Articles Archives

Thomas School Bus Training Seminar

Thomas School Bus Training Seminar Tomorrow three of us from the shop are going to attend a Thomas bus seminar which will cover navigation of the accessfreightliner website, servicelink and the thomasbusonline website. The accessfreightliner allows us to log in and enter the VIN of any one of our buses where we can find chassis… Continue reading Thomas School Bus Training Seminar

Air Operated Disc Brakes

Are Air Disc Brakes The Future Of School Bus Braking Systems? After looking at the pros and cons of both foundation drum brakes and air disc brakes I believe the latter will become more popular. How fast it becomes a mainstay when ordering school buses is hard to say mainly because of the cost. According… Continue reading Air Operated Disc Brakes

The First Electric School Bus Unleashed

Good News For Green Energy Advocates The first all electric school bus is running around right now in California. It’s going to be so sweet to be able to knock a block off of the fossil fuel industry wall of power. Even though it will only be one block at a time the fight will… Continue reading The First Electric School Bus Unleashed

School Bus Safety – Unloading Practices

School Bus Safety The 8 Light Warning System I can guarantee that every school district in North America has trouble with traffic passing a stopped school bus when the red lights are flashing. These red lights are the 8 light warning system that starts off with amber lights before the bus comes to a… Continue reading School Bus Safety – Unloading Practices

HDX School Bus Tips

Thomas HDX School Bus Tips and Advice I want to share some areas of the HDX Thomas school bus that our shop has experienced that you may have already dealt with or have not seen it happen yet. They are a very comfortable bus to drive mainly because of the engine weight in the back… Continue reading HDX School Bus Tips

Thomas School Bus Manufacturing Tour

Witnessing The Manufacturing Of Thomas School Buses Thomas school buses are built stronger than any other vehicle on the road with extremely high standards set by the FMVSS (federal motor vehicle safety standards). I found this excellent video covering the manufacturing process. I had the privilege of going down to the Highpoint North Carolina factory… Continue reading Thomas School Bus Manufacturing Tour

All About School Bus Exhaust Leaks

School Bus Exhaust Leaks and What To Do About Them On a school bus it’s common practice to walk around with a ball peen hammer and tap on all of the elbows throughout the system. These areas are a weak spot because(my opinion)they have been bent from the straight position to an angle position. The… Continue reading All About School Bus Exhaust Leaks

HDX School Bus Heater Control

HDX School Bus Heat Control Valve As time goes on as we all know technology changes and this is still true for controlling the heat flow on a Thomas HDX Pusher School Bus. In the old days the heat control was simply a cable attached to the valve which was a throttle plate plumbed into… Continue reading HDX School Bus Heater Control

Cummins ISC Electric Fuel Pump

Cummins ISC Fuel Transfer Pump The Cummins ISC Diesel Engine is the electronic version of the C mechanical model. The ISC uses a electronically controlled fuel transfer pump compared to the older mechanical version. There have been some failures in our fleet with the electronically controlled pump but not in epidemic proportions. In the video… Continue reading Cummins ISC Electric Fuel Pump

Mechanic Training – Your Biggest Decision Ever

You Will Learn Safety Practices At A Technical Institute This is information I learned at the Pre-Apprenticeship / foundation course I took many years ago. The instructor was very serious when he told us about it. There had been serious accidents that occurred in the past with flying bearings so it really stuck in my… Continue reading Mechanic Training – Your Biggest Decision Ever