MAINTENANCE SURVEY Fleet Age Averages Around SBF s annual survey finds little change in school bus fleet age. On average, large buses are retired at 16 years, small buses at nearly 15. By Thomas McMahon, Executive Editor Little change in average fleet age Average age (years) 10 yrs. 9.3 9.0 9.3 9.3 9.1 8 yrs. 6 yrs. 4 yrs. 2 yrs. Average school bus retirement age Small (Type A/B) 14.6 years Large (Type C/D) 16.2 years Survey year 0 yrs. 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Survey respondents estimated the average age of their school bus fleets. The overall average of respondents fleet ages is 9.1 years, which is consistent with the past four years findings. 32 SCHOOL BUS FLEET MARCH 2017 WWW.SCHOOLBUSFLEET.COM
9 Years Average school 21 buses per technician Average number of 18 buses per bay Average annual 14,708 miles per bus Average fleet composition Photo by Maureen Izzo School buses 67% Other vehicles 33% Among the operations surveyed, school buses make up two-thirds (67%) of their total fleets on average. Other vehicles include maintenance trucks, vans, and tractors. Another bump in tech pay $18.20 $ 17.04 $ 17.54 $ 17.82 $ 17.96 $ 18.18 Average hourly pay $18.00 $17.80 $17.60 $17.40 $17.20 Year $17.00 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 This year s survey found that the average starting wage for school bus technicians is $18.18 per hour, continuing a steady increase over the past few years. Some respondents reported starting wage as an annual salary; the average of those for 2017 is $38,430. MARCH 2017 SCHOOL BUS FLEET 33
MAINTENANCE SURVEY Bus-to-tech ratio (by fleet size) School buses in fleet 1-24 25-49 50-99 100-299 300+ School buses per tech 0 6 12 18 24 30 13 21 23 25 25 In general, the ratio of school buses to full-time technicians increases with fleet size. The average ratio for all fleet sizes is 21 school buses per tech, up from 20 in last year s survey. Are your techs ASE certified? Some 44% All 12% None 44% At just over half (56%) of the shops surveyed, some or all of the school bus technicians have attained ASE certification. ISB6.7 G Low Emission Natural Gas Engine for School Bus The Cummins Westport ISB6.7 G spark-ignited natural gas engine for Type C conventional school bus offers clean, durable, and reliable performance. Fueled by abundant, domestic natural gas, the ISB6.7 G is the Natural Choice for your school bus fl eet learn more at cumminswestport.com 200 240 hp / 520 560 lb-ft torque Simple, maintenance-free aftertreatment Low emissions certifi ed to current U.S. EPA & GHG standards, and California ARB s optional Low NOx standard of 0.1 g/bhp-hr. 34 SCHOOL BUS FLEET MARCH 2017 WWW.SCHOOLBUSFLEET.COM
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MAINTENANCE SURVEY Buy any used school buses? Yes 29% Have parts inventory on site? Yes 86% Use maintenance software? Yes 57% No 71% Nearly three-fourths (71%) of the operations surveyed don t buy any used school buses. No 14% The vast majority (86%) of respondents keep inventory for parts on site. No 43% More than half (57%) of the shops surveyed use fleet maintenance software. School Bus Air Conditioning BE Bulkhead Evaporator SLC Roof Mount Condenser THERMOKING.COM A complete line of products for school bus applications 3 Flexible options for specific configurations 3 IMACA 46k - 82k BTU/hr rating 3 3 controller and 4 compressor options 3 Heat option available 36 SCHOOL BUS FLEET MARCH 2017 WWW.SCHOOLBUSFLEET.COM
Number of school buses maintained 50% 31% 19% 19% 22% 9% % of respondents 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% School buses 1 to 24 25 to 49 50 to 99 100 to 299 300 or more Half of the operations surveyed maintain fewer than 50 school buses (including spares); the other half maintain at least 50 school buses. For this survey, we received 198 usable responses. HIGH MAINTENANCE Burdened with a heavy fleet maintenance load? Enhanced and more robust than ever before, Servicefinder the web-based fleet maintenance and inventory management solution improves fleet productivity, reduces burdensome paperwork and the potential risk of missing critical repairs, and more! Plus, with the New Inventory app keep your inventory up-to-date from any mobile device anytime! Servicefinder helps you: Ensure vehicles are properly inspected and documented; Track and capture pre-trip and post-trip inspections; More easily manage your preventative maintenance program; Identify critical repair requirements; and Keep your fleet in top performance. 800.373.3609 sales@transfinder.com transfinder.com MARCH 2017 SCHOOL BUS FLEET 37