HIGH POINT, N.C. — In early 2017, Thomas Built Buses announced a revolutionary new feature for diesel engines: Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) Temperature Stabilization, also known as the Stay Warm feature.
This new feature optimizes the regenerative parameters of diesel engines, increasing active regeneration and decreasing after treatment DPF maintenance issues. Over the past year, Thomas Built dealers have been implementing the Stay Warm feature in diesel school buses across North America, and school districts could not be more pleased.
While some school districts are seeing up to a 75-percent decrease in after-treatment-related issues, other school districts now have zero DPF-related maintenance issues.
“We have had phenomenal results with the new Stay Warm feature,” said David Walton, vehicle services coordinator for Prince William County Schools. “We now only have one-off regeneration issues, a dramatic reduction from where we used to be. The minimal issues we have now are not even in the same ballpark as what we’ve experienced in the past.”
In partnership with Cummins, the Stay Warm feature is standard and factory-installed on all Cummins engines with a standard exhaust configuration starting April 11, 2017 or later. For customers with an older Cummins engine, model year 2010 or later, Thomas Built dealers can have the engines programmed with this new Stay Warm feature.
Patty Waites of Hamilton Southeastern was one of the first customers to receive the Stay Warm update. “A representative of Cummins came by and changed the parameters of all of our buses. Since the parameter change, we have had zero DPF issues. We just love it.”
Some Thomas Built customers also are adding driver training to further increase the efficiency of their diesel engines.
“Changing the parameters has definitely helped us a lot. We went from six to seven regens a day in the shop to a total of four a week,” said Charlie Turvin, fleet trainer for Loudoun County Public Schools. “But changing parameters is not the only change we made in our shop. We also taught our drivers how to reduce idle time, how to handle a regen and the proper gear to drive in.”
“We are thrilled that fleets are seeing significant improvement in their engine and DPF performance due to the Stay Warm feature,” said Caley Edgerly, president and CEO of Thomas Built Buses. “Diesel is one of the cleanest fuels available today and with this feature, fleets can now experience reduced engine maintenance and costs, as well as fleet downtime.”
About Thomas Built Buses
Founded in 1916, Thomas Built Buses is a leading manufacturer of school buses in North America. Since the first Thomas Built bus rolled off the assembly line, the company has been committed to delivering the smartest and most innovative buses in North America. Learn more athttps://thomasbuiltbuses.com or at https://www.facebook.com/thomasbuiltbuses.
Thomas Built Buses, Inc., headquartered in High Point, North Carolina, is a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America, LLC, the largest heavy-duty truck manufacturer in North America and a leading manufacturer of class 4-8 vehicles. Daimler Trucks North America produces and markets commercial vehicles under the Freightliner, Western Star and Thomas Built Buses nameplates. Daimler Trucks North America is a Daimler company.
