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Almost 30 School Districts Visit ROUSH CleanTech in June

June was a busy month for tours. Six dealers brought groups to ROUSH CleanTech’s headquarters to see how our propane fuel systems are created. Attendees also toured the Ford Windsor engine plant and other Roush buildings. By the end, they were excited about propane!

The attendees in these groups represented nearly 30 school districts from locations across the U.S. Having both current customers and potential customers together for the tours allows for peer-to-peer discussion on how propane buses operate. Tapping into this resource is a benefit that goes beyond what’s on the agenda!

Here’s a summary of the June tours:

Colorado / West Equipment
Districts represented: 6
Number of attendees: 15

Tillery Bus Sales
Districts represented: 6
Number of attendees: 12

Brightbill Body Works
Districts represented: 4
Number of attendees: 10

North Central Bus and Equipment
Districts represented: 7
Number of attendees: 15
Buses owned by attendees: 15 propane; 4 gasoline

Hoover Truck and Bus Centers
Districts represented: 3
Number of attendees: 5
Buses owned by attendees: 4 gasoline

Yancey Bus Sales and Service
Districts represented: 3
Number of attendees: 5
Buses owned by attendees: 120 propane; 77 CNG; 55 gasoline

If you are interested in hosting a tour at ROUSH CleanTech, please contact Ryan Zic at Ryan.Zic@roush.com to learn more.

Dealer Spotlight: MacAllister Transportation

Dealer: MacAllister Transportation
Interviewee: Ryan Campbell
Title: Transportation Sales Manager

To show their customers appreciation, the folks from MacAllister Transportation treated them to a day on the track. Representatives from a dozen school districts attended an event at the Michigan International Speedway (MIS), complete with a spin around the racetrack in a Roush Mustang and Roush F-150. 

Ryan Campbell, transportation sales manager for MacAllister Transportation, invited all current propane and gasoline school bus customers to MIS for a customer appreciation day. The morning began with a meet and greet in the Roush Suite where more than 30 people from 12 school districts attended. Together, these districts operate 100 propane school buses and 57 gasoline buses.

After receiving an overview of the day, the guests were escorted trackside where they were given the opportunity to drive a Roush Mustang and a Ford F-150 around the track. Professional drivers were also on site to drive guests around the track in official pace cars. Following the rides, the group toured the garage and were treated to lunch before departing.

Campbell worked with Blue Bird and ROUSH CleanTech to make this day a success. If you have an idea for a customer appreciation event, please contact Ryan Zic at Ryan.Zic@roush.com.

Click here to view the 2018 MacAllister track day album.

Volkswagen Update: June 2018

Twelve states have finalized their Environmental Mitigation Trust plans. Nineteen states have draft plans, and 19 are still in development. We are getting down to the finish line for making the case for propane school bus funding. If you haven’t reached out to your representative, now is the time.

As of June 2018:

12 states have final plans:

Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin

19 states have draft plans:

Arkansas, California, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, Vermont and Washington

19 states are still developing their plans and are accepting comments:

Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming

Each state has been assigned a beneficiary, usually an environmental or energy government entity. A state listing can be found on the VW Settlement Clearinghouse website. If your state has drafted or are still drafting its plan, please contact Chelsea Jenkins at Chelsea.Jenkins@roush.com to discuss how best to approach your state agencies.

We don’t want to miss this opportunity to get more funding for propane school buses!

Visit www.roushcleantech.com/volkswagen-settlement for more information.

Over 100 Customers Attend Ohio Blue Bird Event

Recently, Blue Bird coordinated several “Blue Bird Experience” events with dealerships across the U.S. One of them was the Ohio Experience hosted by Cardinal Bus Sales and Service. It took place at the Transportation Research Center’s Honda test track in East Liberty with a full day of scheduled activities. And, it was a hit with over 100 customers in attendance! 

The goal of the event was to provide area school district officials and state legislators the information needed to increase the safety of school bus fleets, put more money back into the classroom, and take advantage of available school bus funding opportunities.

Tony Rumer, the president of Cardinal Bus Sales, organized a day filled with a packed agenda. The attendees — more than 100 school transportation directors, technicians, bus drivers and school officials — arrived around 9 a.m. and were given a comprehensive packet that included information on all the vendors present along with an agenda of the day. Then, they broke into 10 different groups. Each group visited 10 pre-arranged stations throughout the day for 20 minutes each session. Product partners, including ROUSH CleanTech, Michelin, Safe Fleet and more, led the sessions.

Cardinal Bus Sales and Service’s session gave attendees the opportunity to get behind the wheel. Each attendee had the opportunity to drive the buses on the test track. The attendees were exposed to an impressive line-up, including buses fueled by diesel, gasoline and propane.

Shawn Dawson, fleet manager of Westerville City Schools, said, “This event gave me a lot of confidence in continuing to purchase Blue Bird Vision Propane school buses. The partnership between Ford, Blue Bird and ROUSH CleanTech is so strong.”

The event received press attention, too. Here is some of the press coverage gained throughout the Blue Bird Experience tour.

• Canada event: Niagara This Week and School Transportation News
• Florida event: The Ledger and Digital Journal
• Ohio event: Business Wire and STN
• Texas event: School Transportation News and School Bus Fleet

Challenges Increase for Diesel Vehicles

The second phase of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration standards are about to kick in. Model-year 2021 trucks will be the first vehicles covered by this phase and will need to meet new standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to improve fuel efficiency. The regulations create an entirely new set of challenges on medium-duty diesel vehicles — and more opportunity for propane bus sales.

According to an article in HDT, the regulation requires certification at a vehicle level as well as at the engine level. To meet Phase 2 regulations, manufacturers will need to integrate the right combination of technologies across the entire vehicle. By using the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Model tool, manufacturers can simulate all the parameters of the powertrain to see which combinations will meet the regulations.

The GHG Phase 2 regulations contain specific standards for both the engine and the vehicle, and they are further divided into three application classes: tractors, vocational trucks, and heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans (or medium-duty trucks.)

As you can see, things are getting more complex when dealing with diesel. Share the news with potential customers. Then stress the simplicity of the propane engine and how it does not need to meet any of these complicated regulations.

If you have any questions, please contact Ryan Zic at Ryan.Zic@roush.com.