Since our last News Flash, SBIC has acquired additional information that should help owners and operators identify the potential for cracked or broken welds that exist in the roof structure of certain Carpenter school buses.

In addition, SBIC hopes to soon release additional information that states and school districts can use to fix any Carpenter school buses that are found to have cracked or broken welds in the roof structure.

The following information is provided for your consideration and use:

1. On April 14th, SBIC disseminated notice that the Florida Department of Education had sent a memorandum to each Florida school district advising it to inspect any Carpenter Type “C” and “D” school bus built in Mitchell, Indiana, from 1986 to late 1995. That notice suggested that it would be prudent for other states that have school buses manufactured by Carpenter Manufacturing at its Mitchell, Indiana, plant from 1986 to late 1995 also to initiate inspection programs of those school buses to ensure that there are no broken or defective welds in the roof structure.
    
2. On April 18th, SBIC disseminated a second notice advising that certain Type “A” and Type “B” manufactured by Carpenter also should be inspected. That notice provided guidance on checking the Carpenter body numbers as a means of determining if the bus was manufactured at the Mitchell plant or the Richmond plant.
    
3. The information provided on April 18th about the 6-digit body number that appears on the Carpenter body data plate is correct in nearly all instances. However, additional information has come to light which indicates that some buses with a “4” in the first character of the body number were scheduled to be manufactured at the Richmond plant, but actually were made at the Mitchell plant. These buses would have been made in the last half of 1995. If you have a model year 1995 Carpenter school bus with a body number starting with the number “4,” it is possible to identify whether it was made in the Mitchell or Richmond plant by looking at the location of the rub rails on the side of the body.
    
4. There are noticeable differences between the rub rail locations for the two Carpenter plants. The rub rail at the floor line in all buses made at the Mitchell plant is interrupted at the wheel openings. The rub rail at the floor line in all buses made at the Richmond plant is continuous and is located just above the wheel opening.
   
     
   
     
    
5. All Carpenter school buses built in Mitchell, Indiana, no matter what the body number, should be inspected for cracked or broken welds in the roof structure. The photograph below shows the locations of the components that are welded together.
   
   
    
   Two diagrams showing the components and weld locations are shown below:
   
   
   

Reports have been received from various states and school districts around the country on the results of their inspections. Some reports reveal significant numbers of school buses with cracked or broken welds, while other reports reveal few, if any, cracked or broken welds. At this time, there does not appear to be any pattern to explain the different results.

As noted on April 14th, Carpenter Manufacturing is no longer in business, and thus there is no one that could be held accountable to develop a remedy for what appears to be an obvious safety defect. Accordingly, there would be no benefit for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to conduct a full-scale defect investigation or consider issuing a safety recall.

FINALLY, SOME GOOD NEWS . . .

Efforts are underway to develop guidelines or best practices that states and school districts can use to fix any Carpenter school buses that are found to have cracked or broken welds in the roof structure. Details on how this will be done should be available soon. At that time, another notice will be sent to you.

In the meantime, it appears reasonable to take the following actions with respect to any Carpenter school bus that has been found to have cracked or broken welds in the roof structure:

• If possible and practicable, the bus should be taken out-of-service until it is repaired in accordance with the guidelines or best practices that are planned for development.
   
• If possible and practicable, the bus should be used as a “reserve” or “back up” bus.
   
• If possible and practicable, the bus should not be used for school activity trips.
   
• If possible and practicable, the bus should be used on routes that operate in low-speed environments.
   
• If none of these actions are possible or practicable, then the bus should be left in service until a repair can be made based on the guidelines or best practices that are planned for development.

The logic for this action is based on a similar situation that existed in the early 1990s.

At that time, there were a large number of school buses that were recalled because of a problem with the fuel tank cage. NHTSA sent letters to each State Director explaining the reason for the recall, and noted that it would take time to develop a recall remedy and then fix all of the school buses. NHTSA recommended that schools continue to use these school buses, even though there was a potential safety problem with the fuel tank cage, because the risks to children would be greater if they were taken out of school buses and forced to use other modes of transportation.

The same situation exists with the Carpenter school buses that have been identified as having cracked or broken welds in the roof structure. If these buses are taken out-of-service, and children are forced to find other means of transportation (such as passenger motor vehicles, vans, walking, or biking), the risks of injury or death increases dramatically. The study completed by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences in June 2002 clearly identified the elevated risks to children that do not ride school buses to and from school and school-related activities.

We appreciate your continued attention to this situation. Please be assured that as additional information becomes available, it will be provided to you.