Mt. Pleasant school bus company picked for Ford van study
The steep winding roads and potholes Western Pennsylvania drivers dread helped snare a spot for a Mt. Pleasant school bus company in a national study set to begin this summer.
A spokesman for DMJ Transportation Inc. said the company — which provides transportation to 17 school districts in four counties — signed an agreement to participate in a Ford Motor Co. study that will gather data documenting the performance of Transit vans on some of the region's most challenging roads.
“We routinely use Pittsburgh and the surrounding area for data collection because of the excellent availability of roads with steep grades and potholes,” Ford spokesman Steve Kellogg said in a statement announcing the study.
The yearlong study will gather data from 3,000 Transit vans across the country and will track 20 DMJ vans. The Mt. Pleasant company uses 40 of the 9-passenger vans to transport students.
“Ford first contacted us by email in May, I'm assuming because we have a fleet of 40 Transit vans. We were thrilled about the opportunity to provide input on the design of future Transits,” Jay Kilpatrick of DMJ said.
Four Ford representatives met in late May with Mark Kraynick, DMJ's safety coordinator.
“What was really exciting, though, was to learn that this is a national study involving 3,000 Transits, and we were the first company to receive data loggers,” Kraynick said. “We look forward to working with Ford and providing input on how their future design can better meet our needs.”
Each van in the study will be equipped with a palm-sized data logger that collects information from vehicle sensors for up to a year. Ford has special vehicles that will trail each of the Transits throughout a day or partial day on the road. The study will gather survey information related to vehicle loads, road conditions and driving habits.
A DMJ spokeswoman said the company will use vans selected for the project on routes in the Greensburg, Mt. Pleasant, Latrobe and Donegal areas.
Established in 2001, the company has grown from a one-vehicle operation to a company that employs 115 drivers, monitors and staff. DMJ recently was awarded a five-year transportation contract for Greensburg Salem School District, starting in August.
Debra Erdley is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 412-320-7996 or derdley@tribweb.com or via Twitter @deberdley_trib .
