School Transportation News - Press Releases (d0013f922f9441b3bd3d58325b32f36a)

Trans Tech Bus Announces Company Promotions and New East Coast Dealership to Nationwide Network

Ryan Gray — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:48:58 +0000

WARWICK, N.Y. — Trans Tech Bus announced today the promotion of Jose A. Vazquez to drector of operations and Andres Garcia to director of manufacturing and has added Wolfington Body Company in Mt. Holly, N.J., as their new dealer for the state of New Jersey.

“Promoting two valued team members, combined with the addition of Wolfington Body Company to our family of dealerships will only strengthen the Trans Tech brand,” said Trans Tech Bus President Dan Daniels. “We have a very talented team who take tremendous pride in building safe, efficient, and reliable school buses. Jose and Andres embody that work ethic.”

Jose A. Vazquez, director of operations, has five years of experience in the School Bus industry and three years of previous experience in the Trucking and leasing industry. Andres Garcia, Director of Operations, brings more than twenty six years of experience in the School Bus Manufacturing industry to his new position. Previously, Andres spent four years as the Production Manager for Trans Tech Bus.

Wolfington Body Company in Mt. Holly, New Jersey will offer the full Trans Tech Bus line; including the new eTrans all-electric school bus.

About Trans Tech Bus

Trans Tech Bus is a manufacturer of industry-leading conventional and environmentally-friendly electric Type-A school buses. Offering single and dual wheel models, Trans Tech Bus is known for its innovative and fuel-efficient conversion designs. With a wide array of versatile floor plans the company is able to meet ever-changing customer demand. Trans Tech Bus is helping bring green solutions to the school bus industry by introducing the eTrans — a zero emissions Type-A school bus. Trans Tech Bus is a division of Transportation Collaborative Incorporated located near the New York metropolitan area in Warwick, NY and New York’s only school bus manufacturer.

Durham Celebrates the American School Bus Council's 'Love the Bus' Campaign

Michelle Fisher — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:11:21 +0000

WARRENVILLE, Ill. — As a leader in student transportation, Durham School Services is celebrating the American School Bus Council’s “Love the Bus” campaign this month. The Love the Bus program, founded in 2007, was created to raise awareness and appreciation for the hundreds of thousands of school bus drivers who safely transport children to and from school each day.

Durham School Services recognizes our employees are our most valuable resource; we are proud to support a campaign that raises awareness of the importance of school bus drivers and all those involved in safely transporting students.

Yellow school buses represent the safest transportation system in the country. According to the Transportation Research Board, a child is 13 times safer in a school bus than in other modes of travel. School bus drivers are the most highly trained, tested and scrutinized drivers on the road, receiving specialized classroom and behind-the-wheel training, undergoing drug and alcohol testing, driving record and background checks and medical exams.

“We want to thank each of our school bus drivers and support staff for safely transporting children to and from school each day,” said David Duke, chief executive officer of Durham School Services. “Love the Bus is a great opportunity to honor our 21,000 employees across North America for their continued commitment to safety and to the students, parents, schools and communities we serve.”

The American School Bus Council is asking teachers, parents, students, and community members to share stories about their favorite bus drivers and make interactive Valentine’s cards for drivers through the website www.LoveTheBus.com. The website also offers a toolkit for educators, which offers best practices for communicating about pupil transportation.

About Durham School Services

Durham School Services is a leading provider of student transportation consistently recognized for its outstanding safety record. Durham partners with school districts in 30 states and operates a fleet of nearly 13,000 buses.

Zonar’s New ZTrak Locates and Tracks Important Company Equipment Assets

Ryan Gray — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:40:53 +0000

SEATTLE — Managing the transfer and location of site-specific remote assets can be complex and often inaccurate. Zonar’s new ZTrak reduces liability of sensitive cargo, recovery of missing equipment and helps asset managers coordinate logistics and track the locations of valuable material.

Zonar, provider of GPS tracking, electronic RFID fleet inspection, and web-based fleet management systems, developed ZTrak as an easy, affordable solution for companies wanting to track construction equipment, shipping containers, hazmat trailers, rental equipment, high security items and more.

“There is an unlimited number of uses for ZTrak,” said Chris Oliver, VP of sales and marketing at Zonar. “We leveraged the same HD GPS and cellular technology used in our leading fleet telematics platform, now for tracking non-vehicle assets. Companies using Zonar’s Ground Traffic Control online portal can now view the locations of all their moving and non-moving assets in one place.”

Designed with sensitive internal antennas broadcasting on both cellular GSM and 50 channel GPS communication, ZTrak provides accurate location data in a 1-location-per-day cycle. The tracking unit is sealed within a rugged enclosure designed to withstand harsh outdoor environments. ZTrak also features an extended battery life of over five years, which can be extended to over 10 years.

Companies monitor asset locations through Zonar’s Ground Traffic Control. This web-based asset management portal provides pinpoint location reports with just a few simple clicks.

Common applications for ZTrak include construction equipment, hazmat containers and trailers, rental company equipment, shipping containers, truck trailers and other high value, high security items.

About Zonar

Zonar helps public and private fleet managers improve CSA compliance, increase fleet efficiency and improve safety through an expansive set of inspection, diagnostic and GPS solutions. In 2001, Zonar released the first Electronic Vehicle Inspection Report (EVIR) system to standardize the pre- and post-trip inspection process and ensure compliance with state and federal law. Through a unique “Inspect, Track, Know” approach, Zonar also developed the V2J telematics platform and the web-based Ground Traffic Control fleet management portal. Zonar’s newest product, Z-Pass+ provides parents with student bus ridership information. Learn more about Zonar at www.zonarsystems.com.

