DRIVING THE INDUSTRY SINCE 1991
the point of interest to after the purchase. Training starts with hybrid familiarization at a very high level covering basic functions, safety precautions and differences between the hybrid and a standard diesel school bus. After the purchase, a two-to three-
hour training program for fleet managers and drivers involve additional hands-on instruction on the best driving habits to optimize hybrid system performance and fuel economy. General hybrid training for technicians
involves standard maintenance practices, safety measures, troubleshooting, etc. One advantage of this technology is minimal extended training, which accounts for many technicians maintaining hybrids. Besides changing clutches, air filters and maintaining coolant levels, the maintenance requirements are minor since the hybrid manual transmission is automated. Te hybrid is self-contained with fewer
moving parts and less chance for faults to occur. If there is a problem the bus defaults to standard diesel mode and an error code will display assisting the technician with diagnostics. “Because in-depth repairs require extra
software and tools that most customers do not carry, extended maintenance or repairs on a hybrid beyond those basic functions are performed under warranty at the dealer location,” said Mike Stotler, service education manager for Tomas Built. “All Tomas Built dealers who sell hybrid buses are certified by Eaton and are equipped to handle all major repairs.” For those technicians who do not work
for a school district that owns a hybrid bus, Stotler said training is available at the biannual Tomas Built Institute, which is held this month in Reno, Nev., in conjuc- tion with the 20th annual STN EXPO. Te Tomas Built Institute not only covers maintenance of a diesel bus but also hy- brids, CNGs and propane buses as well ó all at a very high level. Stotler added that more in-depth training is then provided following the purchase of a hybrid bus. “Te Tomas Built Institute has a nomi-
nal charge. Ongoing training for a customer, driver or technician is usually available at no cost at the dealership or at Tomas Built Buses,” Stotler added. Hybrid technology is here to stay, some
say, since it helps school bus fleets meet the constant demands of transporting children safely and economically. While there remain some obstacles in terms of
industry acceptance and concern about the longevity of electric batteries and the cost of replacements, it’s clear that school bus dealers and manufacturers have stepped up to the plate to provide hybrid technical training to help fleet technicians work in a safe environment and fully understand how these systems work.
SPECIAL TRAINING FOR PROPANE AND CNG
Collins Bus Corporation provided the
first Type-A school bus with propane technology developed by CleanFUEL USA. Tis option is available on the factory GM gas 6.0 chassis. Te LPI (liquid propane injection) components are supplied by CleanFUEL USA, who have been partner- ing with Collins for three years. GM dealer technicians are qualified to work on the LPI systems after completing GM’s own online training program. “Since propane is not a conventional fuel,
technicians must learn safety, properties and characteristics of propane. Our curriculum covers diagnosis and repair and, when a vehi- cle is available, our three day class does some hands-on simulation of diagnosis and repair,” said CleanFUEL USA’s Wayne Moore. “Not only do we cover the propane fuel
system but electronic engine control and ignition. It is most important for techni- cians to know how to diagnose the pro- pane-fueled engine but understand a regular gasoline engine control and diagnosis. At the end of our class we have a test with pass or attended results and certificates for the attendees.” CleanFUEL USA also offers training for fleets performing their own maintenance. John Doswell, vice president of sales and marketing at Collins, said the program cov- ers two or three days, depending on the size of the class and level of involvement desired. “(Te training) includes four to five hours
of propane safety along with diagnostics and system operation training. To date, Clean FUEL has trained over 1,000 technicians on their LPI system,” he said. Collins Bus Corporation also offers CNG as an option in their Ford E-450 Type A school buses and partner with BAF Tech- nologies, a division of Clean Energy Inc. “Tat CNG system is an option for
our Ford E-450, and over 70 Ford dealers around the country have been trained on the BAF CNG system,” said Doswell. He added that, for any new customers,
BAF will ensure their local Ford dealer is fully trained so that any service and
warranty issue can be addressed. Doswell said BAF also offers a training program for any fleet customers desiring to do their own maintenance. Bill Calvert, vice president of sales for
BAF Technologies, said the company’s CNG training programs consist of training service technicians on safety, diagnosis and repair of both dedicated and bi-fuel CNG systems. A lead training instructor with 15 years of experience performs either on-site training at the customer or training at the company’s Dallas facility. He also holds we- binar training for our preferred dealers two days a week with two sessions on each day. For the past 15 years, Jordan School Dis-
trict near Salt Lake City has operated CNG school buses and had to learn about mainte- nance issues by trial and error. Herb Jensen, the district’s transportation director, said little help was available in the late 1990s. He shared an instance when the district
had an issue with an old John Deere CNG. Te local supplier couldn’t help Jordan, so he referred the district to the regional manager of service, who didn’t even know John Deere was making CNG engines. “We were only ones around for long time with CNG,” Jensen added. “At first CNG training for technicians was unavailable so learning by experience was the best teacher. Since then the industry has recognized the need for more fleet mechanic training as the demand grows for hybrid school buses.” One remaining objection to CNG is funding for the infrastructure, as well as for the incremental cost of purchasing a new vehicle compared to a new diesel. Te state of Utah seemingly solved the
infrastructure problem with the recent signing of a new law that allows inter-local entities to facilitate alternate fuel conver- sions along with construction, operation and funding ($5 million annually) of infrastruc- ture and facilities. With rebates and funding provided by the state of Utah, school districts running with alternative fuels stand to benefit in fuel supply. But Jensen added that the incremen- tal cost remains a problem. For example, a new CNG bus cost about $26,000 more than a comparable diesel bus last year. But this year, a new CNG bus costs nearly $30,000 more. He said increased demand for CNG could be at play. “Teoretically, they could argue (the law) is helping districts, but it doesn’t help buy buses,” he said. “Tey can build all the infra- structure they want, but if no one buys any of the buses it’s not going to matter.”
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