School Bus Fleet, July 2015

12 SCHOOL BUS FLEET JULY 2015 School buses make the rounds at Navistars new proving grounds BY THOMAS MCMAHON NEW CARLISLE Ind Navistars commercial trucks school buses and military vehicles will undergo testing at the newly opened Navistar Proving Grounds company officials announced in May The 668 acre site in New Carlisle includes a 3 mile paved and banked oval as well as more rugged rural type routes in a wooded area Navistar recently purchased the site from Robert Bosch LLC On May 19 journalists from truck and bus publications including School Bus Fleet were invited to the Navistar Proving Grounds to drive the companys vehicles around the facility Attendees got behind the wheel of two IC Bus CE Series school buses One was a diesel and the other was the companys new propane model The diesel is powered by a Cummins ISB 67 liter engine while the propane runs on a Power Solutions International 88 liter engine Otherwise the two buses are similarly equipped The objective is to have this propane engine perform just like a diesel for the driver said Trish Reed vice president and general manager of IC Bus as she rode along while an attendee drove the propane bus So as a driver operates a diesel and then shifts over to a propane the driver should see no difference in the performance except that the propane bus is a lot quieter than a diesel Also making the rounds during the media event were a variety of Navistars heavy duty medium duty and severe service trucks Attendees drove some of the trucks through difficult terrain including bumpy roads a 30 grade and a muddy path through a heavily wooded area The site is about 90 miles from Navistars headquarters in Lisle Illinois Officials said that the Navistar Proving Grounds will complement the companys validation center in Melrose Park Illinois allowing test capabilities to be managed in house by Navistar The new Navistar Proving Grounds is a strategic addition to our product development operations and will play an important role in our mission to deliver industry leading uptime for our customers said Bill Kozek president of Navistar Truck and Parts Beyond testing our latest vehicles and innovative technologies we will also use the site as a customer center to showcase new products and give customers an opportunity to experience our vehicles firsthand For more details on the Navistar Proving Grounds go to www navistar provinggrounds com industry news The Navistar Proving Grounds includes a 3 mile paved and banked oval for testing the companys buses and trucks To see more photos of school buses and trucks at the Navistar Proving Grounds go to schoolbusfleet com NavistarProving More online NASHVILLE Tenn Three middle school students allegedly stole a school bus and damaged it during a midnight joyride police said According to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department two 14 year olds and a 13 year old stole a school bus from a Nashville high school on April 25 Police said that the teens drove the bus for almost an hour before abandoning it at an intersection less than a mile from the school During the drive the bus struck a utility pole damaging the front door A surveillance system on the school bus captured footage of the teens driving with the door open turning sharply and climbing on and off At one point the boy at the wheel slams on the brakes and one of the passengers flies into the windshield Police said on May 14 that the three suspects were identified after images from the surveillance system were disseminated Auto theft detectives charged the teens with stealing the bus 3 teens charged with stealing school bus BY THOMAS MCMAHON Nashville police said three middle schoolers stole a bus and drove it for almost an hour To view a video surveillance clip go to schoolbusfleet com NashvilleJoyride