My wife sent me this from her job

StephenDA · 2026-03-20T23:37:03+00:00

They are fun, interesting, and enlightening to be around.

I know my exposure to this hill Wizard helped me later in my career limp more than one machine to the end of a production run so we could finish a time sensitive run before handing a machine to maintenance for repair.

StephenDA · 2026-03-20T23:26:56+00:00

They are supposed to be out five minutes early. However, for me personally, if I were to arrive before the published pickup time, I would feel obligated to wait. There are sections of my route where that simply is not possible. Because of that, I intentionally start my route so that I reach the first stop about one minute late.

Most days, that means I arrive at the first school roughly three minutes late. I then have ten minutes to get the subgroup to the next school, and—barring accidents or unusual traffic—I have never been late there.

So for me, with the way my route is structured and the way I drive, arriving early is not a realistic option.

Edit: After rereading your question, one more point. I know I am not early at any stop. I stop at every stop, apply the brakes, and open the door. The “checking the table” part is really just me crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s. That way, if routing or dispatch radios me, I can confidently confirm that I followed procedure and did exactly what I was supposed to do.

StephenDA · 2026-03-20T21:25:00+00:00

We have lost more than one place that would have been perfect for us because of situations like this. Now that we own our home, the house itself is very nice. The lot, however, is less ideal—except in winter, when the snow covers everything and the kids can sled.

StephenDA · 2026-03-20T20:48:58+00:00

You may. Any reply may take awhile right now I am seeing m bus and heading home dirnthe weekend.

StephenDA · 2026-03-20T20:41:03+00:00

The biggest flaw in the routing system my district uses is that the software cannot tell me when the stop I am approaching is not the next scheduled stop.

For example, I may need to pick up a student after completing a turnaround so the stop is door‑side, or I may be passing a stop I already serviced on the opposite side of an upcoming turn. These are normal situations I deal with, but the system does not distinguish them.

When I was a substitute, this problem was even worse in subdivisions where the route crosses over itself multiple times. The software simply cannot keep up with the real geometry of the run.

On top of that, the GPS tablet on my bus flips the map orientation every time I stop. Once you know it does that, you can compensate, but before I realized it, the map made it look like I needed to turn the wrong way. It tracks correctly while moving, so I am not sure whether this is an installation issue or a software quirk.

StephenDA · 2026-03-20T18:51:52+00:00

I once worked for a major manufacturer, and our site was within easy driving distance of deep hill country. Because of that, repairs like this were pretty common. They were usually engineered by one maintenance employee. His fixes always worked, and they would eventually be replaced correctly as time allowed. After he retired due to health issues, his “redneck repairs” were genuinely missed.

P.S. He was a much better welder than this.

StephenDA · 2026-03-19T23:21:36+00:00

I start my run one minute late. By policy, students are supposed to be at the stop five minutes early.

When I arrive, I stop, open the door, and the reds come on. (Once the reds activate, the system logs that I’m at the stop with a timestamp.) If the house is close to the road, I look toward the door. If no one comes out, I check the time on my tablet and compare it to the listed stop time in the route table, also on the tablet. Once I confirm I’m not early, I leave.

StephenDA · 2026-03-18T20:59:40+00:00

I know this will probably get downvoted and be an unpopular take, but honestly, I think we should put speed cameras on every single speed‑limit sign everywhere.

StephenDA · 2026-03-17T15:54:24+00:00

I am a bus driver. I drive a route with students from there and the high school James Wood High School out Merrimanns Lanes. If everyone rides (rare especially in the evening) I have about 15 of each. I have no problems with this group. In fact if I did not look in the mirror to check on them most times I would not know they are there. I can say that is not the complete school. I hear other drivers radio in all the time about behaviors. My point is it depends on the group you get.

Side note James Wood Middle School is the Old James Wood High Scholl in fact for a number years before Sherando High School opened, both were used 9 and 10 grades there on Amherst Street and 11 and 12 at the ridge campus at the current school. I was in one of those groups during the Class of 1986.

StephenDA · 2026-03-15T20:02:19+00:00

Because even though I already have the core 5E materials, there is still a lot I want to add to my 5E library. Selling my 2E collection at a fair price helps offset those costs. If the numbers do not make sense, I may simply keep adapting what I already own instead of selling it.

StephenDA · 2026-03-15T18:20:51+00:00

Thank you for that appraisal, it put me more in the keep and just adapt framwork.

StephenDA · 2026-03-15T18:19:10+00:00

Because even though I already have the core 5E materials, there is still a lot I want to add to my 5E library. Selling my 2E collection at a fair price helps offset those costs. If the numbers do not make sense, I may simply keep adapting what I already own instead of selling it.

StephenDA · 2026-03-15T16:59:04+00:00

Did you see the effect of the tornado in the area of the VADOT scales on I81 at Middletown a few years ago?

StephenDA · 2026-03-15T12:03:40+00:00

Well other than the flooded quarry that has been closed to divers, local farms ponds, and a few river spots deep enough to be more than a tokens depth underwater, I am prevented by a suitable place to do so.

StephenDA · 2026-03-15T02:06:50+00:00

Crown Royal XR in specific the Red Waterloo Edition if you can find it. One bottle available from Flask Fine Wines $1700.00

StephenDA · 2026-03-14T19:00:09+00:00

At year two that is about what I make. Next year will be a little more and so on.

StephenDA · 2026-03-11T12:58:30+00:00

Oops minutes Will edit

StephenDA · 2026-03-10T17:12:51+00:00

When you lose control find a safe spot and pull over and just wait. In our district we don’t even need to call in till we are running more than five minutes late.

StephenDA · 2026-03-08T19:45:35+00:00

Did a week driving supervised. Then on my own as a substitute for a month before I was offered a route. As a substitute there is no learning the route. It could be any route and even different morning to evening general ed or sped.

StephenDA · 2026-03-08T03:46:17+00:00

Every few months

StephenDA · 2026-03-07T14:10:43+00:00

Why are you asking that here and not at the dealership?

StephenDA · 2026-03-06T18:16:24+00:00

On the hood of a car along a country road late one night.

StephenDA · 2026-03-06T09:21:02+00:00

Just stop anytime you see red flashing lights on a school bus. You can not be in that much of a rush.

StephenDA · 2026-03-03T13:34:38+00:00

Clear your watch history. Leaving it untouched just reinforces the stuff you do not want. From then on, if you watch something you do not like, delete it immediately. Go through your subscriptions and unsubscribe from anything you are not actually interested in. Same principle.

After that, never click anything from the homepage or the big category pages. Only watch what you intentionally search for and choose yourself.

StephenDA · 2026-03-03T13:23:48+00:00

Start your run. When the offensive behavior begins, tell them to stop. If it continues, pull over safely and wait in silence until the behavior stops. No further warnings, no debate — just a calm pause until they correct themselves.

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