate a speed zone study, but it sounds like it's progressing.

I'm glad. The intersection makes me nervous enough to think about it regularly.

Safe Driving!
Kari

Kindergarten, Here We Come!

This week kicks off Kindergarten registration, also known as Kindergarten Round-Up. This is the first of a two-part series. In August, Kindergarten Count-Down (part two in the series) takes place and includes the Kindergarten students. Part one is for parents.

There is so much for parents to learn when it's time for their child to start school, and they are often filled with equal parts trepidation and excitement. I know I was!

One of the great unknowns for Kindergarten parents - especially first timers - is how their student will manage their first experience with mass transportation.

There are two keys to a positive transportation experience.

The first is that parents are positive, talking to their children about how much fun it will be to ride the bus, reading colorful and happy bus stories (we never recommend Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus), and avoiding burdening their children with worries or fears.

For the adults involved in transportation, the key is that all parties have adequate information. We need to know names and addresses and phone numbers for a number of people. We also need to know the child's schedule in great detail.

Our first responsibility is to collect information from parents using the Transportation Registration Form.

Once we've received responses for each student, we being a "file" for each student, paying great attention to pick-up and drop-off locations. For many students that location is the same. For a growing number of students, two or three addresses are involved.

We plot each student on a master map that we will use until just after school starts. It's an electronic map with lots of hand-written notes and bright colors symbolizing many transportation-related things (red for home, green for dc, blue for boy, pink for girl, etc.).

We study the geographic clusters of students and find ways to efficiently map routes so buses aren't driving in circles or adding excess miles. We consider:

• How can we best fill a bus on the way home from school and then fill it again on the way back to school?
• How can we make sure our youngest students are not getting on or off the bus in the dark?
• How can we plot the most efficient routes while keeping students on the right side of the bus?
• How can we meet the most parental requests?
• How can we plan for address changes?

The 2009-2010 routes looked like this:



East to west we travel 23.02 miles. North to south, we travel 9.57 miles. That's a lot of distanct to accomodate in a relatively short amount of time.

Students actually appear where you see brackets. (If there is no student where you see a color indicating a route, it's because the student only rides certain days. When those "missing" students don't ride, we don't travel those roads.)



We like to assign our furthest students to the AM class. If we assign them PM, they may not get off the bus until after dark during winter months.

Some students in a neighborhood will be assigned to AM, while others (maybe even on the same street) will be assigned PM.

The yellow route is "PM" and the green route is AM. Note that students living just a few houses apart are in separate classes.

That occurs because students need to fit on the regular early AM and late PM K-5 routes too. If one neighborhood were all AM, the early morning route carrying K-5 would be very full and the same bus on PM route would have empty seats.

Have more questions? Give us a call. We get excited about routing, transportation geeks that we are!

Safe Driving!
Kari

Intersection Poses Challenge

Newly-permitted teens scare me - even more when the newly-permitted teen belongs to me.

I've now ridden in the passenger seat with both my sons, and they're both going to be good drivers. They're patient and have a quiet self-confidence behind the wheel. Both qualities are key factors in safe driving.

On Wednesday, Jakob and I were driving home in the fog. As he drove west on CR 39 and crossed over the bridge, I noticed again a concern I had when Adam was driving.

The speed limit changes to 55 just over the bridge.

Just past the speed limit change, Chelsea meets CR 39. Motorists attempting to make a left-hand turn from Chelsea to head west on CR 39 have a difficulty both with the foilage along CR 39 and with that changing speed limit for the west-bound traffic.

We talked about the intersection during our safety meeting this morning. The bus drivers concur: the intersection is a challenge.

West-bound motorists need to wait to accelerate until they see what's happening at the Chelsea intersection.

Chelsea traffic waiting to make a left-hand turn needs to watch what's coming from the bridge, make the turn when it's safe to do so, and then accelerate confidently until reaching adequate speed.

It's a little more difficult for school buses to reach adequate speeds quickly; they don't have the same pick-up as smaller passenger vehicles. We would request that other motorists be patient around the school bus.

In other meeting news...

We discussed information about the upcoming negotiation and eventual contract approval. At March 15th's meeting, Superintendent Johnson will make a brief statement about the status - that they're talking to us and working toward a contract. On April 5, the school board should be able to see a contract and vote whether to approve it or not.

We urged caution in the depot parking lot and at each school parking lot; we ask drivers to maintain a 10 mph speed limit. Spring is statistically the most dangerous season for our smallest students, so maintaining safe speeds and practicing patience become critical factors in a bus safety program.

