BAD BOYS OF NEW JERSEY

The following is a statement written by Bill Clark, former owner-operator of Ultra Club Coach in Philadelphia, who also served as a driver for GSS Tours and who suffered the fate of many drivers going into Atlantic City.   Alas, he was confronted by the “bad boys”, as he called them.    Here is his report:

AH, THE BAD BOYS OF NEW JERSEY       Just a play on words taken from the TV series “COPS”.  This story is not about the criminals in New Jersey but the so-called GOOD GUYS of the New Jersey Department of Transportation, inspectors of the Atlantic City bus inspection unit.  The following details are given as my opinions and observations as I certainly am entitled to my opinions and am somewhat qualified in my observations as being in a law enforcement position as a Police Officer for 23 years for the City of Philadelphia Police Department.

I also have 30 years experience as a motorcoach operator and seven years being an owner-operator.

Being in law enforcement, an officer develops his skills over a period of time in all aspects of what it takes to be a good officer.  What cannot be taught or learned with any amount of training is one aspect an officer learns with experience or what he develops on his own.  That aspect is what is known as “good common sense”.

Now I know I do not personally know any of the officers on the NJDOT bus inspection unit but I have been inspected enough times to “read” these guys somewhat.  Some of the inspectors sometimes do not want to write up questionable defects, not because they don’t know the law, but their “common sense” instinct is kicking in, but because of their by the book “no common sense” supervisor, they are ordered to write up all defects and issue summonses.  Today, however, these inspectors have now all taken on the (lack of) character of their supervisor, not as their choice but because they are paid to do their “job” (as defined by the supervisor).

A case in point:  August 17, 2001.

I arrive at the SHOWBOAT HOTEL AND CASINO at 7:50 p.m.  There was no other bus or vehicle in the bus arrivals/departure area.  My bus is greeted by SHOWBOAT personnel and my passengers are unloading.  After about 10 minutes, I am approached by a gentleman who identifies himself and points to his badge on his belt (identifying an NJDOT inspector).  He announces that he wants to inspect my bus and he asks me if I know where to go on New Jersey Avenue.  I assure him I know where to go and he warns me that if I don’t show up, a $1,000 fine will be issued.  I am driving a 57-passenger motorcoach which my company purchased new two years before.  The bus had been driven only about 100,000 miles, a mere song in the charter motorcoach industry.

I go to the inspection location and am now in line at 8:05 p.m. behind five buses, with the first bus on the ramps (in the air for under-the-coach inspection).  An inspection was in progress.  My paperwork is checked along with an exterior and interior inspection as I wait in line.  My bus undercarriage inspection starts at 8:55 p.m.  Then, at 9:25 p.m., I am instructed that my bus is being put out of service for a chafed air line hose on the left front wheel.  I am told I have three options:  1)  Call for a service truck and have the air line replaced, 2)  Call for a tow truck and have the bus towed out of Atlantic City, or 3)  if I don’t remove the bus in a timely matter, the NJDOT will have the bus towed.

I immediately call for a road service whose representative tells me the truck will be at the scene in 30 minutes.  I advise the DOT inspector of this and I am instructed to pull the now-”out of service” bus over onto a vacant lot and wait there for my paperwork and red tag.

The paperwork was returned to me at 9:45 p.m.  At this point, I am asked what arrangements I have made.  Again, I reply that I have called for road service at 9:25 p.m.  At this point, I am approached by another inspector whom I had not seen before who tells me he will have to call to have my bus towed.  I ask him why.  By this time, they have 11 additional buses in line to be inspected.  As we walks away without answering me, the service truck pulls up to replace my allegedly “chafed” air line.  My repair is completed by 11:00 p.m., and I leave.  America is now safe.

My observation is:  why all the harassment?  My opinion is:  is this operation by the BAD BOYS OF NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION bus inspection unit based on quality or quantity?  In a three-hour period, I saw 17 buses at this inspection post.  Is this supervisor nuts?  I never saw any of these guys take a break or eat lunch.  After I was told to pull my bus off the ramps, there were two buses behind me.  I heard the supervisor tell his inspectors:  “OK guys, let’s go get some more!”

Two things in the supervisor’s favor:  1)  I did see a water bucket on the back of the RV command vehicle and 2) he must have been in a good mood because he told his troops they wouldn’t write any summonses tonight because he said “we’ll give ‘em a break tonight”.

I have seen this operation being conducted in this manner for years.  Who oversees this operation other than the on-site supervisor?  Are numbers all that counts?  Fines paid to Atlantic City Municipal Court?  They are substantial.  Does the NJDOT care about the costs to the owners of the bus companies or the inconveniences to the people who ride the buses?  What happened to the blue tag that put your bus out of service but would allow you to drive the bus immediately to a repair facility to get repairs performed in time for you to return to pick up your group at the casino?  Why do the bus companies have to face and bear the costs of a red tag and on top of that have to receive summonses and require in-court appearances by the owner of the bus company?  Why the exorbitant fines which have been set up on a NJDOT scale?

My out-of-service violation was written up correctly, according to the federal regulation.  This 1 1/2″ rubber hose did have very minor chafing on it as a result of a broken bracket.  It probably would last another 15 years before it would actually give way.  Then, if it did break, no air would escape the system unless the brake was applied and you still could drive the bus long enough to get it to a repair facility.  And, in between time, no passenger would be in jeopardy because the bus still could be stopped as conditions would warrant, due to the other air lines that would simultaneously kick in to slow or stop the bus.

My point is that the law is a good guideline to be followed, but common sense goes a whole lot further.  My contacts with the NJDOT are numerous, sorry to say.  I can talk at length about each of them.

One incident I can recall that I know personally but was not directly involved in went like this:  on a Friday night some time ago, I escaped an NJDOT inspection after dropping off my passengers at SHOWBOAT, but I saw another company’s bus in line for an inspection near the casino.  I parked at the A. C. T. A. lot and a little while later saw the driver of the other company’s bus.  In conversation with him, he said his bus had been red-tagged and his company had made arrangements to have the bus towed.  He was told the tow fee would be $500.00.

As we talked outside the parking facility, we were amazed to see his bus being driven by an NJDOT inspector with a small Atlantic City police department tow truck in front of the bus (not towing it) and a NJDOT white van behind the bus.  We saw the bus driven onto the impound lot (maintained by AC).  I was told afterward that this company received a towing bill, as described above.

What is wrong with this picture?

Who is getting this money?

We have so many governing bodies that give us rules and regulations.  Federal.  State.  Local.  And then there’s the Atlantic County Transportation Authority.  Who watches over these authorities to make sure they are governing properly, fairly?  Oh, sure, according to the law, they are acting properly.  The number$ surely will back that up.

But where is the quality and where is the common sense?

Bill Clark.

8/21/01