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OPERATORS INVITED TO REGIONAL TOWN HALL ABOUT FMCSA PORTAL
DALE KRAPF HONORED BY STATE SCHOOL BUS ASSOCIATION
DUTTONS MAKE IT HOME SAFELY
NTSB WEIGHS IN ON ALABAMA CRASH & AUTONOMOUS SHUTTLE ACCIDENT
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Are key members of your team receiving the UMA Member Newsletter every Tuesday? It's easy to sign up and keep everyone on your team up to date on industry trends, membership benefits, and important dates and events. Click the button!
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Region I - September 10, 2019
Region II - September 11, 2019
Region III - September 12, 2019
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The FMCSA Portal and Your Business
Join regional colleagues for an online town hall!
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Dates are set and times will be announced soon
for the next round of UMA Regional Town Hall meetings. This time the FMCSA's Portal will be the topic and operators are urged to take part to learn more about what will become an increasingly important tool for your business. You can phone in to take part or log in to see slides and other participants. Following are the dates for the meetings that will be held on the Zoom online videoconference platform.
- Region I - September 10, 2019
- Region II - September 11, 2019
- Region III - September 12, 2019
The use of the portal can streamline the compliance review process and operators will discuss expanded use of the portal to include DataQs, violation appeals, crash preventability, crash scores and other communications. Currently, operators are using the portal very little if at all, so this Town Hall series is aimed at increasing comfort with the portal and expanding its use as a valued tool.
Watch for details on times for each meeting and please join colleagues for an important hour of discussion.
Meeting Code: 366-513-9797
Phone in to: US: 1 669 900 6833 or 1 646 876 9923
Use the Meeting ID: 366 513 9797
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PEOPLE
Past UMA Chair Dale Krapf honored by PSBA with 2019 'Bus Stops Here' Award
Dale N. Krapf, Chairman of the Board of the Directors for the Krapf Group and Immediate Past Chair of UMA, was presented with the PSBA Bus Stops Here Award, at the PSBA Annual Convention and Trade Show last month. Krapf is a founding member of PSBA.
A special tribute video at the awards ceremony featured interviews with Ray Leibensperger, a fellow-founding member and PSBA Past President, and Elaine Farrell, PSBA’s first Executive Director, who shared fond memories of working with Dale during the association’s beginnings.
“We are proud to be able to present this well-deserved honor to Dale Krapf,” said Richard Wolfington, Jr., PSBA President, “His tireless commitment to our association and industry continues to benefit our members and the children we transport every day.”
The Bus Stops Here Award is presented to a person the PSBA Executive Committee feels has made a significant contribution to the Pennsylvania School Bus Association. This person has always upheld the ideals of the Pennsylvania School Bus Association and has worked to fulfill the safety, education and advocacy missions of the association. Upon nomination the Executive Committee affirms that the nominee is respected and held out as a role model within their peers, school administration, and members of the community, and has upheld the core values of the Association and meaningfully contributed to its mission.
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Full-timers are less stressed, more productive and stay longer
If you pay attention to the flood of recent news reports about jobs in America, you might think that workers have it made these days. After all, the official unemployment rate is close to a 50-year low. But in many ways, workers are facing a bleak situation.
There is less and less relationship between those who have “work” and those who are making enough money to survive. In 2017 nearly 80% of full-time workers were living paycheck to paycheck. Almost half of working Americans have a side hustle, often because they need the extra money. More than one-quarter of Americans did not plan a summer vacation this year (and another 22% had not yet decided when polled). Most of them say they simply can’t afford it.
Monthly figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show close to five million Americans can’t get full-time work due to economic reasons, including slack work (“a reduction in hours in response to unfavorable business conditions”), unavailable full-time positions, or seasonal declines in demand. Many people who are employed full-time, which the U.S. government defines as 35 hours a week, don’t have the standard benefits associated with a traditional job. This is arguably a result of the growing gig economy. As of 2018, one in five U.S. jobs was held by a contractor, and according to NPR, half of the country’s workforce could be freelancers and contractors within the decade.
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An essential event for safety & compliance pros
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December 4-5, 2019 | Ashburn, VA
NTSB TRAINING CENTER
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Register today and operators pay only $399*!
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E
arly bird rates expire September 27, 2019.
