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Just Plain Jeff
12-28-2006, 07:26 AM
Lately we've had lots of postings about weight, weight, axle loading, trailers and the like.

I'd like to add my paltry 2 cents to this discussion.

We are driving buses which range from 20 to 30 tons at high speed down the public highways. As I have noted before, we do so with about 8 square feet of adhesion between rubber tires and various types of pavement.

Sometimes the pavement is wet, combining water, oil, ground up rubber and the junk on the road, which isn't the best control surface that we would like. So at best, our buses probably have less weight to surface adhesion than a little old lady in her sneakers at the mall.

The point to this diatribe is that we all should be very careful about speed, cornering, handling, stopping and overall control of our buses; in addition to proper maintenance of tires, brakes and the general mechanical condition of buses.

I've seen a couple of buses which more or less pushed the envelope of pavement adhesion and all occupants fared well and buses can be fixed. However, that may not always be the case. Yes, this is a Safety First discussion again which many people probably don't want to read.

So here's a picture of an MCI which may help:
http://www.eqgroup.com/images/bus-accident.bmp



Take it easy on the road. Just because a person can go fast doesn't mean he/she has to.

Having fun means getting to your destination in a relaxed fashion with plenty of optimism to enjoy it.

End of rant.

Jon Wehrenberg
12-28-2006, 07:44 AM
I hope the racers among us (not fast bus drivers, but real racers) will echo JPJ's comments and also reflect on how critical such things as balance, tire pressures, and the condition of braking systems are.

One problem our buses have that is not uncommon is a propensity to have leaking hub or axle seals. Left unnoticed for a while the leaking axle grease ends up on the brake linings or pads greatly reducing the effectiveness of that brake.

My point is that speed alone is not our only potential cause for problems. There are so many factors that affect our safety (to say nothing of the fact that the average car stops in 130 feet at 60 MPH and it takes us about 300) that we literally have to constantly adjust to our driving conditions.

Kevin Erion
12-28-2006, 09:49 AM
Jon, I agree with your SAFETY FIRST point of view. There must be an understanding of what our bus weights and how to keep it under control at all times. We have to drive defensively and assume the car guy is going to to something stupid! They have no idea what it takes to keep 50,000lbs under control, and I am not sure that we do as well.
Correct maintenance and making sure the tire air pressure and brakes are all up to 100% is a big part of our responsibility, along with making sure the wheels and stainless shine!
Happy and Safe Holidays,
Kevin
99XL, maybe soon to be 02XLII with bunk beds