Mr. Plow,
My town is making me drive a 30 year old pay star; It looks bad can d.o.t. help me?
Joe Doakes

In some states the Highway Patrol, or State Police inspect vehicles for safety concerns (i.e. steering, brakes, lights etc.) on vehicles that are driven over the roads, that would include 30 year old loaders.
In other states it is the D.O.T. that does that. If inspected your town would have to repair any safety concerns cited, but not buy you a 950G Cat loader. They can not make your town put a new coat of paint on that Pay Star. Many cities and towns like their equipment to look good to inspire public trust. You may try to gain the ear of a Town Councilman.
If this Pay Star is not driven over public roads and is indeed unsafe to operate, O.S.H.A. is the agency with the power to have it inspected.
None of these actions will make you popular with your employer. I would not recommend going there unless this loader is unsafe and your town resists repairing it.
Many towns have written "request for repair" forms. Use this venue first (keep copies).
Be specific. Use terms like "Brake pedal goes to the floor before stopping" not "loader looks bad".
If this Pay Star in your opinion truly constitutes a DANGER to the public, DON'T OPERATE IT! You don't want to be the one who runs over a school bus full of kids!
Lastly, many snow removal companies winter lease their equipment, so they always have new or near new equipment.
They also often pay better then towns.
Mr. Plow

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Dear Mr. Plow,
How are you? I am fine. My name is Sarah Eisenman, and I am a fifth grader in Iowa. The students in my fifth grade class are particpating in Invent, Iowa, a competition that encourages us to invent something new, or alter a current invention to a better use.
I would like to ask you some questions about the price of a plow that is for an 8 feet wide, and 40 feet long school bus. That is my invention a school bus scoop. It may not work in real life, but OH WELL...
Sarah Eisenman
PS: Write back soon so I can have the informaition.

Hi Sarah,
In some cities they have snow plows on the garbage trucks. This is so they can plow and pickup garbage at the same time.
You could put snow plows on school buses so they could plow their routes. A plow for a vehicle that size would be about $8000. However School buses do not have hydraulic systems.
This would also have to be added. Let's say another three thousand. You would have to train the bus drivers how to run the plows. Let's say 8 hours per driver. If you have 20 bus drivers , the cost for training would be 8 X 20 X their hourly wage. Let's say it is $15. per hour , this would be $2400 for training.
Instead of a scoop, a fixed one way plow would be the best for a bus. A fixed one way plow only plows the snow to the right side of the road. It is the easiest type of plow to run.
Even with a day of training school, bus drivers are not snow plow operators.
All of this is fine. The only problem I see is all of the Moms and Dads. They might freak to see the school buses plowing snow with their children on board. It might be best to have the bus drivers only plowing when the kids are in class.
I think your idea shows that you have imagination and you are a very smart girl. I hope this helps in your homework assignment. Write again with any questions you may have.
Good Luck!!
Mr. Plow

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