Last weekend, on Saturday, April 29th, we hosted the local School Bus Safety Competition at the Rohrer Bus Duncannon office. Those who have never been to a School Bus Safety Competition may be wondering, what actually happens at one of these events? School Bus Safety Competitions are regional, state, or national gatherings where school bus drivers come to show off their skills in various challenges. The purpose of these competitions is to:
- Encourage learning and utilizing safe driving practices
- Recognize drivers who take pride in their jobs and perform excellently
- Improve public awareness of the skills and responsibilities involved with driving a school bus
- And last but not least, encourage communication and team-building between drivers, both within their respective companies and among other drivers in the community
The School Bus Safety Competition held the past weekend consisted of the following trials and skill tests:
- Written Examination (100 pts)
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- A 50 question multiple-choice test with a 45 minute time limit.
- Offset Alley (50 pts)
- A simulation of two offset lanes to see if the driver can navigate them without hitting any obstacles.
- Railroad Crossing (50 pts)
- A simulation to assess the driver’s knowledge of the laws and procedures pertaining to driving a school bus over railroad tracks.
- Controlled Right Turn (50 pts)
- A simulation to test the driver’s proficiency in judging distance and handling the bus in making a right hand turn at an intersection.
- Back Up (50 pts)
- A test of the driver’s ability to drive the bus backwards.
- Parallel Parking (50 pts)
- A test of the driver’s ability to parallel park the bus.
Additionally, the following events will be included at the State and National level:
- Starter/Stop Line & Simulated Bus Stop
- A test of the driver’s depth perception, ability to use cross view mirrors, and capability to bring the bus to a smooth stop.
- Diminishing Clearance
- A test of the driver’s ability to drive straight through 4 sets of parallel lines, set up with 8” down to 2” of clearance on both sides of the bus.
- Straight Line
- A test of the driver’s ability to maneuver the bus wheels over a straight path.
- Curb Line Park
- A test of the driver’s skills regarding making a loading/unloading move that requires pulling into a curb parking zone that has limited distance.
- Height Judgment
- A test of the driver’s ability to judge overhead clearances.
- Physical & Verbal Vehicle Inspection
- A run-through of a vehicle inspection, where the driver will have to point out defects on the vehicle.
Now, for the announcement you’ve all been waiting for! Overall, our teammates positively represented Rohrer Bus and performed very well. 16 Rohrer employees competed:
- Heidi Baker
- Bailey Armolt
- Stephanie Druckemiller
- Stephanie Sipe
- James Sims
- Trey Atland
- Terry Ulery
- Yolanda Stoner
- James O’Dell
- Charles Henderson
- Shannon Barkley
- Laura Clark
- Stephanie Gilbert
- Tiffany Thomas
- Rachel Nauss
- Alexis Waterland
We’re proud to say that 3 of them qualified for the State competition! Congratulations to Steph Druckemiller, Jim Sims, and James O’Dell!
This special event would not happen without the time and energy that many members of the Rohrer Bus family put forth. Several of our teammates (and spouses) kindly volunteered their time to set up and judge the competition. We’d like to thank the following individuals:
- Scott Fair
- Bob Thomas
- Joe DiSabella
- Steve Hoffmaster
- Katie Bowers
- Tim Heisley
- Jennifer Trowbridge
- Linda Fair
- David Schrantz
- Kristen McGaffin
- Michelle, William, Janie, and Alexander Schrantz
- Seth Kieffer
- Mark Sommerville
We’re incredibly grateful that we had such a great turnout and will have a great group of drivers representing us at the State Competition!
Once again, thank you and congratulations to all who participated. Contending in the School Bus Safety Competition is no easy task, and we appreciate every one of our teammates who came out of their comfort zones to join us last weekend. Also, congratulations to the drivers who qualified for the State Competition in State College; we wish you the best of luck!
