Bus Accident in Sedgefeild, Virginia

A 55-year old man driving a truck with a trailer full of lawn equipment attached, slammed into the bus. This happened around four p.m. on May 26, 2011.

There were around 40 students on the bus and none of them were injured! The school bus driver is the only one who was hurt, with non-life threatening injuries.

No news about the truck driver's condition, only that he will be charged with reckless driving.

Over all, the outcome could have been so much worse, and all those involved were very lucky.

Let us all use this example as a reminder, when we drive it is not only ourselves at risk but all of the people on the rode with us. Make good and safe choices, because if you crash you may not be as lucky as these people were.

Thank you,
Haleigh

A New Reason for Drivers to be Healthy?

We believe that sitting around and doing nothing all day is unhealthy. It just makes sense, but what if I told you it has been proven?

In a recent 14-year study it was found that sitting for long periods of time can raise the mortality rate of a person. This Study started with 53,000 men and 70,000 woman. At the start of the study all the people were disease-free.

Over the span of this study, 11,300 of the men died and 8,000 woman. Isn't that startling? They found that sitting for more that six hours a day will raise the mortality rate of a person. More so for men than for woman.

I found this information to be very interesting. I knew sitting around was bad, but I didn't know just how bad it really was or really could be.

Just thought I would let you know about this study and how sitting may be affecting you.

If you would like to read more click on the title.

Thank you.
Haleigh

Driver Who Hit a School Bus is Charged with a DUI (Moncks Corner, South Carolina)

A bus was struck along with one other vehicle by a truck who was trying to pass on a two-lane road. The truck driver cut quickly back into his lane and hit the two on the side, causing the truck to flip over. The truck driver was flown to a hospital and charged with a DUI. He was also out on bail and had a court-ordered ankle monitor while waiting for his other trial. No details on his official condition were given. The school bus and the other vehicle had no injuries! The children that were aboard were simply taken home on another bus.

Not everyone follows the rules of the road. Those that don't either end up hurting themselves or others. The kids on that bus and the driver of the other vehicle were very lucky today...on the other hand the man driving the truck that hit them wasn't.

We at Hoglund Transportation would like to remind everyone that even though it's you breaking the rules someone else might have to pay for it. Drive safe, and if you would like to know more about the incident click on the title to open the link.

Thank you.
Haleigh

A Car Rear Ended a School Bus in Village of Arlington WI.

At 6:36 am today, a school bus was driving down USH 51-60. While slowing down to make a turn, a car that was also traveling down 51-60 failed to slow down and rear-ended the school bus.

The person driving the car had serious injuries and was transported to the hospital via Med Flight. Luckily the school bus driver and the two remaining children did not receive any injuries. They were very fortunate.

We at Hoglund Transportation implore you to pay attention while driving. Especially if you know there is a school bus in the vicinity. There is too much at risk when people fail to pay attention. If you would like to read more about this story please click on the title and read the link.

Thank you.
Haleigh

In the News...

In the news....

A man in Ohio is pitching in and helping children in his neighborhood. He noticed that the children were waiting for the bus while cars were rushing by. He decided to step up and take action.

Since the bus stops in front of his house, he built a little stop for them. It has a bench and even some landscaping. This setup has had great reviews by the people in his neighborhood.

"People who live in the community should do things for the children" says Collier.

We wanted to recognize this man and use him as an example. He went beyond what was asked of him. He did something for the children and their safety.

If you want to read more about this, you can click on "In the News" and it will bring you to the article.

What can you do for the children in your neighborhood?

Take turns watching the kids at the stop. It is easy and it will reduce any risks that could be present.

Thank you.
Haleigh

Driven Driver Challenge

We started our new fitness program on Thursday, February 10.  Twelve people joined our  Driven Driver Challenge, a sixteen-week motivational program designed to encourage healthier lifestyles.

We've noticed a recent trend.  Commercial drivers are required to pass a physical that remains valid up to two years.  During the most recent twelve-month period, many drivers are presenting physicals that are only good for a year or six months.  In one case, the physical was only good for three months.

