Forum | EightWheels ... on the Road

Michele on Tips

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 13:53:53 +0000

I am a Group Leader and we've only done day trips. I am hopeful to one day "graduate" to multi-day trips! In the meantime, I have my Treasurer give our wonderful driver at least $2.00 per person. I do include this in the cost of the trip. It is noted on our trip flyers as well. However, on some of the trips we've taken several people (including myself) have given extra to the Driver. For example, we do a 50-50. The way we do ours is, say we get $90. $45 goes to the organization and we split $45 three ways. I've already had a winner hand his share to the Driver when he got off the bus. We've been to wine festivals and outlet shopping and when the Driver takes the boxes/bags out of the luggage compartment, some passengers have tipped the Driver. I have been very lucky to have had fantastic drivers every time. I'm always happy when passengers are thoughtful of the Drivers. But I always make sure the Driver is covered! Also, say we have 48 passengers, we'll give the Driver $100.00, not $96. That's just too strange....we'll round it up to $100.00.

JWS on Another place to avoid....

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:14:57 +0000

Millstone BBQ off of rt. 33 in Logan OH. I brought them 45 people and the most they would give me was a 10% discount. Manager said since I was being paid to drive I shouldn't get a free meal. Decent food but not friendly to bus drivers.

JWS on Places to avoid

Sat, 29 May 2010 20:08:51 +0000

I just returned from a trip to Williamsburg, VA. Lovely place but confusing as heck. LOL. The group ate at a restaurant there that I would not recommend. First of all, if you drive an MCI or other buses that don't have a good turning radius, stay away. There is no drive thru parking lot. You get in there and have to wiggle around and back into the back parking lot. After all that, they do not comp the driver's meal. If you don't eat what the group is eating, you pay for your meal. I am not a big eater of pizza unless it is true NYC style Italian pizza. Much less buffet style where it is usually cold and old. I walked down the street to an Arby's and ate dinner. The place is called Anna's Brick Oven style pizza on Richmond Road. You can't off load on the main road because the place sets right in a curve. That is another thing. Hard to get out unless you are turning right. My recommendation: Driver's beware and stay away.

mciguy on Hey Guys!

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 20:40:15 +0000

My name is Jason and I am a current driver from Peter Pan/Bonanza in Providence,RI where I have worked for 2 years. I currently hold a spareboard slot in Providence, but have worked out of Albany,New York City,Hartford,Newport RI,Woods Hole and Hyannis,MA. We currently have a fleet of older MCI 102DL and newer D4505s. We also have a small number of 102Ds(40 footers)for our Boston to Newport run,due to weight restrictions on the route to Newport. We had J4500s but those were transfered to other Peter Pan divisions when our D4505s arrived. I also drove schools buses for DATTCO in a number of towns in Connecticut. Well I'm happy to be here and looking forward to making some friends and learning some new stuff at the same time!

EightWheels on Eight of My Favorite iPhone Apps

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 19:36:09 +0000

[caption id="attachment_716" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="WeatherBug Elite iPhone App"][/caption] It's been nearly a year since I last wrote about the iPhone. After almost 15 months of daily use, it's become an indispensable part of my life. Here are just a few of the apps, a couple of which I've just come across recently, that I use nearly every day and would hate to ever again be without. WeatherBug Elite -- 99¢ (weather reports) Simply the best weather app I've found -- and there are lots of them. It has a really nice interface, very easy to read and understand, and all the important info you'll likely need right on the opening screen. It's shown in the photo above. WorkLog -- $4.99 (personal time clock) Great app for tracking your work hours if you get paid by the hour and want to keep your own records. It has nice reporting and makes it easy to check that you're getting paid for hours actually worked (or not overpaid, LOL). Qik Video -- $1.99 (video camera for older iPhones) If you have the latest iPhone 3GS, you won't need this ... but if you have an older model, such as my iPhone 3G, this app gives you a pretty decent video camera for just two bucks! This is a relatively new app and works much better than I would have expected. Worth checking out. Flashlight -- FREE (turn your iPhone into a flashlight) I'm amazed how often I use this. It's one of the first apps I ever downloaded, it's still regularly updated (although most of the newer features are of little or no use to me), and I still use this nearly every day! It's great to find your way around a dark hotel room at night or look for something you dropped under a seat in a dark bus. FlickTunes -- 99¢ (iPod music controller) I use my iPhone for its iPod features almost every day on my motorcoach to play background music. FlickTunes makes it easy to control the music while you're driving without taking your eyes off the road; a simple finger swipe lets you pause or play the music or adjust the volume. Before I start the trip, I select what play list I want in the iPod settings, then after it begins playing, switch to FlickTunes, and I'm set for the trip. AOL Radio -- FREE (listen to radio stations across the country) Part of my daily morning routine is listening to KYW1060, the local all-news station, for the latest news, weather and traffic reports for the day. This app lets me listen anywhere, anytime, as long as I have a cell phone signal! Kindle -- FREE (Amazon's ebook reader for iPhone) Before I had my Amazon Kindle (which I got this past Christmas), I had the Kindle app on my iPhone and began building my Kindle library. Now I use it mainly to read in bed at night; during the day I use the real Kindle. What's cool, though, is how it keeps my reading synchronized, no matter which device I'm using -- it goes to the last page read on whichever device was last used. NoteMaster -- $3.99 (note taking app) I don't take a lot of notes on my iPhone. But I do have some info I need readily available, and that may need updating occasionally. Apple includes a basic Notes app with the iPhone, but it's a little too basic. NoteMaster syncs with Google Notes, so I can create notes either on my iPhone or my notebook computer and have them instantly available on the other -- or any computer with online access. Some of my most used documents include a list of prescriptions for doctor visits, and a list of my hotel frequent-stay membership numbers. Lots of other uses, too. Incidentally, I believe all of these also work on the iPod Touch, with the exception of Qik Video, since the iPod Touch has no camera. Other apps I use nearly every day include many of those you probably already use, too: Clock, Calendar, Contacts, Messages, Calculator, Maps, Google, Voice Memos, and more .... I don't know how I ever survived without my iPhone! If you're not already an iPhone user, you might want to seriously consider it when it comes time for a new phone. Even though I had to jump ship from Verizon to AT&T, the iPhone made it more than worth my while. Will the Apple iPad (available starting April 3rd, 2010) change things? You bet ... but no one knows how just yet. I'll likely replace my Amazon Kindle with an iPad in the near future, so stay tuned. What are your favorite apps? Use the comments section below to respond to this article, or click the link to the forum discussion of this article.

