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Brad Barker
Administrator

USA
874 Posts

Posted - 07/06/2015 :  07:31:19 AM  Show Profile  Click to see Brad Barker's MSN Messenger address  Reply with Quote
It has been my theory that tracking maintenance costs for the life of a school bus will show you an increased cost per mile over time if maintenance is performed properly. At a predetermined cpm maximum the bus then reaches its useful life and becomes eligible for surplus.
In a recent article in SBF magazine, uneconomical repair was mentioned as a determining factor used by the military to determine whether a vehicle should be surplussed. I would like to learn more from districts as to their factoring methods of when a bus has reached its economical limit or life cycle.

Thank you,

Brad Barker
schoolbuspm@q.com

Cal Mc
Advanced Member

303 Posts

Posted - 09/19/2015 :  06:52:30 AM  Show Profile  Visit Cal Mc's Homepage  Reply with Quote
What do you do when your oldest buses run daily without fail and the newer buses that are just about off warranty live in the shop?
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Bus Tech1
Senior Member

76 Posts

Posted - 09/29/2015 :  5:15:21 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Brad, have you had any luck determining at what CPM or other factors let you know when it is time to retire a bus? I have tried to come up with a good method and wander what the average is for a district. We seem to be putting too much money in running older buses.
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bwest
Administrator

United States
3820 Posts

Posted - 12/17/2015 :  2:04:40 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Cal Mc

What do you do when your oldest buses run daily without fail and the newer buses that are just about off warranty live in the shop?



Funny! I used to have this problem with IC but now I hope to no longer purchase this brand. I have reduced my IC buses by 50% in the last 4 years. Time will tell if this was a good move. This along with purchasing propane engines, I believe will reduce my down time. Again, time will tell.

I am a small operation and do not keep that precise of records to determine cost per mile of each bus. I know the theory about repairing things that need it and all but when buses get to a certain age you have to repair safety items and leave the other items sometimes. Experience makes a person better able to make this determination.

Bryan
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sims8791
New Member

1 Posts

Posted - 07/26/2016 :  12:00:00 PM  Show Profile  Visit sims8791's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Each District is different. I have a 65 bus operation, and with the formula that was shared with me from the previous director, our buses seem to "break even" around 10 years. Once it reaches year 12-13 we spend more than the vehicle is worth. We are currently in the process of replacing our fleet. I purchased 15 buses this year, and was able to trade in anything 2002 and older.
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bwest
Administrator

United States
3820 Posts

Posted - 02/08/2017 :  12:44:11 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I know this is an old topic but one close to my heart. We have some pretty old buses for our area. I know out west they have some that get older than these. Just traded one that was 18 years old (it was the oldest) The most expensive repair is likely the engine. I can get by with 3k on my old Cats. Trans are in the $500 range and anything else is lower than that unless you have to do body work. Which brings up another issue. What about rust? I live in an area that doesn't have a lot of problems with rust but it is still there on the old ones. When does it become unsafe with rust in the body cross members? There are many issues that must be weighed before one can talk about trading because of cost per mile in repairs. Now, that being said, the newer diesels I have are going to become too expensive to repair pretty quickly. I have tossed around the idea of trading them more quickly than some of the older more reliable engines. Just a thought.

Bryan
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