IC Corporation

IC Corporation is a builder of school buses in the United States which was established in 1933. Now it produces its own chassis and bodies and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Navistar International Corporation.

Originally known as the Ward Body Works, the company became known as American Transportation Corporation (AmTran) in 1980. However, the buses were still marketed as Wards throughout the 1980s. Beginning in the 1990's and over several years, Navistar International purchased an increasingly controlling interest in AmTran. In 1992, the Ward name disappeared from the buses altogether in favor of AmTran (Genesis by AmTran on transit-style buses). In 1996, AmTran introduced the RE, branding it an AmTran instead of a Genesis. In 1998, the Genesis was redesigned and rebranded as the AmTran FE.

In 2000, AmTran introduced the IC, a fully integrated conventional school bus. The first models were badged "AmTran", although within a short time, the buses were badged "International" with the company taking on the identity "International Bus" from late 2000 to 2001 model years.

For 2002, the company's name changed yet again to IC Corporation and the new conventional bus was re-introduced as the IC CE.

On January 11, 2008, IC Corporation announced a layoff of about 300 employees at the Conway, Arkansas Bus Plant. [ [http://www2.arkansasonline.com/news/2008/jan/11/conway-school-bus-maker-lay-300/ Conway school-bus maker to lay off 300 ] ] Three hundred is just under the maximum number of employees that can be laid off in Conway without the company violating the WARN Act, which requires employers to give 60 days notice of a mass layoff or plant closing. In addition to the layoffs, the company also announced a 50 percent reduction in bus production at the Conway plant. IC Corp officials cited a lack of new orders as the reason for the layoffs. However,the company recently announced increased production at the plant in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This has stoked fears in Conway that the company is planning to shut down the plant in the near future and move all production to the newer, and non-union, Tulsa plant.

IC's current school bus models include a redesigned CE, a conventional bus, as well as the "BE" small bus, the Type-D "RE" rear-engine bus, and the Type-D "FE" front-engine bus. The new commercial line consists of the BE, plus four recently introduced models: the low-floor "LC" series, the medium-duty "HC" series, the front-engine "FC" series, and the rear-engine "RC" series. All IC buses are powered by either of the following International engines: the VT365 V8, the DT466 straight-6, or the DT570 straight-6.

For 2008, the VT365 was replaced by a larger engine to be known as the Maxxforce 7 which is also the basis for the new 6.4 Liter Powerstroke Diesel used in the 2008 Ford Super Duty pickup trucks. The DT466 will be renamed the Maxxforce DT. The DT570 will become the Maxxforce 9 but as of this writing is not available in bus applications.

IC buses carry a three-digit model number in addition to the two-letter model name. The suffix "200" indicates that the bus is powered by the VT365 or Maxxforce 7(2008+) engine, or (before 2005) the T444E engine, where the "300" designation means that the bus is powered by a DT466, Maxxforce DT(2008+), or DT570 engine. Both CE and RE models are available in 200 and 300 variants, whereas the FE is available only in 300 configuration and BE is available in 200 configuration only, respectively.

Products

Ward Body Works

*Ward Vanguard/Hi-Boy/Lo-Boy - Type A cutaway
**Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, GMC van chassis

*Ward Patriot (pre-1992) - large Type B
**similar to Thomas Vista
***Chevrolet and GMC chassis

*Ward Coachette - small Type B
**GM P-body chassis

*Ward Volunteer - Type C conventional
** Ford B700 chassis
** International Harvester 1700/1800 chassis (1979-89)
** Navistar International 3700/3800 chassis (1989-92)
** GMC B series chassis

*Ward President (pre-1989) - Type D front engine
**similar to Blue Bird All American
***International Harvester chassis

*Ward Senator (1989-early 1992) - Type D front engine
**similar to Blue Bird TC/2000
***Navistar International chassis

AmTran

*AmTran Vanguard (1992-96) - Type A cutaway-body bus
**Ford
**GMC/Chevrolet

*AmTran Volunteer/CS - Type C conventional bus
**International 3700/3800 (1992-2002)
**Ford B-700/B-800 (Discontinued after 1998)

*AmTran Genesis(1992-97)/FE(1998-2002) - Type D front-engine bus
**International 3900 chassis

*AmTran RE(1996-2002) - Type D rear-engine bus
**International 3000 chassis

*AmTran IC - Revolutionary Type C bus with integrated design (integrated meaning International supplied the body, chassis, and engine); it was introduced in 2000 as the replacement for the AmTran Conventional. Produced under this name for a matter of weeks before the company changed names to "International Truck and Bus" and then later IC Corporation, at which time the bus became known as the "International IC" and finally "IC CE".

AmTran products continue to be supported by IC Corporation's network of dealers across America, which are comprised mostly of International Truck and Engine Corporation dealers.

IC Corporation

* CE200/CE300 Type-C conventional bus
* RE200/RE300 Type-D rear-engine bus
* FE300 Type-D Type D front-engine bus
* BE200 Type-B small conventional bus
* LC low-floor commercial bus
* HC medium-duty commercial bus
* FC front-engine commercial transit bus
* RC rear-engine commercial transit bus

Hybrid School Bus

A hybrid electric school bus is currently being worked on for production and 11 have already been delivered to schools across the United States. The buses provide about 40% better mpg but cost about two and a half times more than a standard diesel bus ($210,000 versus $80,000) mass production is likely but depends on the reactions of the schools currently using the buses and if demand is high enough. [ [http://www.advancedenergy.org/corporate/initiatives/heb/phase4.php Plugin Hybrid Electric School Bus - Phase 4 ] ]

ee also

* Advanced Energy
* Blue Bird Corporation
* Collins Bus
* Crown Coach Corporation
* Enova Systems [ [http://www.enovasystems.com/ Enova: Electric, Hybrid Electric, & Fuel Cell Drive Systems ] ]
* School bus

References

External links

* [http://www.atlanticbusyard.com/Pages/Gen/IC.html/ The Atlantic School Bus Yard - IC Gallery]
* [http://www.ic-corp.com/portal/site/ICCorp IC Corporation website]
* [http://members.aol.com/njtbus/Ward.htm The school bus yard - Ward Body Works]
* [http://members.aol.com/njtbus/AmTran.htm The school bus yard - Amtran/International]
* [http://busexplorer.com/SchoolBus/AmTranMain.html Company history from busexplorer.com]
* [http://schoolbuscentral.com/gallery/manufacturers/ic/index.htm School Bus Central - IC Page]
* [http://www.ic-corp.com/portal/site/ICCorp/menuitem.8c4d576c471e02a92ab89001931010a0/?vgnextoid=46f2f99451ad3110VgnVCM10000085d0eb0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default Hybrid Buses]