What IS that Noise???

A lumberjack walks into a hardware store (stop me if you've heard this one before).

“All the other guys are cutting more trees than I am… is there anything you can sell me that will help?”

The clerk thinks for a second… and says “A chainsaw could triple your production… you should try one”.

The lumberjack buys a saw and heads into the forest. Two weeks later he's back, exhausted. “I thought you said this would help me cut more wood” he tells the clerk. “I cut half as much, and I'm so tired I can barely work.

“Hand it to me, and let's see if there's something wrong with it.” says the clerk

Grabbing the saw, the clerk flips a switch, pulls a cord… and the chainsaw roars to life…

“What's that noise” yelps the startled lumberjack…..
Technology is great.. when it's working (and turned on). It also offers potential for both mischief and humor.

I’m revisiting this topic for two reasons… first, because these columns aren't worth your committing to memory… and because the situation keeps ramping up.

Most systems on modern coaches are at least partially automated. The way we train drivers needs to reflect that reality, for several reasons.

First, sometimes the technology takes a nap.. or fails. Drivers need to understand the implications. Some are serious… some not so. You can drive safely without intermittent wipers, but you'd be on shaky legal grounds cranking onward in a bus with a glowing brake warning light.

Second… when drivers understand how systems work, they are better able to make sound decisions about whether a failure is dangerous, or an inconvenience.

In ye olden days (you KNEW we'd get there), many drivers took pride in understanding how their coaches worked, and were willing to at least attempt field fixes.

The pendulum has swung the other way, and many modern transit buses are nearly devoid of switches and gauges. You start that sucker… and nearly everything is handled automatically. If a problem pops up, the drivers responsibility is to call in on the radio and recite the color of the flashing light winking at them. This extends to the HVAC… drivers don't even control cabin temperature… it works, or lights flash.

Many modern bus components have become more complex than even skilled drivers can repair, but do we really want to adopt the “know nothing” system prevailing at some transit authorities?

Since coaches are typically farther from home than transits, and we are spending our own money… maybe a middle ground is called for.

Driver training might include a basic understanding of how systems work, and what happens when they fail. Sometimes the cause is easily identified (and remedied) if drivers have a bit of insight. Many modern coaches have built in diagnostics for those who know how to access them.

We were ferrying a convoy of buses when the heat failed in one. The driver pressed on, because the connection between cabin heat and engine cooling never dawned on him… until the engine cooked.

Recently a coach was struck from behind, accelerating back onto the highway, following stopping for a computer forced exhaust “regen”. It wouldn't have happened if the driver had understood the DPF's neurotic (but insistent) need for attention. In the absence of guidance from the driver, the DPF decided where to stop, and it was a bad choice.

Knowing how things work can prevent catastrophic failures, or accidents.

I sound smart because I'm telling you things you know. The more drivers understand, the more likely they'll be able to make good, safe choices. That basic knowledge can be built into their basic training and be kept up to date as technology grows more complex.

Professional drivers take a measure of pride in understanding their coaches, and I'll probably get some nastygrams about the portrayal of transit drivers.

ABS, ATC, DPF, ASC… the whole alphabet soup. The more your drivers are trained in the basic workings of these and all the other technical stuff that's coming down the pike… the less heartache and expense. They don't need to be mechanics, but it's enormously helpful when they know enough to communicate coherently with the shop.

When our manned space program was getting off the ground (pun intended), the original Mercury spacecraft design had no windows, and was essentially controlled automatically from the ground. Test pilots derided the newly minted astronauts as “Spam in a can”.

The astronauts rebelled, forcing changes that added a viewing port, and more on-board controls, offering options for both manual and automatic piloting.

Their foresight was rewarded when Scott Carpenter, using markings on the window for guidance, manually landed Aurora 7 after its automated navigational system went kaput

It seems that balancing automation with human skills may provide our best shot at safety.