JACKSON'S SCHOOL BUS FLEET PASSES STATE INSPECTION WITH FLYING COLORS

JACKSON - If you think getting your car or van ready for the annual state license renewal inspection is a hassle, consider what Jean Kurre of the Jackson school district has to go through.

Kurre is the bus transportation coordinator for the school district. She's responsible for making sure the district's fleet of 43 buses are ready to pass the stringent state inspection each March.

"This is the single most important day for our school bus transportation department," Kurre said.

On Tuesday, Sgt. Robert Eddleman of the Missouri Highway Patrol's Troop E motor vehicle inspection division and two, five-member motor vehicle inspection teams arrived at Jackson's school bus transportation center to begin the bus inspections.

The team members are motor vehicle inspectors who check the mechanic inspectors at gasoline stations and garages, and inspectors from the patrol's commercial motor vehicle inspection division. All are trained and certified to inspect school buses.

Early Tuesday, the teams began inspecting the fleet of Jackson school buses, plus four school buses from St. Paul Lutheran School, one school bus from Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, and a number of privately-owned buses under contract to the Parkview State School for the Handicapped in Cape Girardeau.

Inspectors checked the interior for lighting, seating, fire extinguisher, emergency door and exit light and sign, and other safety and emergency equipment. Outside the bus, the inspector checked for approved safety glass in all windows and other safety equipment and warning signs.

Buses were then jacked up as an inspector checked underneath for defects in the steering system, shock absorbers, wheels, tires, bearings, muffler and exhaust system and clamps, brakes.

Total time to inspect each bus: about 8-10 minutes.

"If one inspector had to do this, it would take at least 20 minutes," said Eddleman. "With two teams of inspectors, we can get the job done quickly, but thoroughly, because the inspectors know what they're looking for."

By 11:30 a.m., most of the buses had been inspected.

Kurre said all of the Jackson buses passed inspection. Some minor defects were found, but nothing serious enough to cause the inspectors to pull the bus out of service for repairs.

He explained, "Buses that are pulled out of service have an orange sticker placed on the windshield. That tells drivers this bus cannot carry passengers. After the defect has been corrected, the bus will be reinspected. If the defect has been corrected, it will gets a safety inspection sticker."

"If the school buses are properly maintained during the year, we rarely find any major defects," said Eddleman. "We do not have a lot of problems with the Jackson school district buses, or the Ryder (Student Transportation Services) buses at Cape because they both have excellent maintenance programs and in-house bus mechanics."

Eddleman said most problems occur in smaller school districts that do not have their own maintenance facilities, and rely on garages, or other private sources for their bus maintenance.

"There is really no excuse for any school district not to have its school buses meet the state inspections" said Eddleman. "Each district receives state money to purchase and maintain their school buses. They also have five months notice to inspect their buses and correct any defects before we see them."

The highway patrol school bus inspections are done in March and April of each year. These inspections are in addition to the annual, private bus inspection that must be done in early August.

Eddleman sends his inspection schedule to all school bus owners and operators each October so they can prepare for the March and April bus inspections. He is also authorized to conduct unannounced, spot school bus inspections throughout the year, whenever he feels it is necessary.

Kurre said she notifies her bus drivers six weeks ahead of the March inspections.

"They are expected to have their buses cleaned, and check everything on their daily bus inspection checklist that they can take of themselves," she said. "Last Friday, and on Monday, the mechanics went over the buses again to make sure everything was OK. They use the same checklist the inspectors are using today."

Eddleman said the school bus inspection checklist is based on criteria contained in the Missouri Motor Vehicle Inspection Regulations. The standards are strict; in fact some people complain they are "nit-picking" regulations.

But Eddleman feels the attention to detail is critical.

"Let's face it, these school buses are hauling some really precious cargo, and an awful lot of them. We want to make sure each school bus is as safe as possible to make sure this precious cargo gets to and from school safely each day."