By Dave Millhouser

It was 1971, and I was talking to my boss on a truck-stop pay phone in Grand Island, Neb., when he said "in a few minutes bus number 33 will pull in."

He followed with instructions for switching drivers, destinations and such.

Twenty minutes later, an Eagle bearing No. 33 pulled in. This was before cell phones, GPS or computers, but Joe could track 23 buses across 48 states --in his head. In many ways he was an early, organic computer. He always seemed to know precisely where we were.

For the past 30 years, computers have assumed an ever increasing role in the transportation business. Trucking companies discovered, early on, the wonders of what they could do in tracking vehicles and loads.

Some got buried, though, when they failed to understand the need for backup systems or processes, and the softwares limitations.

An early lesson was the need to introduce technology carefully, and run the old methods parallel, until the new ones had the bugs worked out. Still, adventurous coach operators soon discovered the joys of computers and began using generic software to track sales, charters, maintenance and accounting.

As time passed, the programs for each of these disciplines improved dramatically, and the next step was integrating them.

Software companies combined as many of the functions as possible into packages that shared data from a single input. Your computer knew what kind of bus was needed for a charter and it tracked miles for tax and maintenance purposes.

One of the charms of technology is that its cost drops as more folks use it, and this sort of efficiency then becomes available to smaller companies. The days of the gigundous wall calendar, with scribbled notes, seem numbered.

The next wave is upon us. You can get software packages today that price charters, track your coach in real time. Itll also book tours, and assign seats.

The software will slap you if you try to dispatch a coach due for maintenance, or a driver who is out of hours. The bus can call home when its lost, behind schedule or broken. Your driver can call too, but may be too flustered.

Some operators resist depending on machines to make decisions where intuition or experience is a major element. The latest software can be tweaked to charge specific customers extra because they are demanding, or request their favorite driver. Many of the decisions that seem subjective can now be pumped into your program.

All these tasks can be done with minimal effort, with data diligently trekking to all of the places where it is useful. Reports, audits and such become simpler, and a clever operator can use compiled data to confirm, contradict or refine their instincts.

Software can be trained to understand not only the bus business -- but YOUR bus business.

If youre considering either beginning, or upgrading, your computer capabilities here are some things to consider.

Work with a company that has good support and training (often this means one that has been around a while). It doesnt matter how good the software is, if you dont know how to use it. Keep doing what youve been successful with, alongside the new, until youre sure your folks have the hang of it.

Buy value, not price. In addition to support, youre looking for a supplier who is looking at the future, and is writing software in a way that can be updated with new applications. Theres stuff on the horizon that we cant imagine, and you want to work with someone who sees possibilities, and helps you access them without changing your whole system.

Get a package that understands, and talks to, other generic programs, so you can commune with businesses and agencies.

Work with someone who knows the coach business, and takes the time to understand your particular niche and business philosophy.

Some facets of our business dont easily mesh with computers. Years ago a line carrier developed airline-style software to reserve seats. It was a disaster because the computer refused to release a seat, even if the passenger left the bus. Coaches cruised the highway with empty seats, while customers were denied boarding. The computer couldnt be overridden, and refused to sell them a ticket.

The human element, and common sense, should be built in, or allowed.

A serious concern, working with Joe, was that hed fall asleep. He often worked 72 hours straight, and slept for 24. Heaven help us if we needed guidance while he snoozed.

The BIGGEST fear was that hed suffer a blow to the head, and forget everything. We had no backup. YOU should plan for crashes.

One untimely whack on Joes skull, and I might still be waiting for a relief driver at a truck stop in Guymon, Okla. My wife often hums "If I had a hammer . . ."

Dave Millhouser is a bus industry marketing consultant and freelance writer. Contact him at: dave_millhouser@hotmail.com.