Filed under: Hoglund Bus, Hoglunds, Holiday Hours, Iowa, Mark Your Calendars, Minnesota
Both of our locations, Monticello and Marshalltown, will be closed on Thursday, November 26th for the Thanksgiving holiday. We will resume normal hours on Friday the 27th.
Congratulations to Tim Podas from Academy of Holy Angels for winning the Pressure Washer at the Open House!
Drivers Asked to “Avoid Harm, Obey the Stop Arm”
During 43rd Annual National School Bus Safety Week
American School Bus Council survey shows nearly half nation’s parents
incorrectly believe car driven by adult is safest way for kids to get to school
Washington, D.C. (October 7, 2009) – The American School Bus Council asks drivers of passenger vehicles to ensure the continued safety of school bus transportation with National School Bus Safety Week, October 19-23, and the 2009 theme, Avoid Harm, Obey the Stop Arm. Educating parents about the proven safety of the school bus is another critical objective during the
national observance as a recent survey from the Council found that 49 percent of parents incorrectly believe a car driven by an adult is the safest mode of transportation to get students to and from school.
“Parents deserve to be informed that the yellow school bus has been found by the National Academy of Sciences and U.S. Department of Transportation to be the safest way to transport students,” said William Tousley, National Association of Pupil Transportation president and American School Bus Council member. “And to further this safety record, we also need to remind
drivers to obey the stop arm, which plays a critical role in protecting our students.”
Avoid Harm, Obey the Stop Arm reinforces the importance for drivers to follow the rules of the road and stop when the stop arm deploys, which includes red flashing lights and a stop sign, and children get on and off the bus. The stop arm requires drivers in all states to stop, but this traffic
violation is a common occurrence as noted in studies conducted by numerous states.
The school bus is designed with more safety features, like the stop arm, than any other vehicle and the industry continually works to incorporate the latest safety technology, training and testing. Safety advancements include electronic trip check systems, which ensure buses are in proper working order before and after each trip through a tag inspection function, and GPS systems, which enable buses to be located in an emergency.
“Half the nation’s school children ride the yellow school bus and, as an industry, we make their safety our number one priority,” said Donald Fowler, National School Transportation president and American School Bus Council member. “National School Bus Safety Week allows us to inform people of the school bus’ safety record, showcase what we as an industry are doing to make school buses even safer and educate drivers everywhere on their role in keeping the school bus safe for our nation’s students.”
Helping school districts, teachers and parents promote this year’s theme and educate on school bus safety, the ASBC offers online resources, including quizzes, tips and coloring pages, at www.americanschoolbuscouncil.org. Activities are also scheduled in school districts nationwide to celebrate and educate.
About School Bus Safety Week
School Bus Safety Week was created in 1960, commemorated by Congress and the President in 1969 and recognized most recently by a congressional resolution in 2006. The goal of SBSW, which is sponsored each year by the National Association for Pupil Transportation, National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services and National School Transportation Association, is to emphasize the importance of a unified effort among students, parents and the motoring public to ensure a safe and secure ride for the nearly 26 million children who are transported daily on yellow school buses. This week also recognizes the hard work and dedication of school transportation professionals, especially the school bus drivers who ensure a safe journey for students daily. For more information about SBSW, visit www.napt.org.
About the American School Bus Council
The American School Bus Council is a coalition of the school transportation industry — including public and private transportation providers, school bus manufacturers and state officials responsible for pupil transportation. The Council is committed to providing safe, effective, efficient and healthy transportation for the more than 26 million schoolchildren who ride more
than 480,000 school buses daily. The Council was formed in 2006 to educate parents, school officials and lawmakers about the essential role the yellow school bus plays in the lives and educational achievement of America’s schoolchildren. In 2007, the Council began implementing
the annual national Love the Bus campaign each February to promote appreciation for the school bus and school bus drivers. For more information, visit www.americanschoolbuscouncil.org.
Filed under: Green, Hoglund Bus, Hybrid, IC, Mark Your Calendars, Minnesota, Open House, Training
Hoglund Bus would like to invite you to see and drive our new IC Conventional Electric Hybrid. This bus will be in Minnesota, at our Monticello location on 10/7 with a training class scheduled and a ride and drive to follow. The presentation will begin at 1:00 p.m. by Keith Kladder, Marketing Manager, IC Bus. If you are concerned with your carbon footprint or high diesel costs, come find out what our bus has to offer. Lunch will be provided and other exciting things happening, as this is happening during our Open House, call Linda at 763-271-2952 to get registered and find out what else we have to offer.
