There was a celebration of the restart of business for the motorcoach industry in Orlando on June 9. Hosted at the University of Central Florida’s Live Oak Event Center, more than 50 attendees from Florida and other southeastern states gathered for a full day of educational sessions and networking.

The meeting had the added gravitas of being a joint meeting with the American Bus Association’s Hispanic Motorcoach Council and the Florida Motorcoach Association. Guest speakers included representatives from Port Canaveral, the Florida Highway Patrol, and Valencia College (discussing their new FMCSA approved CDL driver training program). There were also presentations provided by a variety of vendors, motorcoach service suppliers and the motorcoach manufacturers.

Among the topics discussed were transportation trends, transponder operations, credentialing, and increased cruise traffic at the ports; latest regulatory and enforcement trends, along with violation summaries from recent enforcement blitzes; driver shortage and potential future partnerships with driver training programs.

Future meetings will look to feature discussions about intermodal expansion like the Brightline Rail line, motorcoach financing and refinancing given the inflationary pressures of current economic markets, the future of insurance, drug and alcohol testing compliance tips, and engaging with local elected officials. This meeting was put on for motorcoach operators and planned by motorcoach operators. More than 70 percent of the attendees were motorcoach operator representatives. Invitations and materials for this meeting were also provided in both English and Spanish.

The Florida Motorcoach Association will next meet Nov. 3 in Orlando (pre-meeting reception on Nov. 2). The Hispanic Motorcoach Council will next meet in-person on Feb. 5, 2023 in Detroit as part of the American Bus Association’s Marketplace and the 2023 Busworld North America Exhibition. Registration opens June 20. If you missed out on this meeting, join us at our next event!

For more information about the Hispanic Motorcoach Council visit https://www.buses.org/about/councils/hmc.

For more information about the Florida Motorcoach Association visit https://www.fmabus.org/. To update your contact details to stay in the know for upcoming FMA meetings, click here.