2023 BISC Summer Meeting
Meeting | July 25-27, 2023 | 9 AM - 6:30 PM ET
The Bus Industry Safety Council is your forum to address the latest safety and compliance topics that affect motorcoach operations.
Registration Fees:
Bus/Tour Operator:
$99 BISC Meeting
$99 BusMARC Meeting
$175 Both
Associate:
$99 BISC Meeting
$99 BusMARC Meeting
$175 Both
Government Employee:
$99 BISC Meeting
$99 BusMARC Meeting
$175 Both
Trade Association Rep:
$99 BISC Meeting
$99 BusMARC Meeting
$175 Both
Consultant:
$99 BISC Meeting
$99 BusMARC Meeting
$175 Both
Guest (if participating in sessions or meals):
$99 BISC Meeting
$99 BusMARC Meeting
$175 Both
Sponsors | Speaker: FREE
Download a 2023 Summer BISC Registration Form
Housing:
Click here to secure your housing reservations. Book by Tuesday, July 11 for best rate and to ensure availability.
Rate: $179/night
Embassy Suites Orlando International Drive
8978 International Drive,
Orlando, Florida 32819
(407) 352-1400
Schedule:
Tuesday, July 25 |
Room | |
| Breakfast (on your own) | ||
| 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Registration Open | |
| 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. |
Session: Opening General Session Keynote Address: Dr. Paul Atchley, University of South Florida
“Fooling Ourselves: Why Do We Drive Distracted Even Though We Know It’s Dangerous” Description: Distracted driving is leading us backward. We continue to stay near 40,000 road deaths in the US despite safer cars, better roads, and improved emergency services. There is 50 years of distracted driving work showing phones impair driving. This talk will review those studies, briefly, but the focus will be on why we can convince ourselves to ignore compelling data and place ourselves at risk. The talk will examine the value of immediate information, the disconnect of risk and behavior, and the “grand illusion” we call human perception. The talk will conclude with a discussion of how we might tackle this problem to improve safety for all who use our roads today. |
Florida Ballroom |
| 10:30 – 11 a.m. | Break | |
| 11 a.m. – Noon |
FMCSA Update Speaker: Peter Chandler, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Description: In this session, get a sense of what new regulations the Agency has put in place for 2023 and get an opportunity to directly address our regulators as they set out the top priorities for the Agency in the coming year. So many items to review, from the implementation of the Electronic Logging Devices, Entry Level Driver Training, Drug & Alcohol Testing, new Interpretive Guidance, to the emergence of remote compliance reviews. Stay up to date on the future direction of our industry’s enforcement. |
Florida Ballroom |
| Noon – 1 p.m. |
BISC Lunch – Buffet will be served |
Atrium |
| 1 – 2 p.m. |
Finding Your Purple Cow (Driver Hiring) Speaker: Scott Rea, Avatar Fleet
Description: The Official Formula to Filling Empty Seats: The 3 P's! There's no silver bullet that will fill all your empty seats, but we have a proven formula that doubles your hires without increasing your budget: Pitch, Placement & Process. Stop wasting money trying to outspend your competition. Recruit smarter. Pitch: you need to turn heads with a Purple Cow and stop looking like every other ad out there |
Florida Ballroom |
| 2 – 2:30 p.m. | Break | |
| 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. | Safety vs. Sales
Speaker: Jeff Shanker, Black Tie Transportation Description: The battle begins but wait… we are on the same team. This session will cover Safety from a regulation standpoint down through to a sales initiative. Being on the same team sometimes is difficult in that sales is generating revue for the company, while the Safety department is ensuring compliance with regulations. Is the Safety / Operations department brought into sales meetings, whether internal or external with (potential) clients? How do you “sell” Safety? From Hours-of-service questions; drivers questions about the duration of the trip; Hours of Service and Logging challenges, milage consideration, overtime exemptions, and more… We’ll discuss how you can bridge the gap and help ensure profitability across the company and compliance with regulations. |
Seminole Room |
| 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. |
