Necessary changes for the new century By Carmen Daecher

The Millennium is upon us. Part of the anticipation and excitement for the movement into the 21st century is the prospect of change.

So, what changes are in store for the motorcoach industry?

From where I'm sitting, if the industry does not take a new direction, it will be forced to change; new government regulations affecting daily operations, increasing scrutiny from the media and the public and technological impacts will require it.

The motorcoach industry basically resists change. It reacts to issues typically by suggesting they aren't problems for them or they are improperly applied to it. Emission standards, seat belts, and hours of service are just a few examples of issues to which the industry offers resistance to change. Many times it is successful in resisting change, but the same issues or variations of them continue to arise and the industry must continually react and respond to them.

While I am sure the industry will always have to react to issues, it detracts from what I believe is fundamentally lacking within the industry today. More than anything else, it needs visionaries who are willing to band together and demand more value for the equipment, professional personnel and services they provide. I am not talking about simply having the newest equipment and nice glossy marketing literature. I am suggesting the industry market its efforts in training and maintaining professional drivers.

I am also suggesting the industry not simply accept itineraries from tour groups but instead help shape them to conform with reasonable and professional standards for driving time and other such issues. The industry must market the use of technology (and not just television monitors) that will provide for a safer and more fulfilling experience to the customer. In other words, don't just market the bus, market the rest of your investments and demand fair compensation for them from your customers.

Many of us can point to deregulation as the producer of the competitive environment of today. A large number of small operators are operating illegally and unfairly and causing you to either turn away business or accept it at a lower than fair price. It is time to overcome that. If the industry does not turn its vision to improving its image and demanding fair compensation, it is doomed to more regulatory oversights, driver shortages, escalating liability issues and other such negative forces. It also will be forced to become more reactionary because of decreasing efficiency and safety performance.

Unless the economy produces a relatively high unemployment situation, the potential drivers of your motorcoach have options for employment that will reward them better than you can today. This causes you to hold on to drivers as much as possible. With increasing demand for services, you must compromise on who operates the motorcoach. Many times this results in customer dissatisfaction, accidents and injuries.

There is a need to eliminate the fear of requesting appropriate compensation for your services. The industry must come together and commit to moving past this fear and asking for appropriate compensation.

This change in direction will require leadership from all levels. But ultimately it is the individual operator who must be willing to produce this change and must work with fellow operators and state and national associations to achieve it on a worldwide basis. Now is the time to band together and to create a far lasting, far reaching change for the industry.

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