BusTalk

[Dieseljim]

By now, you all should be aware of that Texas bus crash that killed 15 passengers. I have a few ideas of how to put these illegal operators out of business for good. One of which would involve confiscation of the entire fleet of coaches, both under RICO and DOT regulations. Another would be to have DOT inspectors descend on the coach operator's principal place of business and check over every bus in the place and red tag the entire fleet, then proceed to inspect the qualifications of each and every driver he employs.
Any driver found to have a serious medical condition would have his CDL pulled. Others would otherwise be put out of service for an indefinite period of time. Still another is to maintain computerized records of every VIN number of every coach in the fleet of each company,whether it is out on the road with a tour or charter group or enroute to the home terminal and have that bus pulled in for a roadside inspection. If the bus is red tagged for a DOT violation, the operator would be required to procure alternate transportation for the passengers stranded as a result and enough of these incidents would put many smaller operators into bankruptcy if not out of business. Granted, there are many, many fine charter and tour coach companies operating and I have had the pleasure of doing business with one, which is no longer operating. That operator was Blue Bird Coach Lines, which also operated an extensive line run network in Western New York as well as a booming charter and tour business until Coach USA bought it and destroyed the company. On a charter to Toronto International Airport, Blue Bird showed us what their 5 Star service was all about. They even arranged for a Charterways bus (Canadian line) to return us to Batavia,NY) Blue Bird was and is an example of a way a first rate over the road charter and tour operator SHOULD be run. The owner of the bus in that Texas crash is an example of the kind that ought to be put out of business. The same goes for some of the China Town operators, such as Fung Wah.

[TheDriver]

Bus operators are not the only ones guilty of crimes like that.
Many trucking operations are fraught with illegal activities and those who thumb their noses at the laws.
I being an ex trucker know this to be true.
I know of many instances of drivers going months without sleep. They admit doing drugs to get it done and when they have nothing to do they have to do drugs to sleep.
I know many companies who use unsafe equipment on the roads and expect the drivers to avoid being inspected, go around scales and such.
I got mad at one safety meeting where they told the drivers to manage their time so they can be safe.
These are the same people who want us to call every hour for a dispatch.
This is after going all night to deliver.
I have and know many others who drive without using drugs who developed sleep problems from going coast to coast non stop. That's drive for 5 days or more without rest.
And usually when you get back you find out you are late for your next delivery.

[TheDriver]

yes 5 days from the west coast to the east coast and back