Safety Director 101 – Understanding the Safety Management Cycle Speaker: Mike McDonal, Saucon Technologies Description: The Safety Management Cycle (SMC) is a tool is designed to help motor carriers establish and improve appropriate safety management controls, thereby reducing or eliminating violations. A motor carrier can use the SMC at any time; however, it can be particularly helpful to a motor carrier after it has reviewed its violations and crash history on the FMCSA Safety Measurement System (SMS). Applying the SMC is a step-by-step process that looks at “why” the safety and compliance issues are occurring rather than just identifying the violation (the “what”). The tool provides a framework for brainstorming remedies, choosing solutions, and designing and implementing plans to improve the motor carriers’ safety operations. The SMC consists of six Safety Management Processes (SMPs) that reflect the six areas of a motor carrier’s operations. This session will review those principles. |
Osceola/Orange Room
|
|
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. |
How Do I Prepare to Exercise? Key Questions for Setting Up a Security Tabletop Exercise, Speaker: Matt Maglio, DATTCO Description: With a number of new threats on the rise (physical, cybersecurity, insider threat, etc.), and a wide range of industries being targeted, companies of all sizes should be preparing for the worst. Just as we prepare for a natural disaster, companies should prepare for a security incident. In both instances, proper planning, preparation, and practicing potential scenarios is key. When it comes to security, practice makes perfect! Tabletop exercises are a powerful tool to help your organization perform better during real-world security attacks. A tabletop exercise can be defined as an activity in which key personnel gathers to discuss a simulated crisis situation and their potential response. It is important to understand that a table exercise is not an active simulation, exercise, or drill, it’s an exercise that aids preparation. Find out what you need to set up a successful exercise for your team. |
Lakes/Citrus Room |
| 3:30- 4 p.m. | Break | |
| 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. |
I'm in Safety. Not Marketing or HR! Speaker: Mark Szyperski, On Your Mark Transportation Description: In this session we discuss things that Safety Directors do every day that often don’t get enough credit. We often see Social Media Posts about the great destinations that groups travel to, or the fun a group had on their last trip. How about Social Media posts that show the last bus rodeo that the company had, bus driver training provided, or the fact that the company uses Electronic Logging Devices (yes, we all use them, but the public doesn’t know that). What about thanking the “Marketing Staff” in our garages? Yes, that was not a typo. Those who work in our garages are some of our biggest marketing representatives. When they decide to take the couple of extra minutes to fix or replace an arm rest, they have just told our customers that they care about the total experience. Speaking of the Garage staff, when was the last time a company posted one of the Garage Marketing Staff under the wheel checking the brakes? Or a safety meeting with drivers in attendance. Too often the Safety Department gets misinterpreted as a “Cost Center” instead of a “Profit Center”. Time to become Marketing Safety Professionals” Besides, all that will help Human Resources when they are recruiting for new drivers, too! |
Osceola/Orange Room |
|
4:00 – 5:00 p.m. |
Safety Director 201 – Remedial Driver Training Speaker: Matt Daecher, Daecher Consulting Group Description: This is another offering in a new series of sessions, specially designed for brand new fleet managers, safety directors, transportation professionals and even company owners. This session should help you understand the basics of what goes into a monitoring a fleet. After this session, you should be well on your way to being more in control of your operations. Many companies associate driver training with new hires and those looking to earn their CDLs. While there is value in that, an area that fleet managers should not overlook is remedial driver training for veteran and at-risk drivers. Veteran or tenured drivers have experience behind the wheel, but maybe they have picked up bad habits or are being introduced to a new product line of a vehicle or even returning from a long period off. They can benefit from refreshing their driving skills. But how do you do that? How do work to prioritize at-risk drivers that make it seem more likely that they will get into a crash? |
Lakes/Citrus Room |
| 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. |
In Case of Emergency Speaker: Dan Tomlinson, Lancer Insurance Description: Highway driving for motorcoach and bus drivers may appear to be less stressful than other driving situations but is, in fact, deceptively complex. What all should a driver do, when the vehicle breaksdown? What should a driver do after an accident? How should a driver direct passengers to disembark? Who should a driver call first after an accident? |
