My passengers have been talking nearly every day about the Megabus accident a couple of weeks ago.

“Bob, any low bridges on this route?”

“You’re not taking the parkway today are you, Bob?”

And so on.

I don’t know any more about the accident than what I read in the papers and online, so I’m not in a position to make any judgments about what the driver did or didn’t do. But accidents like this serve as a reminder to all of us drivers that we have to be vigilant at all times when we’re behind the wheel.

A few additional thoughts:

1) Know where you are going. I say this so often: DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Don’t rely on someone else — a dispatcher, lead driver, group leader, tour escort — to do your homework for you. They can certainly help, but don’t rely solely on them.

2) When you do make a mistake — a wrong turn, a missed exit, etc. — remind yourself that you are now at a higher risk to compound your error by making another, possibly worse error. You must be twice as vigilant!

Do not rush — find a safe spot to pull off the road, if necessary, to check a map, check your GPS or iPad, or ask for directions. Believe me, your passengers would rather lose a couple of minutes of time for directions than lose a couple of hours after an accident, or, heaven forbid, suffer the physical consequences of an accident.

3) Remember, if a highway is called a parkway, it is usually intended for cars only — no buses, no trucks. And the primary reason it’s limited to cars is because of low bridges ahead. There are exceptions, of course — the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey, and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway in Maryland, for instance — both allow buses, but not trucks.

There are low bridges, however they are high enough for buses. But if you don’t know for certain that a parkway is safe for buses, don’t take a chance.

4) Watch the signs. We are fortunate in the U.S. and Canada in that most obstacles to buses and trucks are pretty well marked in advance — bridge heights and weight restrictions, especially. When you’re on a road you’ve rarely or never traveled before, you’ve got to be extra watchful for those signs.

Most accidents are preventable: know where you are going, be vigilant, and drive smart. Keep the odds in your favor.

For more information and links for motorcoach drivers, visit my website, EightWheels.com.

Bob Bergey is a motorcoach driver based in Fanconia, PA.

By Bob Bergey

I frequently receive compliments on my smooth driving. Smooth driving is no accident (no pun intended). It’s something I do very intentionally, very purposefully. And it’s not that difficult to do.

There’s probably no faster way to lose passengers’ confidence in your ability to drive your motorcoach than to start off with a jerky drive of rough starts, fast stops, running over curbs, near-misses with other vehicles, sudden corrections to stay in your lane or fast and frequent lane changes, “dancing” on the accelerator and/or brake pedal and taking corners too fast.

Most of these are easy to avoid with just a bit of concentration until they become second nature. Smooth starts are easy. Most new motorcoaches have computers that severely limit your ability to accelerate quickly in order to optimize fuel usage. On older coaches, just ease up on the accelerator; fuel savings aren’t the only benefit from an easy start.

Aim High

Smooth stopping is an area where nearly every driver can improve. The first factor in stopping smoothly is also the number one factor in driving safely, something the Smith System for Safe Driving calls “Aim high.” Aiming high basically means looking down the road, at least 15 seconds or more ahead of you. That gives you lots of time to see things developing that might require an adjustment in your driving, whether it’s a traffic light, heavy traffic, a stop sign, a turn, a lane change, or something else. You can slow down gradually, avoiding a hard stop.

As you come to a stop, feather the final edge of the stop. Ease up on the brake so the nose of your coach gently eases up at the very end rather than a hard end to the stop and the front of the coach bounces up. When it’s done perfectly, a passenger with his eyes closed cannot tell when the coach stopped moving. That is a smooth stop, and it’s possible with most coaches most of the time. It just takes a little practice and being very conscious of your braking until it becomes the way you always stop.

Dancing

Some drivers have a bad habit of “dancing” on the accelerator; short, little bursts of acceleration punctuated by an occasional tap on the brake pedal. That makes for a very uncomfortable ride. Be conscious of your foot movements and make the drive as smooth as you possibly can. Give yourself more space behind the vehicle in front of you so you can drive more smoothly.

Slow down in turns and tight spots. You don’t want passengers sliding out of their seats, or reaching for something to hold onto as you take a corner. Smooth driving keeps passengers very comfortably in their seats, enjoying the ride, and making your driving “invisible.” If your coach is equipped with a DriveCam or similar device, setting it off with abrupt turns or stops is a sure indication that your driving could use some improvement. Smooth drivers rarely trigger those event cameras.

Smooth driving makes for safer driving, which makes for happy passengers. And happy passengers make drivers happy, as well as the companies they drive for. Smooth driving is a win/win all the way around. Work on it a bit more consciously this week.

Bob Bergey is a motorcoach driver based in Franconia, PA.

By Bob Bergey

We all have certain items we take on our bus trips, especially those of us who do charter trips around the country. A couple of snacks, bottle of water, travel pillow for a nap and my camera are a few of my favorite things I almost always bring along.

But I have three electronic tools — some would call them gadgets — that I’ll never again leave home without.

One is my cell phone. Ever leave home without it? You feel half dressed, don’t you? About a month ago I managed to walk out of the house without mine, not discovering it until it was too late to return for it. I could hardly wait to get home again.  What did I miss? Fortunately it was just a short day trip, and as it turned out I didn’t miss anything at all.

Second is my GPS receiver. I honestly believe that any driver, no matter the level of experience, benefits enough from having GPS. It is worth using on every trip. The biggest benefit for me is knowing my ETA — estimated time of arrival — and knowing whether I am ahead of schedule or running late.

