News

Understanding Diesel Myths

Nowadays bus fleets are comprised of diesel, electric and propane-powered buses. Although each bus type offers different advantages there are many different negative myths surrounding diesel-powered buses. To set the record straight, we have compiled a list of truths regarding diesel buses that every bus owner should know.

Diesel Engines Offer Easy Maintenance

Innovative technology has allowed diesel engines to become even easier to maintain. Engines like Thomas Built’s Detroit DD5 and DD8 have the ability to offer the longest service intervals in the industry. Maintenance intervals for new engines are “set it and forget it” for once-a-year maintenance, helping ease the mind of bus owners who have entire fleets to worry about. Buses that have an engine that offers easy maintenance can make having a large fleet less stressful in the long run.

Diesel Engines Provide a Long-Term Solution

Diesel engines have a life span of 15 to 20 years and in some cases, they have lasted even longer than that. New technology is constantly improving the efficiency, durability, and reliability of diesel engines. Due to these advances, bus owners have found that diesel engines almost never need to be replaced during the life of their school bus. In addition to having a longer life span, new clean-diesel after treatment systems allow additional heat to enter the exhaust stream. This enables efficient operation of the after-treatment system at low speed, stop-and-go operations, making after-treatment systems a thing of the past.

Diesel is the Most Cost-Effective Option

Bus owners are not only able to see the upfront lower costs when purchasing a diesel bus but they are able to see the continued lower costs throughout their ownership. Based on usage, mileage, terrain or other factors Thomas Built can see that diesel offers up to 50% better fuel economy. This is compared to other similar-size gasoline, propane or compressed natural gas engines. After saving in fuel and maintenance costs a bus owner is then able to get a better resale value due to the diesel engine.

Diesel is Clean

In today’s world, it is becoming increasingly more known for companies to take action to lessen their carbon footprint. When compared with propane and gasoline, diesel-powered buses will produce the smallest carbon footprint over the operational lifetime of the bus. These school bus emissions are based on the 2017 Federal Emissions Standards and Federal Test Procedure (FTP) Cycles utilizing 2019 model year engines. Not only is diesel producing a smaller carbon footprint, but over time and with advances in technology it has become cleaner. Clean-diesel emissions are over 90% cleaner than they were in 2006.

Thomas Built diesel buses are working hard and today they exceed EPA and greenhouse gas standards for particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and non-methane hydrocarbon. They are using new engine technology in engines like the Detroit DD5 and DD8 that are revolutionizing emissions. Thomas Built’s 2019 emissions reports prove that time and time again the Detroit DD5 and DD8 have emissions well below federal emission standards.

60 of today’s Saf-T-Liner® C2 school buses produce fewer combined emissions than one school bus from 2002.


Are you ready to find your clean diesel bus? Call Kerlin Bus and our sales team will help you find the best bus for you!