[Mishmash] Driving Buses Again

[Hugh Gigante]

Good luck with it Fred . . . 

 

From: mishmash-bounces at mishmash.net [mailto:mishmash-bounces at mishmash.net]
On Behalf Of Fred Atkinson
Sent: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 1:26 AM
To: Mishmash
Subject: [Mishmash] Driving Buses Again

 

Well, folks, 

 

    When the pastor of my church discovered I have a CDL with a passenger
endorsement on it, he immediately recruited me to drive the church bus and
the mini-bus.  

 

    My medical certificate had expired so before I could do it, I went to
get my physical so the doctor could issue me a new medical certificate.  I
passed and got my D.O.T. medical card. So now I can legally drive commercial
vehicles again.  

 

    When the church safety officer got my paperwork and looked at the
photocopy of my Class A CDL (eighteen wheeler license) and saw those codes
on the license, she freaked.  She'd never seen anything except a Class B
license with a passenger endorsement on it.  I had a Class A license with a
tanker truck, passenger, and doubles and triples endorsement.  I had to calm
her down and explain what each endorsement meant.  When she looked at the
photocopy of the back of my license and saw that 'P=Passenger' and I
explained to her that a Class A license was one step above a Class B and
that as long as I have a passenger endorsement that I am good to go.  She
was finally convinced.  I guess a church safety officer isn't as experienced
as a safety officer that works for a trucking or bus company.  

 

    Tonight, I met another one of their drivers at the church and we went
out for a good, long spin on I-25.  I've driven probably in excess of fifty
buses in my driving experience (I've been driving buses since I was
seventeen years old).  They were all either traditional style school buses
or the new transit style school buses (or the non-school equivalent of
them).  I had never driven an MCI type bus (somewhat like a Greyhound bus)
until tonight.  

 

    It takes some getting used to but after driving eighteen wheelers for a
year it wasn't so hard to handle.  The other driver was impressed and said
he would inform our safety officer that I was a good driver.  So I'll be
driving for some church trips again.  He told me that if I wanted to take
the bus out for some practice driving that I was welcome to do it a couple
of times.  I'll probably take him up on it.  

 

    I always enjoyed doing that when I was driving for my church in
Maryland.  You get to be popular quite rapidly that way.  It wasn't long
after I started driving for the church that everyone knew who I was.  So I
guess we're going to do this again.  

 

    Stay in touch, 

 

 

 

 

                                                                    Fred 

 

 

       

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