How to Prepare for the Roadeo

"Relax and have fun. "That's the advice of six-time Roadeo driver Cliff Kuhl, of Louisville, Kentucky. "The less serious you are about the competition, the better you will do on the course."

If I had known that I probably would not have finished in next-to-last place in last year's Transit Roadeo. The real problem was that I wasn't prepared; my goal was merely to get the story for the company newsletter. But even with my penultimate score, I decided to come back the next year and compete.

My goal this time is to finish with a positive score, because points are deducted if you take too long, if you back up unnecessarily, or if you hit an orange cone or barrel. When I finished in 2008 more cones had been felled than were standing. The course looked like a forest that had been decimated by fire.

The Transit Roadeo is divided into four events: Uniform Inspection, General-Knowledge Test, Pre-trip Inspection and Obstacle Course.

The Uniform Inspection is a graded event, which means it is possible to fail. You begin with 50 points and the judge will deduct points for a wrinkled, dirty or incomplete uniform; unpolished or dirty shoes; or unkempt personal appearance. This is the easiest event because all of the uniform requirements are listed in your company handbook. If an item is not on the list (such as a cell phone) the judge had better not see it during the inspection.

Even with the Uniform Requirements list, it is possible to forget something; so you should lay out your entire uniform before going to bed--especially your tie, belt and black socks. (Black socks look just like brown ones in the morning.) In order to present the sharpest appearance, at the end of the year, when you have a few dollars left from your uniform allowance, you should buy an extra tie and ball cap and not wear them until the Roadeo. The shirt and pants should look like they were just cleaned and pressed, and the shoes should be polished. Also, if you didn’t buy a new belt last year, you can touch up your old one with the same polish that you use on your shoes.

As soon as you arrive at the Roadeo, you should ask your buddy to inspect you just to be sure that you remembered to button your back pocket and didn't forget your belt or tie. The belt and tie are the easiest items to forget, so you should put an extra set in your glove compartment. That way, if you are like me and forgot the tie and belt that were on your uniform hanger, and the second set that were on the door knob as you left the house, you will still have a back-up set when you arrive. If you are not like me, you will be able to rescue your buddy who didn't read this article and forgot his.

The General Knowledge test is a 50-question, multiple-choice test designed to measure your knowledge of vehicle operation, air brake system and passenger requirements. The questions are all taken from the latest edition of the DMV's Commercial Driver's Manual (DMV 60 December 18, 2008). You can pick up a free manual at any DMV office or download it at www.dmvNow.com.

If you are reading the printed manual you can underline or highlight important facts and numbers. If you choose to study the digital version you can copy the important information into a notebook. It may seem as if you already know the information, such as, “Don’t signal other drivers to pas you. This could cause an accident.” but you can reinforce it in your mind by writing out each fact or figure in your own words. This is also when you can make up memory aids to remember the procedures or numbers (If you make up your own aide it will be easier for you to remember.) For example, I remember the tread depths by reversing the number of wheels. There are two wheels in the front so the rear tread depth is 2/32 of an inch, there are four wheels in the back so the depth in front is 4/32. Hey, it works for me.

Pre-trip Inspection is an event that tests the operator's attention to detail and knowledge of the bus. You must identify a number of planted defects (you will be told how many before the event) with in seven minutes.

These defects may include: broken lights or windows, missing or un-charged fire extinguisher, fewer than three emergency reflectors, missing windshield wiper blade, missing or improper license plate, etc. You will not be required to start the bus (doing so, with the defects, would be a safety violation), nor open the engine compartment. Though you must check the fuel filler cap.

You do not have to identify each item as you inspect it, merely announce, "there's a crack in the windshield" or "the steering wheel is missing". The inspection does have to be systematic, you must check all of the items in one section before moving to the next. There is a time limit so you will not have time to go back.

The CDL Manual includes a checklist for pre-trip inspections, but the best way to prepare for the event is to conduct a thorough inspection every time you receive a bus.

