Recap of the Local School Bus Safety Competition on May 4th

Last weekend, on Saturday, May 4^th, we hosted the local School Bus Safety Competition at Susquenita Elementary School. We’re excited to announce that, out of 43 total participants, 28 Rohrer Bus drivers competed; this is the most we’ve had in quite some time!

Firstly, this special event would not happen without the time and energy that many Rohrer employees put forth. Several of our teammates kindly volunteered their time to set up the courses and run the competition. We’d like to thank the following individuals:

• Joe Disabella
• Dave Williams
• Jeff Persing
• Christina Persing
• Luke Casella
• Linda Fair
• Donna Helman
• Herb Snook
• Dan Hubble
• Kay Williams (and her husband Jim)
• Jen Trowbridge
• Timmy Heisley

Now, for the announcement you’ve all been waiting for! Overall, our teammates positively represented Rohrer Bus and performed very well. Two first-time participants, Jason Hollenbach & James Paul Jr. from Lewisburg, took 1st and 2nd Place in IU 16, respectively! In IU 15, Erin Hershberger, one of our Trainers, finished 3rd! We also had 5 others (Alexis Scott-4^th, Steph Gilbert-5^th, Tiffany Mullen-6^th, Billie Weaver-9^th, Michele Worley-10^th) finish in the top 10 and qualify for the State Competition in State College in June. In addition, there are several alternates that finished just outside of the Top 10. (Trey Altland-1^st Alt., Kimberly Kimball-3^rd Alt., Jim Sims-4^th Alt., Tiffany Thomas-5^th Alt.)

This was also the first year for our “Team Competition”, where each participating school district competed against one another. Cumberland Valley is this year’s champion, as their top three drivers (Eric Bloser, Erine Hershberger, & Steph Gilbert) compiled more points than any other district. Congratulations CV!

See the pictures of our top performers below:

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!

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. Our teammates who participated last weekend took part in an abbreviated competition that included the following trials:

• Written Examination (100 pts)
  • 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.

At the State & International Competitions, however, the following events are included in addition to the ones listed above:

• 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.

The purpose of School Bus Safety 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 encourage communication and relationship-building between drivers.

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 five drivers who qualified for the State Competition in State College; we wish you the best of luck!

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