CHICAGO – EPA Region 5 has awarded approximately $2.5 million to the National School Tranportation Association (NSTA) to replace older school buses and install emission controls on others.
The funds are provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program. Under this funding competition, EPA Region 5 received 81 grant applications. The awards were chosen to maximize economic impact – particularly job creation – and emissions reductions.
NSTA will provide for replacement of 98 older school buses in the fleets serving school districts in Milwaukee, Kenosha, Racine and Waukesha counties in Wisconsin, the addition of diesel particulate filters to 62 buses service four school districts in Wright County, Minn.
The school bus contractors involved in the project are Dousman Transport, Riteway Bus Service, Durham School Services and M&M Bus Service. Costsharing contributions from those NSTA members will bring the total cost to more than $7.75 million.
The project is expected to preserve or create 119 jobs and to reduce pollution in the affected areas by 455 tons.
The Recovery Act allotted the National Clean Diesel Campaign a total of $300 million, of which the National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program received $156 million to fund competitive grants across the nation.
From School Bus Fleet – September 2009
Greensboro, NC – School bus drivers from across the U.S. and Canada tested their skills here in July during the 39th Annual International School Bus Driver Safety Competition.
The National School Transportation Association (NSTA) organizes the competition, which is held in conjunction with its annual meeting and convention. The competition comprises maneuvering through a challenging driving course and completing a written exam that tests knowledge of operational and safety standards.
Danny Stegall of Liberty (Mo.) Public Schools placed first in the Transit Class, while Larry Hannon of Centennial School District in Warminster, Penn., placed first in the Conventional Class. This is the sixth time Hannon has won a top spot in the competition.
Brandy Acevedo of the Monterey County Office of Education in Salinas, Calif., finished first in the Small Bus Class.
Here are the top competitors for each of the classes:
Transit
1. Danny Stegall, Liberty (Mo.) Public Schools
2. Tyler Reynolds, Virginia Beach (Va.) City Public Schools
3. Pamela Pagan, Center Grove Community School Corp., Bargersville, Ind.
4. Don Hanley, Kent (Wash.) School District
5. Dana Clark, Madison County Board of Education, Richmond, Ky.
6. Doug Smith, Snowline Joint Unified School District, Phelan, Calif.
7. Hannah Beard, First Student Inc., Grover, Mo.
8. Robert McManus, Beaumont (Texas) Independent School District
9. Steven Wright, First Student Inc., Olathe, Kan.
10. Sheila Van Weel, Forsythe Transportation, Chugiak, Alaska
Conventional
1. Larry Hannon, Centennial School District, Warminster, Pa.
2. George Soverns, Rittenhouse Bus Lines Inc., Smock, Pa.
3. Billy Wiseman, Kanawha County Schools, Charleston, W.Va.
4. Christine Fritz, Academy School District 20, Colorado Springs, Colo.
5. Mark Koelbl, First Student Canada, Calgary, Alberta
6. Charles Burro, Montgomery County Public Schools, Christiansburg, Va.
7. Brent Carman, Morgan Hill (Calif.) Unified School District
8. Bonnie Pool, First Student Inc., House Springs, Mo.
9. Michelle Schultz, First Student Inc., Grand Junction, Colo.
10. C. Arthur Birdsley, Hudsonville (Mich.) Public Schools
Small Bus
1. Brandy Acevedo, Monterey County Office of Education, Salinas, Calif.
2. Janet Turner, Greater Albany (Ore.) Public Schools
3. Karen Schoonover, Roanoke (Va.) City Schools
4. Randy Paxson, Durham School Services, Witchita, Kan.
5. Joanna Robson, Minneapolis & Suburban Bus Co.
NSTA Also held a contest among the drivers to select a slogan for next year’s competition. The winning slogan was, “Celebrating 40 Years of the International School Bus Driver Safety Competition: Still Thriving Towards Driving Safely,” which was submitted by Angel DeSousa of Tremblay Bus Co. in Fall River, Mass.
The 40th Annual International School Bus Driver Safety Competition will be held in St. Louis.
From School Bus Fleet – September 2009
Filed under: Arboc Spirit of Mobility, Braun, Commercial Buses, Diamond Coach, Espar Heater, Exide, Fleetguard, Glaval, Hankook Tires, Hoglund Bus, Hoglunds, IC, International, Mark Your Calendars, Minnesota, Open House, Parts, Ricon, Training, Trucks, Turtle Top
You’re Invited!!
