Lorenz Bus Service drivers sharpen skills and compete for a spot at UMA Motorcoach EXPO.

What started as a simple way to strengthen safety practices at Lorenz Bus Service has transformed into a full-scale driver competition, giving employees the chance to showcase their expertise and even earn a spot in the International Driver Competition at the United Motorcoach Association (UMA) Motorcoach EXPO.

The annual contest began in 2021 as part of a safety program designed to reduce accidents and improve performance behind the wheel. Over time, it has grown into something much more, a tradition that drivers look forward to each year.

“It’s a busy time of year for us, with school starting and the end of a big event we work on,” said Mike Canine, CEO of Lorenz Bus Service. “We started this skills competition a year ago, so this is our second one. Everybody competes in both a motorcoach and a transit bus, because we use some transit buses for the fair and other big events, and we want people practicing in both.”

From safety initiative to summer competition

Each summer, Lorenz sets up a training course based on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s motorcoach curriculum. Every driver is required to complete at least one individual training session to fine-tune their abilities.

“This year we had 210 individual one-on-one training sessions,” said Ben Canine, Lorenz’s chief operating officer and Mike’s brother. “Whether you’re a new driver or experienced, the course helps prevent accidents and reinforces spatial awareness. You’re sitting in a 45-foot rectangular box that’s 12 feet tall and about 13 feet wide, so understanding how that bus moves relative to what you see and what you see in your mirrors is huge.”

The hands-on approach quickly became more than just a training exercise. Drivers wanted to test themselves against one another, and against the best in the industry.

“The competition came about because we had a bunch of drivers who said, ‘We really want to go to EXPO. We really want to compete at EXPO,” Ben explained. “So after the skills training, we set up a competition and said the winner could go.”

A growing tradition

Lorenz hosted its first contest two years ago using the same course drivers trained on. Scoring was measured to the smallest detail, so organizers thought ties would be nearly impossible. They were wrong.

“Last year we ended up having a tie in both our motorcoach side and our transit side,” Mike recalled. “The key prize was to go to UMA, and all of our people who competed said the thing they wanted most was to go to UMA.”

That meant more drivers earned a trip than originally expected.

“We thought we were sending one driver to EXPO last year, and we ended up sending four,” Ben said.

This year’s competition brought together 27 drivers. In the motorcoach category, Luis Valencia came out on top and will represent Lorenz at the UMA Motorcoach EXPO’s International Driver Competition. On the transit bus side, Jaime Guaman secured first place and won a weekend getaway.

“We wanted to be inclusive,” Ben said. “If you can compete in a motorcoach, that’s the springboard into EXPO. If you don’t drive a motorcoach, you can compete in a transit bus and still win a meaningful prize.”

Safety and culture at the core

For the Canine brothers, the competition is about much more than winning trophies.

“It helps push forward a culture of safety,” Mike said. “This is just one tool in our toolbox of how we get people excited about training and safety and in the mindset of trying to do the right thing and be good drivers.”

The company also reinforces that mindset throughout the year with monthly safety meetings. Drivers who maintain daily safety scores of 90 or higher earn raffle tickets for prizes such as big-screen TVs or tickets to local sporting events.

“It’s really simple,” Ben said. “If you drove every day and your score was good, you might have 20 or 30 raffle tickets. People love it. Without safety, we don’t have a business.”

Just as important, leadership makes a point to listen to what employees want — and respond.

“We really just tried to listen to what our employees are interested in and use those things to incentivize them and get them excited about safety,” Mike added. “Funny enough, people used to not want to come to our safety meetings. Now we can’t find enough folding chairs.”

Image / Source: Bus and Motorcoach News