The Main Event of the Roado is the Obstacle Course. Unlike your daily driving, where you focus one or two blocks ahead, this event is all precision driving. You are so close to the obstacles that they are hidden in your blind spots.

In this event, the same skill that keeps you in your lane is pushed to the limit. Even when your attention is on the big picture, you must still sense/feel/imagine where the white line is and keep your bus in your lane with out thinking about it.

The first obstacle that I confronted was the Serpentine. The on-board judge said that was the first time she had heard me swear. When I approached the orange cones I said, essentially, "There's no way the bus will fit in there." But this is where you must use the force, or your intuition, or imagination, or what ever you call it, to know where the cones are.

Before the event begins all drivers will walk the course with a judge. As you are walking you must visualize driving your bus through each obstacle. You must be able to see the entire course as just another bus route. If you make a wrong turn, or take an obstacle out of order, you will be disqualified. So if you can't see the course as a logical circuit or if you have any questions at all, this is the time to clarify it with the course judge.

As soon as you board the bus you can remove your tie, hang up your jacket, don your driving gloves, take a deep breath, or otherwise prepare yourself. The clock doesn't start until you move the bus. You should drive just as you do every day: if you always wear sun glasses, wear them; if you don't normally wear a ball cap, hang it up before you start; if you don't wear driving gloves every day, don't wear them now.

You should be as comfortable as possible so that you can concentrate on driving. For this reason, you should not be the first person to drive a bus, let someone else adjust the seat and mirrors. However, if they are not perfect take your time and don't put the bus in gear until everything is perfect.

Remember that, while driving on the course, you are still subject to all traffic laws. You may not receive a ticket but you can lose points, or be disqualified. That means use your turn signal before every turn (except during the Serpentine), and sound your horn and activate your four-way flashers before backing up. Also, keep both hands on the wheel at all times. As Cliff Kuhl said, "Woe upon you if you drive with your left hand and hold onto the farebox with the other."

You must be calm and in control of your bus at all times, the on-board judge is checking for smooth starts and stops. Additionally, you should not pump your brakes, if the air pressure drops you cannot afford to waste time building the pressure back up.

Clavin Parker, who has won the last 7 local Roadeos and has represented HRT at the state and national competitions, offered the following tips for individual obstacles: On the Rear Duals Clearance obstacle your right dual wheels must pass between the two rows of tennis balls, but if your front wheels are not lined up perfectly and pass up the center, your rear wheels will not clear the balls either.

In the Left (or Right) Hand Reverse obstacle you should find the large Pivot Cone in your mirror, this is what you will aim for in your turn, also if you touch it you will 10 points instead of just 5 for the other cones.

The Customer Stop is one obstacle that you can practice dozens of times each day. Except this time your front wheel must be within 6 inches of the curb and your rear wheel must be within 15 inches. As you make your customer stops on your route try to get your wheels within these distances. Also remember to use your turn signal, not four-way flashers, during the entire stop, and to announce the stop before closing your doors to proceed.

For the Diminishing Clearance obstacle you should line up your bus as soon as you complete the previous obstacle, then floor, it because the bus must reach 20 MPH through the barrels. If you are already at 20 MPH when you reach the barrels, as soon as you enter them you can begin slowing for the Judgement Stop at the end. The Judgement Stop is another obstacle that you can practice whenever you park your bus at night, you should get used to judging your front blind spot, and stop as close as you can to the bus ahead of you. At the Roadeo the judge will measure the distance between your bike rack and the final 18 inch-tall cone with a ruler. You must come within 6 inches of the cone, if it is greater than 6 inches 1 point will be deducted for each inch greater than 6 inches from the cone.

The hardest part of the Roadeo is meeting the pre-requisites. You should consider it a reward for going a full year with no avoidable accidents and no more than 4 miss-outs. This is your chance to show off your talent and skill as a driver, and have a little friendly competition with your fellow operators. Have fun and invite your friends and family to come and watch. And Cliff's final piece of advice, "Smile dammit!"