STERLING, Va. Bad weather, mechanical breakdowns, accidents, road closures and heavy traffic all create challenges for charter operators.

So, whats the best way to meet such challenges?

If your company has well-thought-out contingency plans for such problems, your chances of working past them without too much damage should be pretty good.

Thats the conclusion of a panel of industry experts and experienced operators who spoke at the sixth annual Safety Management Seminar hosted by the United Motorcoach Association.

They agreed that effective contingency planning and a good contingency plan should contain all of the critical information and procedures needed to respond to any problems a driver might encounter while on a charter run.

It should contain:

The names and telephone numbers of drivers who can be called to replace the regular driver if necessary.

Procedures to locate the closest motorcoach companies that could send out a mechanic or a replacement bus in the event of a breakdown.

A list of nearby hotels and motels that can be called for housing passengers if the trip is interrupted overnight.

Alternate routes for the coach if a road on the planned route is closed.

However, while emphasizing the importance of being able to respond to any serious situation quickly, the panelists suggested that the best planning actually is done before each trip begins. Information gathered before a charter departs could help avoid many of the problems that might occur during a trip.

They said they keep a close watch on possible events that could affect a trip, including weather, road closures, construction zones and heavy traffic areas.

"We deal with a significant amount of snow, so we watch the weather reports and talk to the state Department of Public Safety about the weather and the roads," said Scott Riccio of Northeast Charter and Tour Co. in Lewiston, Maine. "Well delay the start of a trip if the weather is bad."

Godfrey LeBron of Paradise Trailways in Hicksville, N.Y., said his company follows a similar procedure, including checking highways along the planned route to make sure they are all open. "If a main road of travel is blocked, we wont leave," he said.

Autumn Dipert-Brown of Dan Dipert Coaches in Dallas said she checks weather and road conditions with authorities, too, and is willing to cancel trips if conditions warrant it. "We have it in our charter contracts that we can cancel a trip due to the weather," she noted.

Because weather and road conditions often are unpredictable, it is important that operators remember to keep customers informed of possible developments that could delay or force the cancellation of a trip.

"Communicating with your customers before something happens is important," suggested panel moderator Michelle Silvestro of National Interstate Insurance.

The panelists also emphasized that it is important to have someone in management available at all times to make the important decisions that affect a trip and could eventually impact the business.

"Ill take the heat," said Dipert-Brown, adding that its often best for the driver to be able to tell passengers that it was someone else at the company who made the decision that delays or cancels their trip.

LeBron suggested, too, that the driver of each coach double check to make sure all of the necessary emergency equipment - flares, fire extinguishers, communication devices among them - is on board the bus before it leaves on a trip.

"And you should check the equipment regularly because you dont want to find out it wont work while youre on the road," added Silvestro.

Riccio said he even checks his drivers from time-to-time by secretly removing one of the emergency items from the coach and then telling his driver to be sure to be stop by and see him before leaving on a trip.

"I ask them if everything checked out and if they say it did, then I take out their extinguisher and hand it to them," he said.

Dipert-Brown said her company also works to make certain all drivers are well prepared by staging evacuation drills for them twice a year.

She even has a game plan to protect her coaches from being damaged in a storm and possibly being put out of commission. She said if a tornado or other dangerous storm is forecast, she moves her coaches to various locations around the community.

LeBron emphasized, too, that drivers and dispatchers should check in with each other from time-to-time to make sure things are going well and they havent encountered any problems that need to be addressed.

"Dont leave your driver out there all alone," he said.