Q’STRAINT-Sure-Lok School Bus District Customer Spotlight

CASE STUDIESMarch 4, 2020

In an on-going series, we will be interviewing transportation safety professionals like Anthony Pollard, transportation supervisor at the Baldwin County Board of Education Transportation Department (BCBE) to learn about their day-to-day activities and how they seamlessly integrate with Q’STRAINT/Sure-Lok state-of-the-art wheelchair securement equipment and industry leading training programs.

• School District: Baldwin County Board of Education Transportation Department
• Transportation Supervisor: Anthony Pollard
• Type: Large rural school district
• Location: Baldwin County Alabama
• Wheelchair Securement Equipment: Q’STRAINT QRT Series
• Wheelchair Securement Training Approach: A combination of classroom and field training, as well as attending the Q’STRAINT National Training Seminar (NTS)
• Students: 16,000 students are transported on a daily basis
• District Size: 2,200 miles
• Travel Distance: 17,000 miles every day
• Bus Routes: 307
• School Buses: 350
• Mechanics: 14
• Schools: 48

Why I like Q’STRAINT wheelchair securement equipment:

It is a hassle free product that is easy to learn and use and extremely durable at the same time.

What do you think about the Q’STRAINT Training AQADEMY:

Q’STRAINT instructional programs are fantastic. I love everything about them. I went to their Fort Lauderdale facility along with four of my operators to take part in their National Training Seminar (NTS) and found it so valuable. I was able to bring back to my department a tremendous amount of knowledge to incorporate into our existing training program.

What did you like about the Q’STRAINT NTS:

I liked the fact that they brought in trainers who have been working in the industry for 30 years. It makes a huge difference to learn from someone who has seen it all in terms of wheelchair securement best practices.

I also enjoyed the plant tour, where they took us through the manufacturing process. I can see why Q’STRAINT products are built to last.

“Q’STRAINT instructional programs are fantastic. I love everything about them. I went to their Fort Lauderdale facility along with four of my operators to take part in their National Training Seminar (NTS) and found it so valuable. I was able to bring back to my department a tremendous amount of knowledge to incorporate into our existing training program.”

Anthony Pollard, BCBE Transportation Supervisor

Training Methodology:

We built wheelchair stands and brought them into a classroom for formal training. We also teach our operators on a bus to simulate on-the-job training.

Greatest Challenge:

It has been well documented that school district transportation supervisors like myself have a finite amount of time to train their drivers. We need to make the most of our training time and work as efficiently as possible. Q’STRAINT products are easy-to-use and easy-to-learn, which ultimately shortens the time it takes to train our operators and trainers.