* Operator
members only
receive $399 pricing
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Duttons home safe following recent tour bus wreck in Ohio
Branson's The Duttons returned home safely just one week after their tour bus wrecked in Ohio. The bus is totaled but the family expressed gratitude that no lives were lost even though several family members were treated for a variety of injuries.
The family performed on a cruise with fans just days after the wreck, keeping their commitment to entertain travelers cruising from New Jersey to Nova Scotia. Dean Dutton said it is nice to finally have the family home in the Ozarks.
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Advertisement: New opportunities in Bus & Motorcoach News
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Autonomous Shuttle v. Truck:
NTSB Investigation Complete
by Ken Presley
Las Vegas, NV – The National Transportation Safety Board recently announced the findings of a study involving a 2017 collision between an autonomous shuttle bus and a truck. Of the truck driver, the seven passengers and one attendant, none was injured, and vehicle damage was minimal. Normally, NTSB says they would not typically investigate such a minor incident, however, the agency looked at this collision due to the novelty of an autonomous vehicle being involved.
In the end, the NTSB determined that the probable cause of the crash was a combination of the truck driver’s actions as he was backing into an alley and his assumption about how far back the shuttle would stop, in conjunction with the highly automated vehicle attendant’s lack of easy access to a manual controller.
Background
Motorcoach operators may recall this incident, which occurred in November of 2017. At that time, the pilot program was billed as the first such autonomous shuttle test in live traffic in the country, featuring a highly automated shuttle bus manufactured by Navya and operated by Keolis in partnership with AAA.
The highly automated bus was a two-axle, battery-powered, test vehicle designed primarily for autonomous operation. Having no steering wheel, brake or accelerator pedals, manual operation was made possible by a hand-held controller which was stored in an enclosed space at one end of the passenger compartment. The attendant’s not being positioned to take manual control of the vehicle in an emergency was one of the factors in the collision.
The Collision
The collision occurred just after the shuttle turned onto South 6th Street from Carson as a truck was backing into an alley. According to the NTSB report: The truck driver said he saw the shuttle turn onto 6th Street and assumed it would stop a “reasonable” distance from the truck.
According to Navya’s incident report, the shuttle’s sensor system detected the truck at 147.6 feet and tracked it continuously as it backed up. Programmed to stop 9.8 feet from any obstacle, the shuttle began to decelerate when it was 98.4 feet from the truck. When the shuttle was 10.2 feet from the truck and nearly stopped, the attendant pressed one of the emergency stop buttons. The attendant and passengers waved to gain the truck driver’s attention but 11 seconds after the shuttle stopped, the right front tire of the slow-moving truck struck the shuttle.”
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Driver indicted in deadly coach crash
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UMA | by Ken Presley | July 16, 2019
Motorcoach driver Yui Man Chow, 40, of Staten Island, NY was indicted today by a grand jury on two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Beginning in Orlando, FL and headed to New York City, the crash occurred on March 18 earlier this year on I-95, near Stony Creek, VA. The Virginia State Patrol considers speed a causative factor. Not mentioned in the indictment was the presence of significant fog that morning and the signage on I-95 approaching the exit that many consider confusing.
There were 56 passengers on board when the motorcoach overturned just before 5:30 a.m. at the exit ramp near Crater Road. Janetta Cumberbatch, 81, of Jamaica, New York, and Su Feng Xu, 37, a Chinese national, died in the crash. The bus was operated by Tao’s Travel Inc. based in Middleton, MA. Tao’s Travel has been in business for over six years and USDOT records reveal they have four vehicles and eight drivers.
Chow is scheduled to return to court September 17th.
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Bus & Motorcoach News
is mailed twice monthly to all UMA members. In addition, it's available online 24/7 at
www.busandmotorcoachnews.com
and by email, on a schedule you choose! Invite everyone on your staff to stay informed about the industry by signing up for email updates from
Bus & Motorcoach News
.
Sign up here.
You can choose daily or weekly updates! Below is a sampling of what's in our latest digital and print editions.
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Canadian government tackles bus safety issues
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A new Canadian parliamentary committee report recommends various measures to improve passenger safety on motorcoaches and school buses but stops short of calling for retrofitting existing vehicles with seatbelts.
The Bus Passenger Safety report, prepared for the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, stems from recent fatal crashes involving buses in Canada, including an April 2018 collision in Saskatchewan between a semi-trailer and a motorcoach carrying the Humboldt Broncos hockey team. Sixteen people on the coach were killed and 13 were seriously injured.
