2020 is here and we are continuing to make safety our priority! This month’s safety meeting was focused on reviewing some important topics from the end of 2019 and discussing student/passenger safety inside and outside of the bus along with some critical parts of pre-trip inspections. The overall theme of the meeting was staying focused and minimizing distractions of any kind.
The agenda started with a discussion about vehicle preparations in winter weather and how extra time is needed to prepare for the day’s driving. It is imperative that snow and ice are removed from the vehicle – especially windshields and windows – before departure. Any sort of debris can cause impaired vision and distractions will driving.
When on the road, it is important for drivers to be aware of their environment. Even in situations where there is seemingly no risk of danger, drivers must be on the lookout and always anticipate something happening. Most situations, when reviewed, have an identifiable “critical decision point” that was made, and if the choice was different, a different outcome would have been achieved.
Another important topic covered was student safety management. This encompasses the safety of the students prior to getting on the bus, when they are on the bus, and when they exit the bus to go to school or home. Drivers are trained to watch where the students are walking at all times, and if they can’t see the students, to not move the bus. They are instructed to clear their dangers zones, make eye contact with students as they cross in front of the bus, and to watch for oncoming traffic that may put the students in harms way.
Part of keeping students safe includes doing child/passenger checks. Child/passenger checks are to be done by both the driver and the assistant after the end of each route and again at the bus yard. This procedure prevents students/passengers from being left unattended. We are committed to ensuring all of our passengers are kept safe on a daily basis. At our January meeting, a child/passenger check quiz was distributed to test and review employees’ knowledge on this procedure.
At the end of the meeting, employees who have had no preventable accidents or injuries for 1, 2, or 3 years received a safety pin. By eliminating distractions, it’s possible to achieve zero fatalities, zero unattended children, zero preventable accidents, and zero preventable injuries. Our employees are committed to putting safety first and making the roads safer for our communities. We commend all of our employees for everything they do to keep our passengers safe!
Jeff Carnicom brings over 25+ years in transportation, security, logistics, and supply chain management, working with Fortune 500 companies as well as providing services to small to mid-size retailers and financial institutions. Before joining Trinity Transportation, Jeff served as Chief Operating Officer for The Armored Group, an international manufacturer of specialty protection vehicles. Prior to that, he was President of the Midwest Region with Loomis, a Securitas company. Jeff started his career with Wells Fargo in Columbus, Ohio, where he attended Franklin University, majoring in finance. He also served 12 years in the United States Army National Guard as an engineer and instructor at the Ohio Military Academy.
Matt White was hired into Trinity in October 2018. He has extensive finance experience working for a number of large companies including Disney, Oracle, Ford, Best Buy, Lands’ End, Amway, and most recently Domino’s Pizza. Most recently, Matt served as an internal consultant for International Master Franchisees located in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa where he aided in turnaround situations, growth strategy development, strategy assessment, as well as mergers and acquisitions. Matt earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from the University of Denver and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Darden Graduate School of Business located at the University of Virginia.
Michael Boettcher started his career in 2015 as a general manager overseeing the Aurora terminal of our parent company, National Express. In his time at the Aurora CSC, he managed over 120 routes, 140 buses, and 275 employees. He has extensive experience improving driver safety, increasing profitability, and providing satisfactory customer service to all of our clients. As the Regional General Manager of Trinity Transportation, Michael will supervise all 10 of our General Managers and their CSCs and assist with the daily operations of all of the locations within Trinity.
Athia Johnson-Bowles brings over 10 years of human resources experience working for Fortune 500 companies such as McDonald’s Corporation, Quicken Loans, and most recently Rite Aid Corporation. She has joined Trinity Transportation to oversee all employee-related functions as it pertains to safety, compliance, engagement, and recruiting. Athia has the ability to build strong relationships with key stakeholders and influence decisions to impact business results.
Sheldon Stewart brings over 20 years of management experience to Trinity Transportation. He has been with National Express for over 6 years, most recently at the school bus operations in New York City and Toronto, Canada, where he served as Area General Manager. During his time as the Area General Manager in New York, Sheldon oversaw 175 routes, 200 drivers and 220 buses. He has extensive knowledge in meeting safety and compliance needs across the board. Sheldon is dedicated to ensuring that all of his employees follow the proper safety precautions as well as stay up to date with compliance needs. At Trinity, Sheldon currently oversees our Detroit East and Detroit West locations.
Don Holifield has over 25 years of experience working in the transportation industry. He joined Trinity in 2013 and worked in many of our locations including Detroit East and Fraser. Don has recently been promoted to General Manager overseeing our Saginaw location.
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