You drive differently when you know you are on time. You can relax and drive more safely when you know where you stand. If you are running late, GPS gives you plenty of notice so that group leaders or others can adjust plans accordingly.

The third tool I’ll never again leave home without is my new Apple iPad. I’ve been using it just over a month now, and it has radically changed my outlook on driving. It brings the huge world of information online right into your hands, no matter where you are. Maps, websites, communications, entertainment and more are literally in the palms of your hands.

I’ll talk more about the iPad in future posts. But let me just mention for now a couple of the apps I use most and am coming to rely on daily.

Number one is the Maps app. Based on Google Maps, my favorite online mapping site, it instantly gives you detailed maps for any part of the U.S. or Canada you might be in (and, I’m sure, other parts of the world, too, but that’s out of my range of experience).

Push the little Compass button, and the GPS chip built into the iPad centers the map over the exact spot you’re in right now. As you drive along, the blue dot marking your location stays centered on the display as the map moves along behind it, so you can always see what’s around you in all directions. Now, you don’t want to take your eyes off the road, but a glance when you’re sitting at a light can be invaluable. And for doing your homework, there’s nothing quite like it; I prefer it over my laptop or desktop Macs. Directions to your destination are available too.

Second is the Inrix Traffic app. All you need to do is start up the app, and it centers a Google map over your exact location, similar to the Maps app, except this time it overlays traffic info on top of all the major routes around you. Wow. I used it a couple of days ago when I was returning to the Philadelphia area from Washington, D.C. on a Monday afternoon rush hour. I could see exactly where the worst traffic tie-ups were located, and also a good escape route!

We went a few miles out of our way but never sat in traffic anywhere for more than a couple of minutes. Really cool.

Third is an app I’ve just started using — Wikipanion. It simply and beautifully provides an interface to Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia of everything. I use it to look up info on destinations and things we might see along the way. With just a few minutes of research, you become the “expert” on your trip. You may not use it every day but when you need it, it’s invaluable.

Last but not least, for now, is the AccuWeather app. You can get a gorgeous 10-day forecast for wherever you’re at or wherever you’re going (well, the weather may not be gorgeous, but the app is). Nice to have that info to pass along to passengers too.

I’m out of time and space here … see my website, eightwheels.com, for another article on the iPad. And stay tuned for more here, too!

Bob Bergey is a motorcoach driver based in Franconia, PA.

By Bob Bergey

I’ve been driving motorcoaches for almost eight years. But I still remember when I was the “new guy.” Here are a few tips that might help all you new bus and motorcoach drivers as you ease into your wonderful new career — some that were shared with me and some I wish had been shared with me.

1. Do your homework

Know where you are going. It is SO much easier today than it was even eight years ago when I started, thanks to some of the wonderful technology available to drivers today. Google Maps – maps.google.com – can be a driver’s best friend. Taking time to learn all its features will be worth your while. More on that in a future post. Smart phones, such as the Apple iPhone with its maps and GPS features can be a great aid when you’re on the job. The new Apple iPad is the most fantastic tool ever for a charter motorcoach driver. I’ll be writing more about that later, as well.  A GPS receiver with traffic reports is an extremely helpful tool once you are behind the wheel. In addition to knowing where you’re going, learn something about your destination and as much as you can about the passengers. Having a general feel for the trip can help you interpret conversations and requests from the group leader or lead driver.

2. Follow at a safe distance

Chances are good that your first few trips will be on multiple-coach moves where you’ll be driving the second coach or further back in the pack. But don’t worry; a responsible lead driver is not going to let you get lost. New drivers tailgate far more commonly than experienced drivers, usually out of fear of getting lost or separated from the lead driver by a traffic light or other traffic. But since you’ve done your homework, you know where you’re going, right? So operate with the “four second rule” — at least four seconds of space between you and the coach (or other vehicle) in front of you.

3. Socialize with other drivers during rest breaks

I probably learned more about driving from other drivers engaging in casual conversation during rest breaks or while waiting for passengers than anything else. You have two ears and one mouth, and they should probably be used in that proportion. Do a lot of listening. But don’t be afraid to ask questions. This is not the time to be a “know-it-all.”

4. Don’t pretend to know more than you do

This applies both when working with other drivers and in conversation with your passengers. If the lead driver or dispatcher asks, for instance, if you’re familiar with a certain area, be totally honest. It’s far better to admit you’re not familiar than to end up getting lost or be unclear with the instructions. With your passengers, don’t pretend to know more than you do, or to have been driving longer than you have. Chances are they’ll discover the truth pretty quickly. I wouldn’t suggest volunteering that this is your first or second trip; however, if they ask, be honest and chances are they’ll be on your side.

5. Sleep, but not behind the wheel.

Your first few trips will likely be shorter ones. But even on short trips, there is no substitute for having had a good night’s sleep and coming to work well rested and ready to go. It’s tough to concentrate on the road when you’re tired, and this is not a good career for tired drivers. Also it’s usually a good idea to take a nap mid-trip once you’ve dropped your passengers at their destination and you’ve got some time to wait. Even a 10 or 15 minute nap can go a long way to refresh you for the return trip.

I’ll be expanding on some of these points (and lots more) in coming posts, so I hope you’ll become a regular reader. Stop by my website for even more for motorcoach drivers: http://eightwheels.com or Travels on Twitter: @eightwheels; a photo gallery is also available at: www.BobBergey.com

Bob Bergey is a motorcoach driver based in Franconia, PA.