Finally, we asked the bus drivers to update route sheets, stop times, and student data, all of which is critical to effectively and efficiently creating routes. We hope to have most of the routing done before the end of the school year, and would like to send home tentative schedules the last week of school, but we'll see how that goes.

Next up? Registration at Pinewood. We'll be there Monday night and Tuesday morning.

Safe Driving!

Kari

Tentative Agreement Reached

Last Saturday the four companies who submitted quotations to the Monticello School District on February 12 each received a request from the District's transportation consultant. He invited each interested vendor to submit a final round of pricing.

We submitted new pricing on Tuesday morning.

Based on those figures, we've reached a tentative agreement with the District, and plan to meet tomorrow morning at 11:00 am to negotiate the final details. After Thursday's meeting the next step will be to sign a new contract.

We're thankful for all the ways people have supported us through this difficult process, and look forward to continuing to serve this community.

Safe Driving!
Kari

Contract Update

We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of public support. Thanks to those of you who have taken the time and effort required to communicate your support of our business.

Over the last year, we've been working with the school district to make an agreement that works for both the school district and for us. Three times we thought we achieved that goal only to find that the school board didn't think the agreement was satisfactory.

The meetings we had weren't intense or antagonistic. Far from it! We met three or four times, talked about what we needed to achieve, and presented our offer.

In December we learned that the school board wanted to seek quotations.

The quotation process is tricky. The school board sends a notice. Transportation vendors attend a meeting to find out what the school really wants. Those same vendors opt to submit a quotation or not. The vendors follow a timeline managed by the school district.

Four vendors that attended the Monticello meeting opted to submit quotations. Those quotations were opened February 12th. Three vendors were in a similar ballpark. The fourth was not.

We presented our quotation based on what we do rather than on what the specs said. The specs, as I indicated many, many times to the people involved, were NOT about what we do. They were not based on what I think the school district needs or wants. So we presented our quotation based on what we do.

Since that time we have reduced our prices significantly. We can because the specs call for less service than we offer now. Example? The specs call for 25% additional buses for spares and trips. 25% means we have 8 spares - and those 8 spare mean 1 wheelchair-lift equipped vehicle, 1 van, 1 large capacity bus, etc. We currently have the 8 spares AND nine additional buses. The school district REGULARLY uses the nine additional spares. If we sell those nine additional spares, we can meet the pricing the school district needs. What does that mean for the school district? Higher - way higher - pricing for the extra buses they need to do what they do now.

Our appeal is to local business. All we ask is that people contact the school board members. The request is simple: now that we know what the market bears, stop talking to national and international business and work with the local vendor.

I guarantee that we will do what is best for OUR students, community, and school district.

Safe Driving!
Kari

And Today We Ask for Help...

Friends, Family, and Colleagues

Today we appeal to you regarding the fate of our business, Hoglund Transportation, Inc., and our contract with the Monticello School District. In the letter below, I present information about our company, the current status of the transportation contract, and the schedule of upcoming events.

First, I share this anecdote: early in 1991, newly married and expecting our first child, Joe and I were looking for our first house. We found affordable housing in Clearwater, Buffalo, and Big Lake. Dad – lifetime Monticello resident – was horrified. “Our livelihood comes from the school district. Find a place in Monticello.” We did. I learned early to support our school; voting “no” to a referendum was never on my radar. I hope I have taught my sons the same sense of loyalty and responsibility.

Small businesses like ours form the bedrock of a community. We ask that you support ours. Please read the attachment. If you wish to support our small community business, click here to get the names and contact information for our school board members. If you agree the school district should save money at the expense of a local business, please urge the school district to limit the new vendor’s contract to one year. Any company sure of its success will be willing to agree to a short term contract for the future reward. We would.

Regards,
Kari Kounkel

What We Do For Our District

· We were able to save 172.78 miles per day and 465.77 hours per day by rerouting 2007 routes for the 2008 school year. The benefits to the district were multifold: fewer discipline issues and fewer complaints from parents about ride-time.

· We have complied with every request for a new route or to change routing for student accommodation issues in fewer than the three days allowed by the contract.

· We have never caused disruption to the school day or the athletic department by missing a route or a trip.

· We have never caused disruption to the school day because our buses didn’t start in cold weather because we know when it’s time to change to number 1 fuel when the weather starts to change.

· We have been able to provide service at the last minute when staff forgot to schedule a bus or van.

· We have lower driver turn around than most companies. At the end of 2009 we lost one driver to retirement. Every other employee returned in the fall of 2009.