“The issue of bus passenger safety has been at the forefront of many Canadians’ minds for the past year,” the report states in its introduction. Those public concerns were the catalyst for the committee’s November 2018 vote to launch a series of hearings leading to the report.
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Driver's incapacitating medical event ruled cause of Alabama crash
Driver incapacitation “due to an unknown medical event” has been declared the probable cause of a 2018 motorcoach crash near Loxley, Alabama. The driver was killed, and all 46 passengers were injured.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report identified lack of seatbelt usage as a contributing factor to injury severity. Fifteen passengers suffered serious injuries; Only three passengers told investigators they were wearing seatbelts.
The 2018 Prevost H3-45, operated by First Class Tours of Houston, was traveling west on Interstate 10 near Loxley on March 13. It was returning students and chaperones to Channelview High School of Houston after a band competition at Walt Disney World in Orlando.
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MEMBER BENEFITS
Show your professionalism with a UMA member badge on your website
UMA Members are given the opportunity to use the UMA logo on any of their promotional materials. Two formats of the logo are available - high resolution for use with printed material and low resolution for use on your website with web-based products. The logo can be added to your stationery, business cards, and promotional material to proudly display your membership with the United Motorcoach Association.
Get details on the UMA website in the members-only section.
And did you know that UMA members on Busrates.com get special treatment for their profile to make it stand out, and can use the UMA logo on their listing to show their professionalism? It's another way UMA membership helps your business stay on top.
Please contact us at 1.800.424.8262 should you experience any difficulties in downloading the image files. A UMA staff member will be happy to assist you. Similarly, email Julie Ryder at
jryder@uma.org
and you can receive the artwork via email.
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Motorcoach Industry Calendar
JULY 2019
- 28- August 1 , Regional Meeting of AMA, GMOA, and SCMA, Renaissance Hotel/Convention Center, Montgomery, AL Learn More
AUGUST 2019
- 1 Deadline to nominate candidates for UMA Board of Directors
- 6-9 IMG Strategic Alliance Meeting, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- 12-14 Midwest Bus & Motorcoach Association (MBMCA) Annual Convention and Trade Show (and Roadeo Competition), Isle Casino Hotel, Bettendorf, IA www.mbmca.org
- 14 PBA Safety & Preparedness Workshop, York Springs, PA http://pabus.org/
- 15-18 NAMO Annual Conference & Marketplace – Springfield, MO Oasis Hotel and Convention Center http://www.namo-coaches.org/
SEPTEMBER 2019
- 10 UMA Region I Town Hall Meeting - Time TBA - Join the Meeting
- 11 UMA Region II Town Hall Meeting - Time TBA - Join the Meeting
- 11 Maryland Motorcoach Association Annual Crab Feast, Kentmorr Restaurant and Crab House. Stevensville, MD
- 12 UMA Region III Town HallMeeting - Time TBA - Join the Meeting
- 18-22 Regional Meeting of NCMA, VMA, and MCASC, Embassy/Marriott/Benton Convention Center, Winston-Salem, NC Learn More
OCTOBER 2019
- 9-10 GNJMA Fall Annual Meeting & Related Events including Group Leader Marketplace, Resorts Atlantic City http://www.gnjma.com/
- 13 -15 California Bus Association’s 46th Annual Convention and Trade Show, Sheraton Carlsbad Resort and Spa www.cbabus.com
- 20-22 Bus Association of New York (BANY) Annual Meeting and Marketplace, Sands Bethlehem, Bethlehem, PA – bany@banybus.org
- October 21-23, 201920th Annual North West Motorcoach Association ROADEO Location TBD
NOVEMBER 2019
DECEMBER
JANUARY 2020
MARCH 2020
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OCTOBER 2020
- 25- 27 California Bus Association’s 47th Annual Convention and Trade Show, Omni Rancho Las Palmas in Rancho Mirage, CA (Palm Springs) www.cbabus.com
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YOU ARE UMA
Remember, as a UMA member you have the power of discounts on the best products and services, access to relevant education, targeted professional resources, and colleagues all over the map. Remember to consult your member directory when you need help on the road, access to more vehicles to meet demand, or services out of your area. We are UMA! Want to find other members to do business with? Use the
online directory.
Reach the UMA staff by calling (703) 838-2929 or by email at
info@uma.org
. We love to hear from our members!
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