EightWheels on Virginia to Reopen Closed Rest Stops

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 12:40:46 +0000

Good news for tour groups, truck drivers, and tourists traveling through the state of Virginia: Virginia's new governor, Bob McDonnell, has announced that all 19 of Virginia's closed rest stops and visitor centers will reopen over the next few months. The state had closed them in July 2009 in an effort to reduce the deficit in their state budget. McDonnell, elected last November, had promised during his campaign to reopen the rest stops. Not surprisingly, state tourism, as well as Virginia's public image, was hurt significantly by the closures. Click here to read McDonnell's official announcement. Four of the closed rest stops are scheduled to reopen by February 17th, 2010; eight more will reopen by March 17th; and the rest by April 15th. Click here for a PDF map showing all of Virginia's rest stops and welcome centers, both those now open and the ones scheduled to reopen.

JWS on US DOT Bars Truck and Bus Drivers from Texting

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:58:07 +0000

While I totally agree with this issue. What are they going to do with the 4 wheel drivers out there. And what about the issue of playing with a radio, putting on makeup, reading a book or the stock reports, or just plain holding a conversation in one's car with others in there. This issue has come to light due to the fact that so many people now have cell phones and use them so much, but the same "study" was done when radios were put into automobiles. The same kind of study shows how dangerous it is to put make up on in a car, read a book, a stock report, etc. The recent influx of use of cell phones has made cell phones the whipping boy this time. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying they should be left alone. I am saying all the other issues should be right up there with this one. Anyone caught reading a paper, putting on makeup, eating while driving (I do this myself when in a hurry), etc. While cell phones are a BIG issue with concentration on the roads today. It is far from the only one. But when they ban talking on the cell phones, I guess I will be a law breaker. I use a blue-tooth when I talk so my hands are always on the wheel. But as a bus driver I have this little problem. You have a group that is in a hurry and they want you to find them someplace to stop and eat or rest etc. and it was not part of your itinerary. So now you are having to find one by GPS, Google 411, or some other way. Then you have to talk to someone to see if they can handle a bus of 55 people. And all this time your group is in a hurry and does not want you to pull over. Gheesh….. They don't use their heads all the time… LOL. My best advice. When you can stop, please do so. IF AT ALL POSSIBLE. Any type of distraction is not a good distraction. Keep the roads safe. And always watch out for the distracted or other wise can't driver drivers out there. God bless and have fun out there. JWS

