Thread: Need help on bus origins.

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Whip: Te Poi is at the foot of the Kaimai Ranges on the Cambridge/Hamiton side.

Charlie: I've had no news yet as to whether its passed or not...the waiting is very frustrating.

But even after it's passed there's still all the paper-work to wade through.

The Certification Inspector (Noel McMillan in this case,) will send his findings to LVVTA, who then verify and check everything to ensure it's correct, and only then will they issue a vehicle identification number and plate to be mounted to the vehicle.

Then I'm allowed to take it to another testing station to get a warrant of fitness.

Then with provenance of a warrant I can register it and get its license plates.

Only when all that is completed can I drive it home.

Sigh.

It will be yellow when it's finished; in its original livery.
School bus yellow with a black belt-line on the upper (widest) rubbing strip with the original 'Billings Ind School Dist 4' lettered on the black.
On the rear it will have the logo of the 'Billings' Bulldogs Softball Team', a bulldog half-turned looking over its shoulder.

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I thought the hair was stapled to the inside of the cap..

Heck, I looked up Te Poi on Goggle Earth and yes, I had driven through there so many times in the Linfox truck I had forgotten and yet I use too think," now wonder which farmer is propping up the bar in the Tavern while their cows wait patiently outside?" . I am looking forward to seeing the finished paint job on the bus.

Well Coxy's workshop is about a mile to the west of the Te Poi X road, right on the corner of Kerr Rd.
Right on the top of the first rise out of town.

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There's someone out there with a handful of spanners.
Just when ya think things are going smoothly and everything's on the right track...Ka-ching!...and that someone (I think his name's Murphy,) chucks another spanner in the works.

Just had a call from Coxy; the paper-work we have is pertinent to a forward control vehicle under three tonnes.


The beast is 3100 kg., just over 3 tons, and is normal control.
How did that happen?
I don't know; I thought we had it sussed.


Sigh.

So it's back to shuffling paper around...it's not a major hiccough, but it's bl**dy irritating!
And more delay.

Another sigh.

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Ka-ching!
Another spanner in the works!

The certification process hasn't even been started yet; 'The Powers That Be' are working out as to how to classify it.

Because it has no seats in the back they don't want to classify it as a bus.

Because it has no caravan-type 'stuff' in the back they don't want to classify it as a mobile home.

(And if it did have caravan-type 'stuff' in the back I'm picking they'd want it pulled apart so as to inspect the engineering on various fittings.)

Catch 22.

So they want to classify it as a heavy goods vehicle (hgv); which it isn't, never was, and never will be.

As an hgv different laws would apply; it would have to have a hub-meter fitted, (and I would have to buy travelling miles permitted in advance,) and it would be subject to the far more rigourous (and expensive,) Certificate of Fitness every six months as against the normal Warrant of Fitness.

It would also mean that She Who Must Be Obeyed (who lost her license to drive an hgv many years back in another bureaucratic stuff-up...at the same time She lost her artic and bus licenses,) wouldn't be able to drive it.

Bureaucracy gone mad and completely out of control in my opinion.

Sigh.

I don't want to get too involved in this argy-bargy; with my mouth and temper I'd be sure to make matters worse, not better; so I'm stepping back and letting a mate in LVVTA fight my corner.
He's been involved (albeit indirectly,) in this build since its inception.

Frustrating?

Hell yeah!


But: "nil bastardo carborundum".
("Don't let them grind you down".)
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Back in 90 when I built my 38 chevy I was told they couldn't pass the car because of all the modifications unless it was subjected to various crash tests..I talked to his boss ...several times and finely got the parer work MY way. Some people let there little bit of power go to far. ( this was in Chicago , IL.)

Its been three weeks; and nothing has happened.
No decision has yet been made.
The procrastination of these people is unbelievable!
Alright; they have to justify their jobs, but surely three weeks is taking it to extremes?!?!
I was self-employed for more than forty years...in all that time there was no problem that arose that took that long to find a solution/answer to.
I'm starting to get a wee bit angry.

(And as some people have found out over the years, an angry johnboy is not a pretty sight!)

I know if I start blowing my top I'm quite likely to alienate some petty bureaucrat, which will not be beneficial to my cause...but it's getting harder to keep my cool...

I mean...three weeks?!?!



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I guess it's pretty much a universal event.. No matter which continent your standing on. My paperwork was MONTHS and multiple visits with the State Police and the local registry and of course the TAX OFFICE!!!..

Keep the faith, the wheels of goobermont turn agonizingly slow.. Let the people you've hired to handle the chore, do their job. Try to remain optimistic. 8-)

yea have a dish of Ice Cream and settel back

Sigh.

I guess you're right.

Since that last post of mine I rang Noel MacMillen, the fella that's doing the actual physical inspection of the bus to see if he'd heard anything.

Nope.
Then he went on to tell me of a case he was involved with where the pen-pushers took six months (!) to reach a decision on the status of a vehicle.

Six months!

Unbelievable.

Have patience jb, have patience...

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There you go! 6 months is incredible..!!..!! I do like Charlie's idea, have an ice cream with your favorite show on the boob tube and relax. It'll happen, and everyone over here will keep a good thought that it's sooner than later!!

Town Day yesterday shopping for supplies.
When I got home there was an e-mail awaiting me saying: "johnboy...ring me...Justin".

Justin is a fellow Maverick, a good mate, and the 2 IC of LVVTA. (Low Volume Vehicle Technical Association.)

So I rang.
"Do you want the good news first, or the bad news?" he asked.
Sigh.
"Give me the bad news."
"There isn't any. The news is that the classification process has been completed."
And he went on to explain that "The Powers That Be" have finally seen the light and agreed with him (us) that it is a light vehicle destined to become a motor-home.
Essentially they have said that it's a 'Station Wagon' albeit a rather large one.
Yeeha!
Justin you deserve a drink for the effort you've put in on my behalf. (I'll send him some tea-bags in the mail today. They're 'a drink' aren't they? )
She Who Must Be Obeyed couldn't hear what Justin was saying on the other end of the phone, but knew it was good news 'cos my grin got wider and wider.

So with that lot of bureaucratic bulldust out of the way; now the certification process can proceed.

It's another step forward...the delay was getting depressing...and if I feel liike being depressed I can arrange that for myself...all I've got to do is stay home and read my Bank statements...

Justin; you're a bloody beaut, your blood's worth bottling!
And I couldn't be happier if I was twins!

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Excellent news johnboy. Hurray for your side!!

OoooRah!! Good on ya'!! That is excellent news, and a large station wagon is about as good as it could get!! Sometimes it just takes getting with the right person in the system, getting their attention (often the hard part), and then once there walking through the true details, pointing out the pitfalls of other paths, and reaching the right decision for all. You get the certification, they get their fees, and life goes on!! All win! Congratulations!