Rotary Lift Adds New Operator-Friendly Mobile Column Lift to Line

Michelle Fisher — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:46:29 +0000

MADISON, Ind. — Rotary Lift introduces the latest addition to its line of mobile column lifts, the RCH4 mobile column lifting system. The RCH4 has an easy-to-use, operator-friendly design that makes it up to 30 percent faster than competitive lifts, for greater bay productivity and reduced vehicle downtime.

The RCH4 is sold in sets of four, six or eight battery-operated columns. Each column is identical and has a rated capacity of 18,000 lbs., for total lifting capacity of up to 144,000 lbs. The speedy RCH4 can lift a vehicle 70 inches in just 78 seconds. The RCH4 also features Rotary Lift’s automatic steering system which makes it faster and easier to position the columns for service. Fixed forks fit most large tires without time-consuming adjustment, so technicians can get the vehicle up in the air for service more quickly.

“Mobile column lifts are a popular choice for commercial trucking fleets, transit agencies, government fleets and vocational customers because they are versatile enough to be used almost anywhere to service virtually any medium or heavy-duty vehicle,” says Doug Spiller, Rotary Lift heavy duty product manager. “The new RCH4 is an excellent choice for maintenance managers who are looking for a mobile column lift that’s affordable and has the features and benefits they need to improve shop productivity.”

Every column is equipped with Rotary Lift’s patented control panel. These intuitive controls include a graphic layout of the column set-up, real-time height reading and error display, battery indicator, programmable height limit settings and one-touch controls. Lifting and lowering of all columns is automatically synchronized, and there is a slow-lowering function for precision vehicle positioning. Technicians can operate the entire lift from whichever column is most convenient.

Some mobile column lifts only work when the columns are connected by a complete circuit of communication cables all the way around the vehicle. But the RCH4 needs just three cables connected in a horseshoe shape. As a result, one end of the lift is always open, making it easier to quickly position vehicles on the lift. The lightweight cables feature a quick-connect design and are 33 feet long for added flexibility. The RCH4 is battery operated with an internal charger, eliminating the need for power cords and improving the lift’s portability. Its hydraulic cylinder is inverted so the chrome piston rod is protected from debris and damage at all times, extending the life of the lift and reducing maintenance costs.

There are a number of optional accessories available for the RCH4:

• High-efficiency LED lighting system provides hands-free lighting under the vehicle.

• Steel reducer sleeves slide onto the forks to allow proper contact with smaller radius tires.

• Large wheel riser kit raises tires on ramps to allow for proper fork placement.

• Weight gauge shows technicians the load weight of the vehicle being lifted.

The RCH4 mobile column lifting system has been third-party tested by ETL and ALI certified to meet industry safety and performance standards.

About Rotary Lift

Rotary Lift is the leading brand of vehicle lifts and equipment designed to increase technician productivity. Founded in 1925 by the inventor of the first automotive hydraulic lift, Rotary Lift offers the broadest line of lifts for use in professional automotive service, commercial truck and transit, and enthusiast/residential customer segments.

Cummins Announces Cleanest Ratings for School Bus Market

Michelle Fisher — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:43 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ind. — Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) announced today that it has received certification from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (ARB) for two new school bus ratings.

These new ratings for the ISB6.7 are certified at 0.20g Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) per brake horsepower hour without the use of emissions credits. They include offerings of 220 hp (164 kW) with 520 lb-ft (705 N.m) of torque and 250 hp (186 kW) with 660 lb-ft of torque (895 N.m).

The ability to deliver these new ratings can be attributed to Cummins total system integration, from the air intake to the exhaust aftertreatment system, with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology, all of which are designed and developed in house. This system integration, coupled with the highly capable base engine, results in the ability to deliver near-zero emissions without compromising fuel economy, reliability or durability.

"This is a great example of Cummins capability to deliver the cleanest diesel engines to the school bus market while continuing to validate that we are on the right path with SCR technology," stated Tom Hodek, General Manager - North American Bus Business. Currently, Cummins is the only diesel engine manufacturer with school bus ratings that meet the 0.20g-NOx standard without the use of emissions credits. The certification of these new ratings has been achieved without any hardware or software changes to the ISB6.7 engine.

"We confirmed, through two years of experience with the product, that these ratings are operating well below the 0.20g-NOx level and will continue to do so through the life of the engine," Hodek continued.

The ISB6.7 continues to deliver the optimum balance of fuel economy, performance and emissions control across the entire operating range for the school bus market. As a leader in clean diesel technology, Cummins is committed to meeting the needs of its customers, which will now include the ability to meet all bid specifications that require an engine to be certified at 0.20g NOx without the use of emissions credits. "Engines using credits are compliant and overall produce a benefit to the environment, however, many municipalities require 0.20g-NOx ratings certified without credits. Now we will be able to deliver this along with industry-leading fuel economy and strong performance in our ISB6.7 engine," stated Hodek. Cummins will begin production of these ratings for the ISB6.7 in February.

Cummins also has announced that its school bus engines will meet both the 2013 On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) requirements and the 2014 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) standards on Jan. 1, 2013. Customers in the school bus market will in turn benefit from a single product launch in 2013 that will meet both OBD and GHG requirements.

About Cummins Inc.
About Cummins Cummins Inc., a global power leader, is a corporation of complementary business units that design, manufacture, distribute and service engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission solutions and electrical power generation systems. Headquartered in Columbus, Indiana, (USA) Cummins employs approximately 44,000 people worldwide and serves customers in approximately 190 countries and territories through a network of more than 600 company-owned and independent distributor locations and approximately 6,500 dealer locations.