Today’s maintenance shop looks a bit different than it did decades ago. Of course, we’ll always need lifts and wrenches, but modern school bus maintenance has evolved far beyond traditional tools. Now, technicians rely on advanced tech like diagnostic software and predictive maintenance systems to keep fleets running smoothly. 

Here’s a look at some new products on the market spanning both ends of the spectrum to keep on your radar.

Innovative Heavy-Duty Lift

BendPak

www.bendpak.com

The newBendPak 20AP-192 two-post lift released last October can efficiently raise Type A and B school buses, as well as MFSAB and vans, weighing up to 20,000 lbs. Telescoping swing arms provide greater extension and retraction to reach more vehicle lifting points. BendPak’s patent-pending Automatic Swing Arm Restraint System keeps the arms securely in place under the vehicle at all times and can withstand 2,000 pounds of side force. A unique multi-face column design better withstands twisting and biaxial loading forces for increased stability throughout the service process. A maximum lifting height of 91.50 inches and under-vehicle clearance of 76.25 inches provide plenty of working space. Precision controls allow operators to manage descent speed to ease aligning components or gently setting the vehicle onto high-reach jack stands. It’s ALI Certified to meet safety and performance standards.

A Unique Lubricant to Smooth & Enhance Metal

Duravi 

www.duravi.com

Duravi’s Fleet Solution is a total treatment of the bus that utilizes four products. Each one-of-a-kind solution transmutes the outside of metal, making it nearly frictionless and eliminating almost all wear. The solution transforms metal in a way that makes it almost perfectly smooth at a molecular level, significantly stronger without making it brittle, and resistant to corrosion. This means that based on test results, a Duravi-treated diesel bus could expect to see a 25% to 40% drop in diesel emissions, an 8% to 10% improvement in fuel efficiency, a substantial drop in maintenance costs, and an extension of the lifetime of the bus by 1.5x to 2x. The kicker is that it is 99% plant-based and 100% non-toxic. While the Duravi products have been tested and utilized for heavy machinery for over a decade, and became available to bus fleets at the end of 2024.

Comprehensive Maintenance and Labor Tracking

FASTER Asset Solutions

www.fasterasset.com/full-service-fleet-maintenance 

Part of the Transit Technologies family, FASTER Asset Solutions offers fleet management software designed specifically to optimize fleet maintenance. Features include the ability to print work orders, view real-time work in progress for both direct and indirect labor, a touchscreen-capable shop floor labor tracking, tracking of staff training and certifications, ability for technicians to electronically request parts directly from the shop floor via the Technician Workstation, recall campaign management, labor resource planning calendar, and more.

Track & Recover Warranties Easily

Fleetio 

fleetio.com

Fleetio's new Part Warranties feature allows maintenance teams to automatically track and manage parts under warranty, helping to prevent overstocks and increased inventory costs. When a warrantable part is replaced during a work order, Fleetio flags it, alerting technicians to potential warranty claims needing to be sent to the manufacturer for review. Additionally, Fleetio will prompt technicians to confirm part replacements and indicate if a part should be retained, helping to coordinate the warranty claim process with their vendors. Fleetio also provides a Part Warranty Opportunities Report that lists all warrantable parts, detailing original installation and replacement work orders and parts numbers. This report can be customized, saved, and scheduled for regular review to prioritize timely claim submissions. By leveraging this feature, school bus maintenance teams can maximize warranty recoveries, reduce operational costs, and maintain a high standard of safety for students.

A Tire Pressure Monitoring SystemKit

JohnDow Industries

johndow.com/product/retrofit-tpms-sensors/

JohnDow Industries added TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system) Retro Kit Sensors to its Dynamic products in 2024. With a range of 20 feet and designed for vehicles without manufacturer-installed TPMS, these sensors provide longer tire wear, increased passenger safety and alleviate hazardous tire-related incidents and work with virtually any air-filled tire. The new Retro Kit Sensors are available in external and internal sensor options. Both work with the easy-to-use Dynamic BLE phone app to program and assign up to 36 sensors. The External Retro Kit Sensors replace a tire’s valve cap to measure tire pressure and temperature. Designed to swap out to other vehicles, these sensors are as easy to install as screwing on a valve cap. The internal sensors act as a traditional TPMS sensor, installed inside the tire. 

Oil Drains

JohnDow Industries

https://product/17-gallon-low-profile-oil-drain/ | https://product/25-gallon-low-profile-oil-drain/

Designed for use with buses, heavy-duty trucks, and other low-profile heavy-duty equipment, JohnDow’s steel-constructed oil drains stand up to the toughest shop conditions. They can be used as a gravity drain or with a pump assist evacuation system or optional air evacuation kit. The all-steel construction makes these low-profile drains the workhorse of the repair shop. With a 10” ground clearance they fit under most buses, heavy-duty vehicles, and RVs. Find specs for each capacity drain online.

