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Safety and skills emphasized at transportation ‘roadeos’


With steady hands and nerves of steel, veteran and novice road warriors gathered in Renton and Tukwila this past weekend for two separate contests to determine which King County Department of Transportation (KCDOT) employees have the best on-the-job driving skills.

Both Metro Transit and the King County Road Services Division held their annual “roadeos” on Saturday, July 15. KCDOT roadeo competitions are contests that test the skills and knowledge of Metro’s bus drivers and Roads’ heavy equipment operators and truck drivers. The contests challenge employees to keep their skills current, encourage continued mastery of all aspects of equipment operation and truck driving, while setting an example for the best safety practices.

“The bus roadeo is designed to promote excellence and professionalism in transit operations,” said Metro Transit Operations Manager Jim O’Rourke. “The type of skills on the course are very similar to what is required for safe operation of a bus in traffic on a city street or highway.”

Safety is also the major emphasis for the Roads Division. Roads employees who operate equipment work hard to keep up with the latest advancements in technology and to enhance their skills through training and on-the-job practical experience. By participating in roadeo competitions, employees can view and operate the latest equipment and technology, network with other operators to share tips and experiences, compare their skills, and identify areas where they can improve their knowledge and skills long before a safety issue ever arises.

Although the goals are the same, the competitions vary depending on the equipment being used.

For bus drivers, the “Metroadeo” competition is three part: driving a 40-foot bus through a closed-course with various skill stations; boarding a passenger with disabilities; and an uniform inspection to judge the contestant’s professional appearance.

The transit course contains 13 problems that test a driver’s ability in negotiating left and right forward turns, left and right backing turns, passenger stops, and judgment problems. At some stations, the score is determined by a matter of inches – as in smoothly stopping a 31,000-lb. bus traveling at 20 mph within six inches of a traffic cone.

The Roads contest has a three-part test for four different types of equipment. The competitors all do a vehicle inspection, take a written test, and drive through an obstacle course on one of the following: grader, loader, single-axle truck or double-axle truck.

The focus for the trucks is on safely driving a big rig. But, those who compete in a grader or loader must also demonstrate how well they can maneuver and manipulate the equipment. For example, the operator of the grader – which the county crews use for snow plowing – has to carefully use the 12-foot plow blade to knock baseballs from traffic cones and pedestals without knocking over the support.

“We tightened up the course this year, and gave the contestants even less room to maneuver, but people did really, really well on Saturday,” said Road Supervisor Lindy Jenson. “The scores are all very close.”

In addition to taking home trophies, certificates and the admiration of the peers, the roadeo winners also get to represent King County at bigger venues. The winner from the transit competition now advances to the state roadeo, which will be hosted by Metro in August. And, the Roads winners automatically advance to the national competition in Colorado in September.
 

Roadeo results

ROADS: Tom Burklid, Maintenance Division 3, first in single and first in double axle truck driving. Corey Green, Paving Unit, second in single and double axle. Clint Willaford, Division 4, first in equipment operation. Bob Mayovsky, Division 3, second in equipment operation.

TRANSIT: Don Brady, North Base operator, placed first in the Operator Division and has won the Metroadeo on eight previous occasions. Tom Ponischil, Central Base operator, placed second. Fred Sambrano, Atlantic Base operator, took third. Ryan Stringfellow, North Base mechanic, was victorious in the Maverick division. And, Paul McKillop from South Base had the best score for a first-time competitor.
 

Updated:  July 18, 2006

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