· We offer 26 hours of paid training to our drivers each year. Eight hours of training is required.

· We saved the district between $20,000 and $30,000 by assuming the responsibilities of the Transportation Manager without additional cost to the district.

· We correct any problem brought to our attention within 24 hours.

· We have key leadership (Joe and/or Kari and/or Gordy) available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

· We have been paying property taxes and voting for referendums since our company opening in 1947.

· We purchase our supplies, parts, and services from local vendors whenever possible, supporting other businesses that pay property taxes to Monticello.

· We conduct a controlled substance testing program for Type III drivers too, a practice recommended by law, but not required.

· We can be relied upon to always do what we say we will do.

· We devised a tag system to help Kindergarten students successfully navigate public transportation for the first time.

· We devised a tag system to help bus drivers keep track of multi-address students, using “Home” and “Daycare” designations or “Mom’s” and “Dad’s” designations.

· We devised a tag system for all students to replace writing on their hands with permanent marker, while successfully getting students to the correct bus.

· We consistently handle incidents of misconduct on the bus. Since the program is consistent from building to building and grade to grade, we are seeing a reduction in the number of incidents on the bus, good news from a public safety perspective.

· We designed a transportation system that is as efficient as it can be according to industry experts and school administration.

· We present our billing to the school in an easy-to-understand format and with sufficient back-up to give both the administration at the school and at our company confidence in the accuracy of the invoices.

· We have initiated a program encouraging “kind and caring” behavior to all students at all times.

· We have been using a “Rule of the Week” campaign for two years. Drivers post a new rule each Tuesday, we update our blog with the rule/poster, and we’ve given the rule schedule to each elementary for their morning announcements.

· We do not keep substandard employees.

· We sent information about bus routes home to parents three times in August, first on a postcard, and then twice via their homeroom or Magic Minutes advisor group.

· We hire only the most qualified applicants, excluding immediately any person with a careless or inattentive driving on their motor vehicle report. Our current driver roster is overwhelmingly moving violation-free.

· We check motor vehicle records twice each year, once in a process involving the driver (certification of motor vehicle records) and a second time in the spring. We also do random spot checks to make sure drivers carry their driver license at all times (it’s the law) and to see that there are no clips or holes punched in the license. Our motor vehicle record source offers free tracking of any driver license number we enter, so we also receive email when an employee’s license change.

· We offer many options for communication, including our website, blog, and twitter account. Those parents using any of those tools appreciate them.

· We won the state of Minnesota “Great Fleet” award and were chosen as the “Contractor of the Year” in Minnesota and at the national level.

· We were awarded first place in an industry-specific newsletter contest based not only on newsletter design, but on safety content.

· We nominated three long-time drivers for the MSBOA Transportation Specialist Award, and all three won. We set our own criteria for nominations based on years of service. One additional employee will be eligible in two years.

· We purchase buses with air brakes. Although not mandated in Minnesota (unlike other states), air brakes are an important safety enhancement.

· We deliberately opted to not place crossing gates on the front of our school buses. Crossing gates give drivers and students a false sense of security. Training drivers to count students and teaching students to be safe outside the school bus are far more effective safety practices than trying to use a device.

· We use “No Child Left Behind” technology in every school bus. The device requires the driver to walk to the back of the bus for deactivation. In this case, the mechanical option is a better, fool-proof system than any manual system ensuring post-trip inspections of vehicles.

· We created a training system to use with students K-5. Students first watch a power point created by us. Classroom training is followed by one-on-one training in a school bus. The bus training ends with a simulated evacuation and a demonstration of the safety signal.

· We opt to use the “Thumbs Up for Safety” signal rather than a wave. Motorists were sometimes confused by the safety wave, thinking the bus driver was waving them through. The “Thumbs Up” signal is less confusing. We’ve found students, especially the little ones, are more active participants in their own safety; many of them give the bus driver the thumbs up in return.
· We have a strict no-idle policy designed to reduce harmful emissions and fuel consumption, and we do what we can to enforce it.

· We require our drivers to check-in at Dispatch each morning and prior to afternoon routes. Two trained supervisors, our Dispatcher and Joe or I, look for sober, healthy drivers. We have developed relationships with drivers over the years, and believe this is a key factor in any successful controlled substance policy.

· We have never denied a parent the right to question a stop. We review every stop each time a parent – or a bus driver – makes a request.

· We have created a company-wide training program and require participation by every employee to ensure we all get the same important information on a weekly basis.

· We are among the best at what we do.

Safe Driving!
Kari