October 16, 2019 – FALL EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP NOTES
Holiday Inn, East Windsor, NJ
Registration/continental breakfast
Greetings
Eric Raphael, Irvin Raphael Bus/NJSBCA President;
Chloe Williams, BR Williams/PR/Education Committee Chair
Special Invited Guests Introduced-Barb Sargeant, Central Regional/NJSTS President; Angie Harper, Gateway Regional/NJSTS Vice-President; Phil Batten, NJMVC; Lenny Volpicella, NJMVC; Shari Leichter, NJMVC; Mike Cox, NJMVC; Sam Weinstein, Princeton Public Affairs Group (the Association’s lobbyist)
First Educational Session:
STOP for School Buses–Dan Hillman, Hillman Bus updated the audience on his efforts to gain state-wide attention to the crisis of motorists passing flashing school bus lights. He shared the video of a student being struck after disembarking from one of his buses and announced he had an appointment to discuss this with his local State Senator, Dawn Addiego (D)-8th Legislative District (update to this is that Dan had his meeting and felt it was effective in getting the story in front of a politician who indicated to him she had an interest in further pursuing the matter).
NSTA Updates-Curt Macsyn, Executive Director of the National Student Transportation Association (NTSA) and Rich Kelly, RC Kelly Law Associates followed up Dan’s report with an overview of the National efforts to deal with the STOP for school buses Act of 2019. They distributed a listing of NJ Federal Senators and House of Representative members who have not and who have signed on to the Senate version S.1254- or the House version H.R.2218 The audience reaction was as expected that there should be no down side to signing on in support of this legislation. All were urged to contact their legislators to urge them to support the bills or to thank them for having already done so. (click here for contact info). Curt also spent some time explaining the effort to create a school bus-only CDL classification at the Federal level. It is hoped that it can be written to reflect the unique needs of the school bus driver and may also help alleviate the driver shortage many contractors are experiencing. (There is also a NJ based effort to address this type of CDL at the state level. The Association will keep members apprised of activities)
Second Educational Session:
CDL Drug & Alcohol Clearing House (DACH)-Joseph Costello, State Program Manager, FMSCA and Trish Lees, Safety Investigator, FMSCA provided a brief history to the MAP-21 and some of its components including the DACH. Joe went into detail via a power point presentation that laid out the requirements, who is affected, how to be in compliance and costs. As some details are changing or being re-evaluated, everyone was encouraged to sign up as a subscriber on the FMSCA website to stay up to date. Despite rumors to the contrary that DACH is going to be delayed, Joe indicated it was advised that steps be started now to set the groundwork within your company to be ready when the full roll-out is implemented. Some parts of it may be delayed, but some parts of it will likely go forward on schedule. Joe and Trish answered questions from the audience. Representatives of the NJMVC also participated in helping answer some of the questions at the State level. (The NJSBCA will continue to monitor this and will let members know updates)
Third Educational Session
Entry Level Driver Training ELDT–Shawn McGlinchey, Vice-President of Risk Management, Krapf Bus spoke to the audience about the MAP-21 ELDT requirements going into effect soon for new CDL drivers or for those who are upgrading their endorsements. Similar to the DACH program, some requirements and deadlines are being re-visited at the Federal level creating some confusion around ELDT, but Shawn emphasized the best practices and safety aspects of the program give reason enough to implement the various training processes into your driver training to augment what you are currently doing beginning now. Some of the Federal deadlines remain intact so contractors are advised to proceed forward to be in compliance. NJMVC representatives were active participants in the discussions to help clarify state readiness as well as expectations regarding areas of compliance. Shawn has made his presentation available to NJSBCA members. (The Association will update members as information is made available on the ELDT)
Fourth Educational Session
DINE/DIALOGUE/DASH gave the opportunity for all attendees to interact on a personal basis with the presenters, special guests and each other. It was observed that many lingered in conversation long after the event ended.
Survey-thanks to all attendees who completed our meeting survey. The responses were overwhelmingly positive! You liked the content, you loved the location. Some of your ideas for future meetings include the topics of driver retention, more info on today’s topics including NJ-specific procedures, mechanic’s training, how to take advantage of grants, what to do about “non-complying” operators and much more.
PROGRAM PRESENTER NOTES
The Association went searching for someone who could share some critical information about new MAP-21 requirements and were happy to find our very own Jersey guy Joseph Costello was the one to ask. Joe has been employed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) for five years as the State Programs Manager for the N.J. Division. Prior to that, he spent 10 years working for the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (NJMVC) as a federal grant administrator, senior budget analyst and database architect. He currently oversees FMCSA’s safety programs and the activities of the New Jersey State Police (NJSP), New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (NJMVC), New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA). Joseph manages approximately $12M in federal funding and is responsible for certifying the State’s CDL program.
And also based in NJ, we are pleased to welcome Trish Lees to our workshop. Trish has been employed as a Safety Investigator for the Federal Motor Safety Administration for the last 29 years and is currently assigned to the Princeton, NJ Division Office. In June 2018, she became a member of the FMCSA’s Drug and Alcohol Technical Advisory Group (TAG). The Drug and Alcohol Technical Advisory Group provides technical advice on issues involving drug and alcohol compliance as it relates to the transportation of property and passengers by highway. She is also responsible for coordinating the FMCSA’s Annual Positive Driver Safety Initiative within the division. The purpose of the safety initiative is to target drivers who have tested positive for controlled substances or alcohol to determine if they have completed the return to duty process and to disqualify drivers who are non-compliant.
The Association thanks Joe and Trish for taking time out of their very busy schedules to come speak to us about the new CDL DRUG &ALCOHOL CLEARING HOUSE.
Shawn McGlinchey as the Vice President of Risk Management oversees the safety & risk management activities and the corporate commercial insurance program for all entities of the Krapf Group. Shawn has over 25 years’ experience in the safety/risk management arena providing risk assessment, consultative services and comprehensive solutions. Shawn currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Pennsylvania School Bus Association (PSBA) and chairs the PSBA Legislative committee.
Shawn holds risk management professional designations from the State of New York, State of Arkansas, & the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and is a licensed commercial lines & healthcare insurance broker. Also he holds an undergraduate degree from Stockton State College, the Associate in Risk Management (ARM) designation from the Insurance Institute of America, the Certified Business Continuity Planner designation, Certified School Risk Manager, ICS (incident command system) instructor certification, National Safety Council Certified Defensive Driving Instructor qualification, qualified Planning Section Chief for federal responses & several maritime surveyor designations.
Shawn is retired from the United States Coast Guard with his final assignment as the Reserve Executive Officer for Atlantic Strike Team*. In this role Shawn successfully oversaw the planning & deployment of Coast Guard’s resources in response to Katrina for Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida as well as coordinating federal, state, & local agencies responses. For his efforts and leadership during Katrina, Shawn was awarded the United States Coast Guard Commendation Medal.
The Association thanks Shawn for sharing his vast expertise with us to discuss Entry Level Driver Training and also, of course, his service to our country.
*The Atlantic Strike Team is part of the United States Coast Guard National Strike Force whose mission is to provide highly trained, experienced personnel and specialized equipment to Coast Guard and other federal agencies to facilitate preparedness and response to natural and man-made disasters in order to protect public health and the environment. The Atlantic Strike Team has an area of responsibility (AOR) of 25 states along the Eastern seaboard out to the Great Lakes Region.