DeKalb County School buses have passed state inspection.
State Trooper Darryl Winningham, inspector for this district, told WJLE Monday that he has completed his weeklong evaluation of the thirty three buses in the fleet along with the seven substitute buses and all passed inspection. “We do annual inspections on all buses but we also do spot checks through the year if we have a reason. Every bus we’ve run through has passed inspection. Right now we’re at 100% here. We work to ensure that everything is properly working on a bus before it gets back on the highway. I go from (checking) the tires all the way to the top of the buses. I check belts, fluid levels, brake pads, brake drums, brake lines, air lines, etc. Everything is checked on those buses for safety from the lights inside to the seats being secured in them. We check windshield wiper blades, the horn. We check every alarm and buzzer for all doors and emergency exits. Here at the (school bus garage) where we do all the inspections, the (local) crew is outstanding to work with. They go above and beyond to make sure that every bus is safe for every child. If there’s a bulb out (on a bus) they replace it right away. They fix every single thing on it before it moves. We haven’t had any (buses) out of service. Of course, they have a maintenance schedule here and they really stay on top of the buses. The drivers here are very aware of what they have to do in reporting if there are any issues with their buses and its obvious that they do report and have them (buses) repaired daily or as needed, if there is a deficiency on their buses. I’ve been here for seven days and every day the drivers come in and out and if there is an issue they address each issue daily and that’s why these buses stay in as good a shape as they are in right now. The drivers have a lot to do with the success of an annual inspection. I would like to ask the people of DeKalb County to be aware of the buses on the highways and to pay attention to the children on the roadways in the morning and evenings while they’re going back and forth to work. Its up to us to ensure that all these children get to school safely and get home safely,” said Winningham.
Jimmy Sprague, Transportation Supervisor for the School System, gives credit to the mechanics and drivers for keeping the buses in good condition. “This inspection reflects the job that my mechanics do out here on the floor. It reflects the job that my drivers do by keeping a check on their buses and reporting any deficiencies to us. We can repair them right then and right there and put the bus back in service and get these children home and to get them to school safely. I can’t emphasize enough how much pride and professionalism my mechanics take to their job. It reflects in Mr. Winningham’s inspection. He has inspected the forty buses that we have. There are thirty three buses on routes and the seven remaining are sub buses. Everything checked out wonderfully,” said Sprague.
(Pictured above: School Transportation Supervisor Jimmy Sprague, THP Trooper State Bus Inspector Darryl Winningham, and Mechanic Orlando Guzman)
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