The first Mack ...

... was a bus.

Announcements and deadlines

Time cards due Thursday, 25 June 2009, by 10 am please. If the office is closed please place your time card in 50's box before the deadline.

Thanks to everyone wishing 61 well while sick over the weekend! Most appreciated!

If you are intending to apply for one of the FTE driver positions just posted, delay no more! One of the positions closes later tonight, 24 June 2009. The other two FTE positions remain open and will continue to accept applications after today.

The big driver news is now public! 84 has announced nuptials to his lovely fiance R. !! A list has been started for all those interested in attending the wedding. See 84 for more info. RSVP to 84 if you will attend and how many there will be in your party NO LATER THAN Tuesday 30 June 2009. Thanks!

Skillz at work. During the Road Xtreme Skillz course, 84 skillfully tucked this bus perfectly next to the curb in one smooth move. This part of the course requires backing around a corner and aligning the bus body parallel to the curb and no farther away from the curb than the concrete gutter. 84 nails this one. Nice job!

Above two photos courtesy of 84

We were fortunate to have an old-timer join us for a week before the National Park Service called him in for their employment. 79C helped us with odd jobs and route driving. Good luck to you on your new post!

We have a new member of the family! Christened Van 520, this sleek and shiny brand-new unit will promote additional service for our customers using The Lumberjack Express and the College-Shop Hop (CCC and Wal-Mart). A big-time THANK YOU goes out to everyone at EMSA for supporting the Transit program and providing the vans and buses to do it!

We broke in two more events this week for this summer's Xtreme Skillz course at the Dome. The first event was the Forward Offset lane maneuver. After a couple tries, 77, 91 and 84 succeeded in snaking through this without tapping a cone. *Cheering section was provided by 87 and 80 at no extra charge*

This was followed by an adaptation of the old CDL Alley Dock, tightened up to make it more challenging. The approach calls for backing a bus into an extremely short "alley" from the driver's side without using any pull-ups. 91 readily shows that it is possible to do, making it look easy, but it is certainly not a cakewalk.

Then we attempted to do what had never before been tried in the history of humankind: An Xtreme Skillz Blind-side Alley Dock. 84 is visible from the driver's seat clearing the pole during backing. (Get a haircut lol.) The feat eludes conquest. Still, we think it is possible.

61 here indicates the elusive geophysical end-goal of the Blind-side Alley Dock.Above photo by 84

Watch for future pictures of the near-impossible Skillz Left Turn and Right Turn to be posted soon right here. Also, two new events, the Excessively Horrible Way Far Beyond Anything Ever Imagined Left Turn and Right Turn, suggested by that lovable sadist 79, will soon be incorporated into the Skillz Maze. Get that adrenaline flowin'!

Job posting

Full-time positions have been posted.
To view, click here.
Then click on "Careers @ NAU"

Apply soon! The window to apply closes Wednesday evening, 24 June 2009.

(hehe, they made change back then!)

Trip tic picnic

Lake Mary BBQ.
"Lambergers."
Lovely M.
The group.
Fishing.
Canoeing instruction.
Canoeing perfection.
Positive influence.
The hoola.
Bye, friends.

Reclamation project

In the end, the earth wins.

Memory Lane

ONE YEAR AGO ...

Mr S had just graduated. Even so, he showed no sign of senioritis working with us before moving to PA at the end of June 2008.

81, a rather new employee at the time, proved himself a fun-loving and adventurous person to work with.

TWO YEARS AGO ...

Mr J was confirming that the Van Advanced Skillz Trail was no problem.

The University acquired a top-notch technician, Mr J, who was and still remains vital to our operations. We continue to be amazed at his mechanical abilities and are very grateful to have him with us!

The person who runs the show, Driver 50, allows herself a moment of levity while shopping for the July 4th Parade.

May flowers in June

Driving off into the sunset

The big news, the sad news, is that we are losing two hard-working and faithful employees from our group.

81 and his wonderful wife, 81A, will be making a new home for themselves in upstate New York.

We will miss them very much, and wish them the absolute best on their new adventures and exploits.

A farewell picnic is Saturday, 13 June, at 1:00 pm at the Lake Mary picnic area. We hope everyone can make it! Use the free parking area, not the pay lot.

May fortune smile on you both, 81 and 81A!

3 candidates receive CDLs

Three of our drivers recently completed their training and successfully tested for their Commercial Driver's license.

The first was 84, who comes to us with many years' experience as an over-the-road truck driver. Nice job, 84!

Next, 91 passed the test, showing extensive knowledge of all portions during the exam. Perhaps the experience as a heavy-vehicle driver will prove helpful to him in his future aspirations as a civil engineer, especially as it pertains to traffic and transit. Good job, 91!

And just today, 98 was found qualified by the State to be given a CDL after completing his test. Congratulations, 98!

To all those who had a hand in helping to train these drivers, we want to thank you for a job well done. For our new CDL drivers, we wish you safe driving, remember to get that physical every 2 years (even if you're not employed as a commercial driver when it comes time to renew, because a CDL can be very useful in a tight economic market) and your license renewed every 5 years.

WAY TO GO!

CDL Manual 2.14 Seeing Hazards

When someone learns to drive, they must learn the importance of Seeing Hazards.

The bible of student Commercial Vehicle drivers, The CDL Manual, section 2 paragraph 14 (1997), teaches that "You will have more time to act if you see hazards before they become emergencies....

"There are often clues that will help you see hazards. The more you drive, the better you can get at seeing hazards."

This is a good lesson for new drivers, for those who have not done much driving. Seeing Hazards is something we can all do well to remember. Isn't that right, 83?

News Flash! Sun shines in the morning!

After actually getting to work on time recently, 78 was heard to remark, "Wow! The sun does shine in the morning!"

A little more of this

83 seems to have a thing for Route 1.

84 and 78 began the process of testing and cleaning the wheelchair lifts.

98 and 91 unearthed, just outside the barn, the decomposed clothes our soon-to-be corpsed skeletons will wear for their moment in the ... um, full moon. (You had to be there.)

Mirror dots were painted to aid drivers in setting mirrors properly. Then the wet paint had to dry. The job of guarding the wet paint from errant community drivers, who seemed to think this was some kind of serendipitous slalom, fell to 99, 91 and farther back 78.78 guarded the other end of the roadway as well.

91 works a tough technical portion of VAST (the Van Advanced Skillz Trail).

Then 84 takes a go at it.

Finally, we had a real nice surprise visit from old-timer 65, her sister and friend. Thanks for stopping by! It was great to see and meet you!

A little of this (a little of that)

We saw the arrival of a newbie of a different sort on Friday -- a Bluebird with the world's shortest wheelbase! Turns on a dime. Takes out any obstacle in its way with a simple flick of its massive tail. Don't mess with this bird!

It is interesting that this bus does not have air brakes, yet it uses compressed air for the driver's seat and the entrance door. It combines in its suspension both leaf springs and air bags. It has been given the resplendent name of 505, a more "prodigitous" moniker than any jitney we've had in quite awhile. We'll call him '5', for short.

Thanks to everyone involved in making this acquisition a reality for MCT!

(Click on any picture to enlarge)

79 reposes in a training wheelchair ...

... and grimaces at a math riddle by 87. It was Friday, after all.

91's installation of a door jamb gets instructional encouragement from 81A and 80.

98 checks to make sure his burger doesn't burn to a crisp.

We had a very nice visit Friday from T., who's company was enjoyed by 78.

A highlight of the Friday BBQ was the visit of 84's daughter A. She was delightful and quite adept at outrunning 99 during dizzy races!

Happily for 82, there was still plenty of good food when she finished her driving shift.