Addressing how OTA
updates and remote engine diagnostics are becoming crucial in garages, Katie Stok, IC Bus segment marketing director, noted, “As the capabil- ities of connected technologies continue to expand, the impor- tance of properly integrating these systems into customers’ day-to-day operations grows.” Whether the goal is to
reduce total operating costs, cut down on the time spent troubleshooting, or manage and schedule routine service intervals, OTA and engine diagnostics can be leveraged to eliminate unplanned down- time, she added. Speaking to how the Navis-
Historically, software updates used to require a service tech to connect a
laptop computer or other device to each bus individually to
download and execute the update. Now, a fleet manager can
tar OnCommand Connection (OCC) remote diagnostics for IC Bus cut or eliminate vehi- cle downtime during engine software updates, Stok said it is first important to remember that one of the biggest benefits to the remote diagnostics plat- form for IC Bus customers is increased peace of mind and improved communication between drivers, fleet managers and transportation directors. “Before OCC, when a check engine light came on, panic
implement an update to one bus or 100 buses with the touch of a button. -Katie Stok, IC Bus
“Historically, software
calibrations used to require a service tech to physically con- nect a laptop computer or other device to each bus individually to download and execute the update,” she said. “Now, a fleet manager can implement an update to one bus or 100 buses with the touch of a button.” That results in time savings
for end users as these updates can occur during planned downtime. A common concern for fleet managers is the time it has traditionally taken to run en- gine software updates, which can entail sending the bus to the local dealer and taking the vehicle off of routes for days at a time. With OTA, Stok said end users initially thought they could push an update to the vehicle in the middle of a route. “This caused the driver anx- iety over whether they needed
often ensued because the driver did not understand the severity of that situation or what caused the alert,” Stok said. With the use of OCC, end users have visibility to
remote diagnostics, which empowers them to see the potential source of that alert, she added. “When an alert is visible on the dash cluster, the driver is trained to contact the shop with that concern,” Stok said. “The fleet administrator already has visibility to the alerts via OCC and can pinpoint the severity of the situation. That person can advise the driver immediately, whether it is a concern or if they can continue on the route, as scheduled. “We’ve found this set-up now alleviates stress and anx-
iety for the driver, providing them with peace of mind that the alert is not a ‘stop now’ concern.” Stok noted OCC’s ability to remotely conduct software
calibration updates in conjunction with Cummins is a “one-stop solution” and can be a significant time saver, both in diagnosing issues and determining if updates are even necessary.
50 School Transportation News • JULY 2024
to pull over to allow for the update to run,” she said, adding with the company’s remote capabilities, once an update is available, the fleet manager or system adminis- trator is provided the ability to schedule it. “Rather than in the middle of the route, that update can be scheduled to deploy at the end of the route so as to not cause any delays to the regular schedule,” said Stok, adding that has become a stress relief for drivers and fleet managers as it does not interrupt their oper- ations and accommodates their schedule for running remote software updates.
OEM-Direct Solutions Like most of the school bus OEMs running diesel engines, IC Bus uses the Cummins B6.7. The engine manufacturer ceased offering aftermarket software updates and now works directly with each vehicle OEM by offering a “first-fit” factory solution to reduce the complexities of programming for various platforms. In Navistar’s and IC Bus’ case, OnCommand Connection runs these updates. That means Zonar and other telematics service
providers that Cummins worked with no longer offer re- mote updates. For instance, Zonar and Cummins jointly developed the OTAir app that launched in January 2020.
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