According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or NHTSA, school bus accidents in the United States are increasingly rare. More than 25 million school children safely ride to and from school each day on the more than 480,000 school buses in operation today. However, when school bus accidents do occur, it’s most often because of faulty brakes. As experienced bus mechanics, we work together with school district fleet managers and bus drivers to significantly lower the risk of school bus accidents. We do this by performing routine inspections and school bus brake system repair.
Frequent School Bus Brake Inspection
School buses need to be inspected as often as possible to ensure that their brakes work properly. When fleet directors bring their buses to us, our skilled mechanics inspect many components in the brakes like:
– School Bus Brake linings
– Thickness of the rotor plate
– Flexibility of the brake hoses
– School Bus Brake fluid level
We adhere to the safety and maintenance recommendations established by the buses’ manufacturers for maintaining and servicing the brakes. Our careful inspection ensures that the brakes on every school bus that is we inspect to us for servicing work correctly and safely.
Signs of Brake Damage
During our inspections, we also look closely for any signs of damages to the brakes. For example, one of the most important things that we look for is uneven wear on the brake pads and rotors. This uneven wear and tear will eventually lead to the brakes squealing and grinding whenever the driver steps on the brake pedal.
Our knowledgeable bus mechanics likewise make sure that all of the bus brakes are adjusted and not out of alignment. If the brakes are out of adjustment, we do what is necessary to get them back into their proper position so that the bus’s driver can stop safely and effectively.
Other components that we check during our inspection are the calipers and shoes. These parts are also critical to being able to stop quickly to avoid being in accidents. We can replace them on the spot if they are worn out.
Listening to Drivers’ Input
Many times, school bus drivers will be the first ones to notice issues with their school bus brakes. Our mechanics want to know right away if school bus drivers who bring their buses to us experience brake issues like:
Different feel when stepping on the brake pedal
Grinding or squealing when braking
Increased stopping distances when applying the brakes
Warning lights indicating issues with the brakes
Brake fluid leaks on any of the brake components
Our team of school bus mechanics can determine what kind of brake issues could be at issue based on the input of school bus drivers. We take to heart what they have to say and then immediately begin the process of finding out what is wrong with the bus’s braking system.
Preventative Maintenance
Many of the most common brake issues can be prevented with routine maintenance. As experienced bus mechanics, our team can provide a variety of maintenance services designed to keep every school bus in the fleet on the road.
Our mechanics will balance the brake system to ensure even and effective braking, for example. All of the brakes on every wheel will work in conjunction with each other. This coordination increases the safety and reliability of your buses.
They will also measure the stopping distance of the buses that they are about to repair. We make sure that buses that come to us for repairs can stop on a dime after we finish servicing it.
After replacing faulty brake components, our bus mechanics will also test drive the buses to ensure that they drive safely. The buses will not return to a school district until the brakes work as they should.
School buses are some of the most reliable and safest vehicles on the road. However, their reliability depends significantly on the safety and usefulness of their brakes. Lastly, let our experienced school bus mechanics perform routine inspections and repairs. When you need to keep all of your buses on the road safely this school year.