EightWheels on US DOT Bars Truck and Bus Drivers from Texting

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 11:09:21 +0000

Effective today (1-26-10), the US Department of Transportation has announced a ban on texting for commercial drivers. Below is the text of the news release.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Announces Federal Ban on Texting for Commercial Truck Drivers U.S Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced federal guidance to expressly prohibit texting by drivers of commercial vehicles such as large trucks and buses. The prohibition is effective immediately and is the latest in a series of actions taken by the Department to combat distracted driving since the Secretary convened a national summit on the issue last September. “We want the drivers of big rigs and buses and those who share the roads with them to be safe,” said Secretary LaHood. “This is an important safety step and we will be taking more to eliminate the threat of distracted driving.” The action is the result of the Department’s interpretation of standing rules. Truck and bus drivers who text while driving commercial vehicles may be subject to civil or criminal penalties of up to $2,750. "Our regulations will help prevent unsafe activity within the cab,” said Anne Ferro, Administrator for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). “We want to make it crystal clear to operators and their employers that texting while driving is the type of unsafe activity that these regulations are intended to prohibit." FMCSA research shows that drivers who send and receive text messages take their eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds out of every 6 seconds while texting. At 55 miles per hour, this means that the driver is traveling the length of a football field, including the end zones, without looking at the road. Drivers who text while driving are more than 20 times more likely to get in an accident than non-distracted drivers. Because of the safety risks associated with the use of electronic devices while driving, FMCSA is also working on additional regulatory measures that will be announced in the coming months. During the September 2009 Distracted Driving Summit, the Secretary announced the Department’s plan to pursue this regulatory action, as well as rulemakings to reduce the risks posed by distracted driving. President Obama also signed an Executive Order directing federal employees not to engage in text messaging while driving government- owned vehicles or with government-owned equipment. Federal employees were required to comply with the ban starting on December 30, 2009.

The above release is available online at: http://www.distraction.gov/files/dot/MotorCarrierPressRelease.pdf. For more information on distracted driving, visit: http://www.distraction.gov/. For a list of cell phone and texting bans on a state-by-state basis, go to: http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html.

EightWheels on Welcome to the Forum!

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:40:11 +0000

Admin note -- I upgraded the forum software on the server this evening, so this is a test post to make sure everything is working okay. Looks like it is. Bob

JWS on Tips

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 01:24:34 +0000

I figure this topic is going to hit both ends of the scale. LOL. This is a question for all the drivers out there. In the area's you travel, what is the accepted level of tipping from your customers. Last time I was in NYC with a tour group, the tour guide told me, his company was using as a rule of thumb, $4 a day per person and $10 per person/family for luggage. Don't get me wrong, I would LOVE to have that kind of a tip every trip, but it seems to me that is just a little high.

Without asking what you make, in a ballpark figure, what is your average on a trip?

JWS

Uncle Stan on What GPS receiver are you using?

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 03:52:05 +0000

I'm wondering if anyone is aware of a GPS unit that is truly designed for buses instead of focusing on trucks.

I'm particularly interested in a device that relates town names to coordinates and tells me where I am at the touch of a button. I had an old Magellan unit that did this but it didn't record the info without a bunch of grief. The Rand-McNally Intelliroute TND 500 appears to have many of the features I'm looking for - like an HOS feature to make logging easier - but a few reviews I've read didn't rate it very highly.

I have to agree wholeheartedly with JWS - your GPS is only a guide. Planning is essential.

Uncle Stan on Where to stop.

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 23:39:02 +0000

Unfortunately, because of a mix of preserved land and fairly densely populated areas there are not many food & fuel stops along I-78.

Fuelwise the Pilot at exit 12 has been refurbished, and for group food there's a Cracker Barrel at exit 15 in Clinton. As for hi-flow diesel and crowd-pleasing eats together, there aren't too many options east of exit 7.

EightWheels on Bad economy or summer slow down?

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:32:02 +0000

We've been pretty fortunate here in our part of eastern PA. Summer is always a little slower, but wasn't significantly different for us from last year. I've had pretty much the same amount of work as the last couple of years, averaging 4+ days a week through the summer and 5 days a week overall. But businesses are pretty diverse in this part of the country, so the economic slowdown hasn't impacted here nearly as much as some other places.

Bob

EightWheels on Welcome to the Forum!

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:23:06 +0000

dodrh said:

The tours get to ride in the J's. They don't have as good a ride on the highway but at least you can turn. They trained me in a J and then sent me out in a DL. Never bothered to tell me they don't turn as sharp. Learned the hard way. Had to put it in reverse a few times.

Interesting ... I guess the ride is a subjective thing. But in my opinion, the ride in the J's (MCI J4500) is significantly softer and more pleasant than in the D models. One problem with some of the older J's (pre-2007, especially) is that they sway too much, so much so that customers occasionally complain and are more susceptible to car sickness. That's been corrected on the newer J's, however, with an outboard shock between the tag and drive wheels.

No question, however, that the D's don't turn nearly as sharply as the J's. Big difference in the turning radius!

Bob

EightWheels on Places or Places to avoid.

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:07:16 +0000

Yeah, I discovered this a couple of months ago. That's their way of telling us they don't want bus groups anymore. I always suspect things like this result from a case of disgruntled or lazy employees yanking the corporate chain, rather than a well thought out decision, but either way, I won't be stopping at TA travel centers any more. They win. (Or is it lose?)

Bob