Inspection Application Check for CARB Compliance

Noregon

www.noregon.com/truck-check-up

Truck Check Up is an application for performing CARB Clean Truck Check emissions inspections on school buses and other heavy-duty vehicles that travel in California. Offering unlimited scans, school systems can keep their entire fleet of buses compliant with just one application. Truck Check Up is simple to use and only takes a few clicks to collect vehicle data and send it to CARB for a pass/fail determination. Technicians simply connect their shop device, enter their credentials and vehicle details, and Truck Check Up does the rest. Users also get access to an online portal for viewing inspection results and all previous scans performed by their shop. In conjunction with the development of the Truck Check Up application, Noregon has developed a new line of DLA+ 3.0 devices. 

Real-Time Fleet Maintenance Made Easy

Transfinder Corporation

www.transfinder.com/solutions

Servicefinder is a fleet maintenance and inventory management solution that helps prevent breakdowns, extend the life of vehicles, and lower maintenance costs. Servicefinder provides a customizable platform to access data on fuel systems, inspections, and telematics. Within Servicefinder, shops can add new work orders, associate repair codes, add parts and costs and track labor hours. By reporting all expenses and operating costs, users see a full financial picture of vehicle ownership to ensure that their assets remain profitable. 

Servicefinder allows for tailored reporting, such as technician reports and vehicle cost reports, to meet an organization’s needs. Servicefinder also enables users to complete digital vehicle inspections. It is a centralized platform to manage repairs and warranties, providing real-time cost tracking for better budgeting and forecasting, and access to historical data. Servicefinder assists with planning and scheduling maintenance, providing reminders, and calendar views so nothing falls through the cracks. The system also makes it easy to know exactly what parts a shop has on hand, where to find them, and the cost of parts coming and going. All this with an easy-to-read dashboard that provides insights into key performance indicators, real-time data visualization and a simple way to track maintenance tasks and progress.

An Intelligent Software Boosting Safety & Efficiency

Samsara

samsara.com/products/platform/ai-samsara-intelligence

Announced last December in North America, Samsara Assistant and Intelligent Experiences are now available in beta to customers in North America and Europe. Samsara Intelligence equips customers with AI-driven solutions to streamline operations and enable smarter decision-making. Key features include a generative AI tool offering instant answers to complex operational questions, and embedded AI recommendations and actions across to optimize processes. 

Samsara Assistant empowers teams by providing timely insights, such as identifying vehicles with severe fault codes, spotting operational disruptions, recognizing top-performing drivers, and understanding hours-of-service regulations. These real-time capabilities enhance efficiency and safety for frontline teams. Intelligent Experiences leverages multi-modal AI to deliver actionable insights across video, text, sensors, and diagnostics. Features include Visual Intelligence to identify jobsite hazards or provide proof of delivery, Positive Recognition to boost driver engagement with automated kudos, and AI Course Builder to streamline custom training module creation. Together, these tools make AI accessible and impactful for operational success.

Software Made Simple

Simply Fleet

www.simplyfleet.app

Simply Fleet’s easy-to-use software is designed to reduce your workload, streamline operations, and ensure safety and compliance are never compromised. Users love its intuitive design and need minimal training, seeing results almost immediately. It’s affordable without compromising on quality features. Features built for school fleets include:

• Maintenance automation: Schedule service reminders, manage repairs with built-in work orders, and log service history effortlessly with invoice scanning.

• Digital inspections: Drivers perform and log daily safety checks right from their phones.

• Parts inventory: Track parts availability and usage to ensure timely repairs and reduce downtime.

• Fuel and expense management: Monitor fuel consumption, fuel costs, maintenance costs, and track expenses like fines, tolls, etc.

Detect Tire Leaks When They Start

Uptake 

www.uptake.com

Uptake's Tire Insights provides comprehensive coverage for identifying and addressing tire-related issues, from rapid pressure drops to gradual leaks and sensor malfunctions. The tool regularly detects leaks with 30 days of lead time ahead of traditional manual inspection or roadside blowouts. Together, the Tire Leak Insight and Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) Sensor Insight are a proven suite of tire monitoring solutions to ensure vehicle safety and prevent breakdowns. These insights leverage asset/axle tire pressure baselines to determine when issues arise and work in tandem to identify and address tire-related issues before they escalate into severe safety concerns. Use of it can curtail significant failures by over 80%. Get ahead of your fleet's tire issues, mitigate the risk of breakdowns, and enhance vehicle safety on the road.

BONUS: Heat Induction Tool

Induction Innovations

www.theinductor.com/product/mini-ductor-venom/

While this product may not be new, it was recommended by Chad Klinge of Patrick Henry Local Schools for its handiness. Klinge writes: "This induction heat tool allows you to heat up rusted bolts, nuts, etc., without an open flame. Sometimes you're working close to fuel lines and well, let's just say we don't need any explosions! These buses have thousands of nuts and bolts and they get very rusty. This tool helps heat those parts and allows them to unthread with ease. There are multiple size attachments. The appropriate size coil is placed over top of the nut. The trigger is pressed and within 30 seconds the nut is cherry red, allowing it to be easily removed."