Don't sweat the small stuff . . . and it's all small stuff. That's the catchy title of a practical-advice book that became a best-seller in the mid-1990s. It sure sounds comforting. Imagine never having to worry again. But, as we all know, if you're involved in school transportation, you have to sweat everything. This isn't the type of industry where you can put the operation on automatic pilot and take a long nap during the middle of the day. You need to be constantly coaxing yourself and your staff into a higher gear. The battle for greater safety and improved efficiency is never won. Memo to self: sharpen saw
That's not to say, however, that you shouldn't occasionally break away from the daily routine and look beyond the horizon. You must find time to sharpen the saw. A manager who never takes the time to expand his knowledge base and thus extend his reach can hope to improve only through on-the-job trial and error. That would be like an airline pilot improving his emergency landing skills while transporting a planeload of passengers. To help you sharpen the saw, SCHOOL BUS FLEET has created a product that will make it easier for you to improve yourself and your transportation program. In the next month or so, we will be launching a newsletter called SBF Plus that will share more than a dozen ideas for successful pupil transportation management in every issue. Most of these ideas will come from people like you who have discovered a better way of recruiting and retaining drivers, training staff members, holding meetings, handling employee morale problems, dealing with student misbehavior, procuring supplies and equipment, mapping routes, responding to parent complaints. Well, I think you get the idea: We want to help you do your job better. Each issue of SBF Plus will be packed with practical tips, tactics and strategies to make you a better school transportation professional, whether you're the transportation director of a district fleet of 500 buses or the garage supervisor for a fleet of 50 buses or the owner of a contractor company with five buses. SBF Plus will be perfect for people who don't have time to read. The articles will be short, direct and to the point. Every issue will contain practical ideas that can be put into action the next day. Ernest Hemingway once said, "Never mistake motion for action." SBF Plus will focus on action. What the wise man said. . .
A wise man once said, "A subscription to SBF Plus will solve all your problems." OK, a wise man never said that. And, no, SBF Plus won't solve all your problems. But it will solve some of them, and it will be consistent in quality issue after issue. And you can count on the same level of accomplishment that you receive from the editors of this magazine. Because SBF Plus will not be supported by advertising, we will be charging a subscription fee. In return for first-class mail delivery of 24 issues per year (twice a month), plus an exclusive salary survey, we're asking for $199. That's the regular rate; however, if you sign up for a free trial subscription before Oct. 12, we'll guarantee an introductory rate of $159. Consider a subscription to SBF Plus as an investment in your future. You'll still have to sweat the small stuff, but, hey, no one said working in school transportation would be easy. Fulfilling, yes, but not easy.