Electronic Memorandum

To: Administrators and Managers of School Bus Operations
From: Division of School Traffic Safety and Emergency Planning
Re: Fourth Advisory - Mitchell Built Carpenter School Buses
Date: July 7, 2003

Since our last advisory to you on April 30, 2003, the School Bus Information Council (SBIC) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have issued statements concerning Carpenter school buses built at the Mitchell, Indiana, plant. The SBIC statement is available at www.schoolbusinfo.org/press.htm. The NHTSA statement is available at www.schoolbusinfo.org/carpbusadvisory.html.

No official repair or fix is coming.

Although a previous communication from the SBIC indicated that guidelines were being investigated to fix any Carpenter school bus found to have cracked or broken welds in the roof structure this is simply not the case. The NHTSA declined to conduct an investigation or order a probable safety recall because the Carpenter company is no longer in business.

To follow-up the SBIC and NHTSA statements the following informational items are provided:

• This issue represents a potential safety defect. Not all Mitchell built Carpenter school buses have cracked or broken welds. Anecdotal reports, within Indiana and around the country, indicate differences in the extent of the cracked or broken welds.
• School buses remain the safest way for children to travel to and from school. According to NHTSA, “Every year, approximately 450,000 public school buses travel an estimated 4.3 billion miles to transport 23.5 million children to and from school and school-related activities. The school bus occupant fatality rate of 0.2 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled(VMT) is much lower than the overall rate for motor vehicles of 1.5per 100 million VMT. If one considered the average number of passengers on school buses versus passenger cars, there would be even a larger difference in the fatality rates per passenger mile.” April 2002, School Bus Safety: Crash Worthiness Research
• All bus types, A,B,C, and D Carpenter school buses built in Mitchell, Indiana should be inspected.
• All years of Carpenter school buses built in Mitchell, Indiana should be inspected.
• The initial advisory from the Florida Department of Education confined the potential safety defect between the 1986 to 1995 model years. The oldest Carpenter bus in use in Florida was built in 1986, leading the SBIC to use the date range of 1986 to 1995.
• Visual inspections of the Carlin rail, roof bows, and side rails is vitally important. Illustrations of these features are in the division’s April 28, 2003 advisory at www.doe.in.gov/safety.
• The inspections should be done by someone (or company) qualified to inspect and evaluate welds or welding defects or deficiencies.
• Regular re-inspection is important for buses that remain in service which do not show any welding defects or deficiencies.
• If welding is the method chosen to repair a defect in the Carlin rail, roof bow, or side post obtain the services of the most qualified individual or company who will perform the work.
• For any Carpenter school bus remaining in-service it is recommended that you document, at a minimum, the following information: date of inspection, person/company completing inspection, credentials of inspector, inspection results, repairs completed, and method of repair. Digital pictures or video would enhance the documentation.

If you need additional assistance or have follow-up questions please contact the division at 317-232-0890.