13th National Conference on School Transportation

Defining the King's English

WARRENSBURG, Mo. - One of the distinguishing characteristics of the English language is that it is a living language in contrast to Latin, for instance, which is considered a dead language. Latin is dead becomes no one living utilizes it in everyday speech; English on the other hand is considered a living language because of its widespread use, constant revisions, and adaptation to new knowledge and changing meanings. Check any previous edition of the dictionary on your desk and you'll find a host of new words added to later editions. The Terms and Definitions section of the final report of the 13th NCST reflects the steady evolution of the English language.

About half a dozen definitions were added and about an equal number were removed. More importantly, several definitions were changed to reflect industry developments. The most important of the new definitions has to do with Type A and Type B school buses in which the definitions of Type A-1 and Type A-2, in terms of the Gross Vehicle Weight Ratings they describe, were reversed.

The primary reason for changing these definitions, according to Charles Hood, chair of the13th NCST, is due to "new products on market. These (vehicles) with larger GVWR rating for Type A (school buses) from GM and Ford don't fit into the previously existing definitions," he said.

In the 13th final document the definition of a Type A-1 was amended and now describes a vehicle with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) "of 10,000 pounds or less," while a Type A-2 was amended and now describes a vehicle "with a GVWR greater than 10,000 pounds." That is exactly the reverse of the 12th Standards document which defines the Type A-1 bus as a vehicle of "10,001 pounds or more" and the Type A-II described a vehicle of "10,000 pounds or less."

"This allows adoption of a Type A-3 in the future with a GVWR of 14,599 lbs." as small school buses increase in size said Denny Coughlin, director of maintenance for the Minneapolis Public Schools.

The conference flip-flopped the definitions of Type A and Type B buses "to provide a more intuitive definition," according to Hood. "When I think of an A-1 that is a smaller category bus. When I think of an A-2, I think in terms of larger buses. The (revised) definitions are more intuitive," he said.

The 13th NCST definitions also removed the phrase "designed for carrying more than 10 persons" from all four types of school buses. It is silent about the carrying capacity of Type A, Type B, Type C and Type D school buses.

The phrase "constructed utilizing a cutaway front-section vehicle, with a left side driver's door" remains in the Type A definition.

Meanwhile, the definition of a Type B school bus was expanded to include two classifications. That wasn't the case in the 12th NCST that defined a Type B school bus as a van, van conversion or vehicle built on a stripped chassis "with a GVWR of 10,001 pounds or more."

Delegates to the 13th NCST amended that language. Now, a Type B-1 (no, not the Stealth Bomber) is a school bus "with a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less" while a Type B-2 is a school bus "with a GVWR greater than 10,000 pounds." 13th NCST Definition 12th NCST Definition Type A-1 10,000 lbs. or less l0, 001 lbs. or more Type A-2 10,001 lbs. or more 10,000 lbs. or less Type B-1 10,000 lbs. or less Type B-2 10,001 lbs. or more

Among the new terms added to the section: "nonconforming bus," "early bus," "brake fade," "handrail inspection tool," "hours of service," and "out of service." Terms taken out of the definitions section include: "child safety seat," "child safety restraint system," and "state."

The definition of a few terms such as "bus stop" were slightly revised, the definitions of "seat belt" and "seat restraints" were flopped, and "accident, school bus" was converted to "crash, school bus" to reflect NHTSA's elimination of the word accident from its official vocabulary.