WOW… didn’t see THAT coming…
Stopped in traffic in a construction zone on the highway, the kids on a charter bus heard a muffled whump. A second or so later a hundred pound rock dropped through the coach’s roof and landed between the feet of a teen-aged girl.
WOW… didn’t see that coming…
Apparently blasting protocol at the construction site hadn’t been quite up to snuff. Miraculously no one was hurt, and my employer got the repair job. From the bus operator’s perspective, this was completely unpredictable, although one can imagine a manic lawyer asking why kids weren’t wearing helmets under an armored roof.
In ye olden days, we were always glad to get calls from Noel UNLESS the conversation began with “I was riding down the road and…” because what followed was invariably traumatic.
Most memorable was a call from Brooklyn… “I was riding down the road and my engine fell out” Wow.. didn’t see THAT coming.
His Flxible VL100 hit a bump, the rusted frame lost it’s grip on the 6-71 Detroit, which then plopped onto the highway.
The rust wasn’t invisible, so MAYBE our shop could have anticipated something might happen.
I was relief driver on another Flx heading east on I-80 in Iowa. Rapid Roger was at the helm and was doing a (then) nearly legal 80mph.
Looking out the window, I noticed the ring from the 2 piece front wheel arch through the air, and head for the prairie.
In short order the tire was going to follow, so I leaped up, and helped Roger steer as the coach began sliding sideways.
Wow… didn’t see that coming.
What we DID see was an overpass approaching rapidly, and as we slid under it catawumpus, someone noticed our unorthodox mode of travel and called the police.
A trooper showed up, and stayed with us a couple of hours until we got a GOOD spare tire mounted (a story for another time). If he’s silly enough to read this… thanks again.
Again, pretty much unpredictable, although a peek at the wheel when checking the tire MIGHT have revealed some corrosion.
There was no way our industry could have seen the pandemic coming, and at the absolute worse possible time.
We’re sorta in the position that Roger and I were, grimly holding the wheel, hoping to slide to a safe stop.
It’s been gratifying to watch how the industry has pulled together since business ground to a halt. Contacting legislators, first rate videos showing what we do, and real outreach to our communities all are having a positive affect.
UMA, ABA and associations have done yeoman's work behind the scenes, and it appears they’ve gained membership and support.
Tiptoeing towards a couple of points here.
First, before we rolled over the unpredictable cliff, we were, collectively, struggling. Some of the reasons, like smothering regulation, were not our fault, but the business model embraced by much of our industry is flawed.
We can blame things on the pandemic (and that would be largely accurate), but then make changes to the way we handle debt, fleet size, marketing etc.
Second, it took a real tragedy to hammer us into doing stuff that we should have been doing for decades. Let’s not lose that.
You all have done a terrific job of making the country aware of our character and value. The unity is remarkable.. and should be treasured. We are “coming from behind”… but good job.
We need to continue to pour energy, creativity and (yes) money into telling our story. First rate representation with the public, regulators and legislators requires resources. Our current association folks have done VERY well, but imagine if we gave them all they needed.
If we lose the momentum… we can’t say “Didn’t see that coming”.
Darwin has been hammering us… let’s not, in the future, give him another chance at mischief.
These days I make sure the engine is where it belongs, and while losing a tire is unpredictable, I learned what that looks like at 80mph. I don’t drive buses that fast anymore… (and you thought I was unteachable).
As for avoiding falling rocks… I’ve got NOTHING