Hoglund’s Annual Open House – Wednesday, October 7th from 11am to 2pm.
The Open House will be held in our new service bays!
Place a parts order of $100 or more during the Open House and be entered to win 1 of 5 $100 gift cards!
BBQ provided by Diamond Coach
Register to Win - TV, Pressure Washer, Gift Cards, Apparel, Jewelry, and much more!
Vendors that will be attending include:
IC Sales, International, International Finance, Arboc Mobility, Allison, Braun, Carrier, Champion Bus, CMI Fabrics, Collins/Mid Bus, Diamond Coach, Dupont, Espar, Exide, Freedman Seating, Fleetguard, Hoglund Body and Equipment, IC Parts and Service, International Renewed, Authorized Transmission Remanufacturing, Glaval, Haldex/Midland, Hankook Tire, Koroseal, NCS, Pomp’s Tire, Premire Bank, Q-Straint, REI, Ricon, Rosco, SKF, Sure-Lok, Trans/Air Mfg. Co., Translite, Truck Utilities Mfg. Co., Turtle Top, Ventech and more!
Training Seminars:
11:00 – 12:00 Parts Catalog Online*
12:00 – 1:00 IC Hybrid Technology
1:00 – 2:00 Hands-On Training with Doug Yager (Tech Helpline Specialist)
1:00 – 2:00 Navistar Financial
* Attend and enter to win a Nintendo Wii Bundle
Call to register at 763-295-5119
Our offices will be closed Monday, September 7 for the Labor Day holiday. We will resume regular hours on Tuesday the 8th. Have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend!
Filed under: Commercial Buses, Green, Hoglund Bus, Hybrid, Minnesota, Turtle Top
OAK PARK, MI, July 22 /CNW/ – Azure Dynamics Corporation (TSX: AZD – News) – (“Azure”) or (the “Company”), a leading developer of state-of-the-art green technologies that address environmental and cost issues for the commercial transportation industry, today announced a partnership with Turtle Top, a leading body manufacturer specializing in small to mid-sized buses and specialty vehicles. The agreement provides Turtle Top customers and dealers the opportunity to select Azure’s Balance(TM) Hybrid Electric drivetrain system on the Ford E-450 chassis.
“Although the relationship with Turtle Top is relatively new, it has already brought us success,” said Jay Sandler, Azure Dynamics Vice President of Sales. “Our recent 15 unit sale to Metro Mobility was a collaborative effort among Azure, Turtle Top and Hoglund Bus, a dealership in Monticello, Minnesota. Together, we can create the ideal transportation solution to meet and exceed customers’ needs.”
“Turtle Top has worked aggressively in the production and distribution of environmentally friendly vehicles over the past several years,” said Phil Tom, Vice President of Sales for Turtle Top. “Customers are demanding alternative energy sources to comply with anti-idle regulations and fuel efficiency standards. Our partnership with Azure Dynamics will allow us to offer the fuel efficient and environmentally friendly products that customers are demanding.”
With its electric-launch assist, engine-off at idle and regenerative braking, the Azure Balance(TM) Hybrid Electric is ideally suited for the tough start and stop conditions endured by shuttle buses. As a result, Turtle Top customers who select the Balance(TM) Hybrid Electric can expect up to 40% improvement in fuel economy and up to 30% reduction in maintenance costs. Importantly, the hybrid drive train also reduces greenhouse emissions by up to 30% thereby reducing the owner’s carbon footprint and improving air quality.
With the addition of Turtle Top, Azure has now partnered with seven of the leading bus body manufacturers in the US and Canada. Additionally, Azure has partnered with 27 Ford commercial truck dealerships in key markets across North America. These partnerships give Azure significant market presence and expanded sales and service capabilities.
Turtle Top began manufacturing automotive products in 1962 and is well known in the automotive industry for its quality, service, longevity and integrity. Turtle Top’s facility is located in New Paris, Indiana.
For more information about Azure Dynamics and its products, please visit www.azuredynamics.com.
About Azure Dynamics
Azure Dynamics Corporation (TSX: AZD – News) is a world leader in the development and production of hybrid electric and electric components and powertrain systems for commercial vehicles. Azure is strategically targeting the commercial delivery vehicle and shuttle bus markets and is currently working internationally with various partners and customers. The Company is committed to providing customers and partners with innovative, cost-efficient, and environmentally-friendly energy management solutions. For more information please visit www.azuredynamics.com.
Our Minnesota and Iowa offices will be closed for the Independence Day holiday on Friday, July 3. We will resume normal operating hours on the 6th.
