In preparation for the new school year, National Express School (NEXS) maintenance team members participated in IC Bus University's three-day Level One (Basic) and Level Two (Advanced) training sessions for school buses.

Three groups attended Level One sessions during the summer, while one group participated in Level Two sessions. Hands-on training sessions were led by representatives from various vendors covering a wide range of topics to enhance skills to provide safe, dependable service for the upcoming school year.

Level One School Bus Training Topics

• IC Bus Tulsa Plant Tour.

• International Gasoline Engine.

• International Diesel Engine.

• Cummins Diesel Engine.

• Allison Transmission.

• Electrical 101.

• IC Bus Service Portal and Parts Online.

• Mitsubishi Starter and Alternator Systems.

• Bendix Electronic Stability Control and Collision Mitigation.

• BraunAbility Lift.

• IC Bus Electric Bus Overview.

Level Two School Bus Training Topics

• International Gasoline Engine Diagnostics.

• International Diesel Engine Training and Diagnostics.

• Cummins Diesel Engine and Diagnostics.

• Advanced Electrical and Diagnostics.

• Trans/Air HVAC System Diagnostics.

• Mitsubishi Starter and Alternator Systems and Diagnostics.

• BraunAbility Wheelchair Lift Diagnostics.

• IC Bus Electric Vehicle Overview.

In addition to the training sessions, attendees had the opportunity to tour IC Bus’ standard school bus and electric vehicle assembly plant, where they learned about the overall assembly process of both types of vehicles.

A skills competition was held to complete the Level Two training session, and National Express team members were part of the winning team. Attendees were broken into four groups of 10 and tasked with finding diagnostic faults on five buses that were set up by instructors. These faults included Cummins, PSI Propane, Air Conditioning, Advanced Electrical, and Braun lift, and of the five tests, two were timed.

“These training sessions are always an invaluable experience for our team members and having them just prior to school start-up allows our team to further develop and brush up on their skills. They truly appreciated the training sessions because it allowed them to elevate their expertise to an even higher level,” said Regis Rock, manager of technician development at National Express. “Our team members are the best of the best. In addition to many years of experience, most that attended are ASE certified, including multiple ASE Masters. We are very fortunate to work with such talented individuals who continuously transcend and cultivate industry standards while always keeping safety top of mind.”