Once granted the physical, though, the driver is deemed fit-for-duty by a medical professional.  Our concern is not that unhealthy people are driving our buses.  Our concern is that the medical community seems to be more concerned that health is on some sort of downward spiral and needs to be checked more frequently. 

Combined with a poor attendance record, we felt the need to take action to reverse that downward check, and so we conceived, planned, and implemented our Driven Driver Challenge.

The Driven Driver - the one who wins the challenge - will be able to choose a destination vacation and we will present him or her with a $300 voucher toward the cost of airline tickets, and the "pot" of money collected at the weekly weigh-in. 

Friends of our business have offered special gifts to use in monthly drawings - an amazing workout bra from Sandy Foede (via Essential Body Wear, at 763.878.2548), an hour-long massage from Sylvia Nelson, Massage Therapist (763.262.9622) of Big Lake, a free portrait sitting at Lommel Photography (763.263.6974), and another hour-long massage from Belde Chiropractic.  Nice!

Participants receive a food, exercise, and goal journal, membership at The Rink, and a weekly visit from Jen, a nutritionist from New River Medical Center. 

Each week at weigh-in, we track the percent of body weight lost, journaling activities, exercise time, goals set, and meeting attendance.  Each week participants can earn extra points by completing other tasks (this week's is to bring a healthy recipe and/or a new exercise suggestion).  The point winner will win one of the free prizes.  Participants pay to weigh-in, for weight gained, for missing the meeting, etc., and that money will be presented to the ultimate winner.

We are so, so excited about this program and the opportunity it presents not only for the participants, but for every employee here.  We hope to see the desire to live a healthier lifestyle spread from person to person like a wildfire! 

Thanks to former employee and friend, Stacie Pribyl Hennen, for the name of our program, the Driven Driver!  Special thanks to Jakob Kounkel, sophmore at Monticello High School, for our program logo.

Watch for updates in the coming weeks.

The Saga of the Shirts

Every year, we give our drivers a small token of appreciation.

This year we wanted to present them with company logowear.  It's been three years since we gave them Opening Day shirts - brightly colored logowear that would quickly identify them to students as a trusted member of our staff. 

Cute, no?

 

While the brilliant orange functioned well as staff identification, it isn't the most wearable color in the world.

The logo is one we designed to use in our Premier Driver Recognition program, and we wanted it to be unique to that program.

So for this project, we wanted something more subtle, wearable in at least three seasons, in a color more complextion-friendly.  We searched for a t-shirt weight, long-sleeved hoodie we could screen print with a more retro-style logo than we've had in the past.  I also wanted the option for women to have shirts made for, well, women.

No luck.  Apparently hoods eat the budget quickly. 

We opted instead for a t-shirt weight, long-sleeved shirt with the retro logo.

The logo looks pretty cool, I think, though maybe the oval around the logo should be thicker. 

But there were a few problems with our order.  First, the shirts are all short-sleeved.  Then half of them came with the old embroidered logo.  Finally, some of them were damaged in the embroidery process, so there weren't enough.

I'm sad we couldn't give our drivers a uniform gift.  I'll grit my teeth every time I see one of the shirts, knowing they are not what I ordered. 

The saga of the shirts is not over yet.  I'm determined to get our drivers a long-sleeved shirt with the retro logo! 

Hoods would be an added bonus!

Safe Driving!

Kari

A World of Budget Cuts

I don't really know what the political world has to say about today's economy.  At this time of the year, we're often too busy to watch the news. 

I do know quite a bit about how the economy and last year's contract negotiation impact our business.

In a world where not everyone can find a good job and banks are less likely to lend money, we too are faced with budget cuts again this year.  We've been making budget cuts fairly continuously for the last twelve years.

As a result, for the first time since I've worked here, we've been forced to make tough staffing cuts for budget reasons.  It's not the first time we've eliminated staff positions; in the past we've reduced staff by opting not to replace people leaving for other employment and we've never been afraid to eliminate substandard employees.  This year, we've cut people and we've cut hours.

