Tips to Keep Your Buses Running During the School Year
It’s crucial to keep school buses running properly during the school year. Students rely on the bus to arrive as scheduled each day to get them to and from school. Unexpected downtime can delay routes and cause children to spend extra time at the bus stop.
To ensure your school bus fleet runs properly during the school year it’ s important to keep the vehicles well maintained. Use these tips to help keep your buses on their scheduled routes.
Stay on Schedule with Preventative Maintenance
One of the most important tasks to perform to keep your fleet on the roadways is regular preventative maintenance. PM allows fleet operations to identify issues on school buses sooner, allowing technicians to repair them before they become larger problems. Routine preventative maintenance can include checking and changing the oil, checking transmission fluid, inspecting the brake fluid and washer fluid, and checking the coolant levels.
Have Drivers Complete Driver Reports
The key to keeping school buses on the road is to identify and repair issues quickly. While PM can help with this, sometimes issues occur between preventative maintenance services. In these cases, the drivers might be the first ones to notice the problem. Because of this, it’s important to have school bus drivers complete driver reports to identify any issues they experience with the vehicle.
Keep Updated Work Orders
Keeping work orders updated can help keep school buses properly maintained. Work orders can track maintenance requests on a vehicle, which parts were used and the cost of the repairs so operations can keep the budget updated.
Ensure the Shop is Safe, Clean and Organized
Fleet operations shouldn’t overlook the importance of keeping a clean and organized shop when ensuring school buses are ready for their routes. A clean shop can help ensure the facilities are safe for technicians to work in. Keeping it organized also helps technicians complete jobs more quickly as tools and parts are in their correct places.
Work Together as a Team
Teamwork can go a long way in ensuring school buses are properly maintained. Working together can help operations quickly identify issues and strategize how to repair them efficiently and accurately. Teamwork can also help operations diagnose problems before they become larger issues.