Seminole Room |
| 5:30 – 7 p.m. |
Reception/Site Visit Sponsored by Prevost 1300 Green Forest Ct. Transportation will be provided. Buses will depart from near the indoor pool near the Seminole Room. |
|
Wednesday, July 26 |
Room | |
| Breakfast (on your own) | ||
| 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Registration Open | |
| 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. |
CVSA Update: Changes to the Out-of-Service Criteria, Recent Enforcement Campaign Results Speaker: Jeremy Disbrow, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance Description: Each year, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) reviews, modifies and publishes new North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria. The North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria (OOSC) is the pass-fail criteria for safety inspections. The purpose of the criteria is to identify critical safety violations. Those violations can render the driver, vehicle and/or motor carrier out of service until the condition(s) or violation(s) are corrected or repaired. Find out about the latest changes to the criteria, and what to look out for before your next inspection. |
Osceola/Orange Room |
| 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. |
TSA Update Speaker: Curt Secrest, Transportation Security Administration Description: With more and more vehicle-involved terror attacks happening around the world, eliminating soft targets and boosting preparedness is key. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has some best practices and guidance to help you better prepare your motorcoach operations for an unexpected emergency and how to respond. They also have some timely updates on the Surface Transportation Security Training Rule, Cyber Security preparedness, critical resources and key intelligence to help you prepare for the months ahead. Have you done a BASE Assessment recently? Hear how you can get one requested and start improving your security posture today! |
Lakes/Citrus Room |
| 9:30 – 10 a.m. | Break | |
| 10 – 11 a.m. |
Driver OnBoarding – Road Testing, Finishing School & All of That Speaker: Matt Maglio, DATTCO Description: The first week after you hire a new driver is make or break. It can be the difference between drivers sticking with you for years to come or leaving you for the competition within a month. That’s why creating and implementing a proper driver onboarding procedure is so important. Driver onboarding integrates the new driver into your company and improves retention, motivation, and job satisfaction. Best of all, proper onboarding quickly allows new drivers to generate revenue. The problem is, most companies think onboarding is filling out paperwork and learning about your job. There's a lot to cram into a few-day period, and this causes orientation to turn into a scramble to get someone out on the road. Instead, orientation needs to be a warm embrace that makes drivers feel as though they made the right choice |
Osceola/Orange Room |
| 10 – 11 a.m. |
Motorcoach Operator Feedback on Open Regulatory Items Moderator: Brandon Buchanan, ABA Description: What’s going on in Washington? A time-honored question, that has become even more pressing after the recent election. Find out what is next up on the legislative agenda, items of interest for the motorcoach industry, and which key committees to keep a keen eye one. Also, learn which regulations are on the near horizon as well as anticipated down the road. But now, that you have been educated, now a twist! This time, the audience will be the one presenting their opinions and ideas on what is going on. |
Lakes/Citrus Room |
|
10 – 11 a.m. |
NTSB Update Speaker: Mike LaPonte, National Transportation Safety Board Description: The National Transportation Safety Board is one of the agencies that initiatives a post-accident investigation following a fatal accident and makes recommendations to the industry as well as the government on what steps can be taken to avoid similar accidents in the future. What lessons can we learn from recent fatal motorcoach and school bus crashes? Find out at the next presentation by the NTSB. |
Seminole Room
|
| 11 – 11:30 a.m. | Break | |
| 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. |
Closing General Session BISC Mentor Program: Office Hours Recap of Takeaways |
Florida Ballroom |
| 12:30 – 2:00 p.m. | BusMARC Lunch | Atrium |
| 12:30 – 4:30 p.m. | BusMARC Education Sessions | Florida Ballroom |
| 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. |
Happy Hour Reception Sponsored by Temsa |
Flagler Room |
Registration:
Registration is closed for this event