Still, with a successful start to the school year, the cuts we've made have not impacted our committment to safety and to customer service.

Though there are fewer people, there is not less work to do.  Everyone still needs to get home everyday in safe vehicles.  Each of our staff members has had to assume more daily work in order to continue to serve our community well.

This year, we're trying something new.  Each person working in the office has a series of tent signs she will use to indicate availability.

When "Open For Questions" the staff member is fully available to assist with route questions, trip directions, copier use, and other general questions.  When the sign reads "Please Do Not Disturb" the staff member is working on a task requiring greater than average concentration, and we ask that you really "Do Not Disturb" the staff member (even a quick "hello" can sometimes result in distraction).  When the staff member leaves her desk, she will incidate on the "Back At _____" what time she will be back.

Each staff member has been assigned specific hours during which she must be "Open for Questions."  Jami's "Open" time is in the early morning and midday.  Rachel's "Open" time is after 2 pm.  Shelley's "Open" time varies based on which week is a payroll week. 

We ask that our remaining staff honor the new sign requests.  We will modifiy the "Open" hours as needed.

Oh That Nasty Language!

We continue to receive reports about nasty language on secondary buses. 

Please encourage your students to use appropriate language while riding the bus, including when they ride for sports and activities.

Bus drivers have a difficult time "catching" students using inappropriate language.  The bus design contributes to the problem; the engine is usually just to the right of the bus driver and the acoustic ceilings draw noise up and away from the driver to the ceiling of the bus (important for bus drivers trying to hear traffic and train noises outside the bus).  Generally, older students sit in the rear of the bus, and, generally, older students have the least regard for appropriate language.

When your student is having a problem or feeling stressed by the language or conversation on the bus, call us.  While we may have some difficulty simply executing a discipline referral for misbehavior when the bus driver has not witnessed the behavior, we are happy to take a report and submit it to the school for additional assitance. 

Tomorrow, we expect students to hear from one of the high school administrators about language on the bus.  We hope it helps!

Safe Driving!
Kari

Week Two Tasks: Evacs and Seating Charts

Bus Evacuations
Today marks the beginning of the offical school bus safety training schedule.

We lead off with evacuations at the High School this morning at 9:10.  All students load the buses.  Drivers explain the evacuation process, and the students proceed to evacuate using the rear emergency door of the bus.

The process is something of a joke for High School students.  They don't understand the potential for dangerous events on a school bus.  Though they may not take the evacuation entirely seriously, they are getting practical experience getting off the bus quickly and safely.  They also have the opportunity to witness the operation of a two-way radio and the location of the belt cutter. 

While students see the drill as an escape fom the daily routine, for bus drivers it's something else entirely; an opportunity to practice a simple life-preserving process with students.

We're glad our district performs the drills regularly.

Seating Assignments
Behind-the-scenes, drivers work hard the second week of school to complete Seating Charts.

Our contract with the school district requires assigned seating on buses.

Assigned seats:

• mean every student has a place to go, so loading occurs more efficiently than when they have to search for seats;
• keep students separated by age and experience so the youngest students are not socialized with the older students; 
• help keep the bus in better repair; when a student is "responsible" for a seat, s/he tends not to tear tape or poke holes in the seat;
• separate students who have trouble sitting near each other;
• assist the bus driver with student recognition and route planning.

We follow some basic "rules" for seating charts.  For example younger students must be seating in the front of the bus (both Kindergarten and sixth grade students qualify as "younger" students).  Middle School students must sit forward of seat 16; High School students must seat behind seat 16.  In certain circumstances, students are exempt from being assigned a seat.  One such circumstance occurs when a large number of students is on the bus less than ten minutes (Middle School students who live in large housing developments near the High School qualify).

As always, we encourage parents to call when there is an issue with a seating arrangement.  We'll make changes to accomodate your requests and help your student have a better ride to and from school.

Safe Driving!
Kari