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Thomas Built Buses and Detroit. Partners in performance.

Thomas Built Buses and Detroit® are proud to be part of Daimler Truck North America, one of the world’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers. Detroit is the industry-leading original equipment manufacturer of state-of-the-art engines,
axles and transmissions for Freightliner Trucks® and Western Star Trucks®, part of the Daimler Truck North America family. Detroit products are designed to be rugged, reliable and dependable with best-in-class fuel economy, industry-leading maintenance
intervals and ease of service. Learn more about the Saf-T-Liner® C2 with the Detroit DD5™ engine and the Saf-T-Liner® HDX with the Detroit DD8™ engine.

Leaders in technology

In addition to engines, axles and transmissions, Detroit also designs advanced safety systems and connectivity services, including Detroit Connect Virtual Technician® remote diagnostics service.

Virtual Technician is the remote diagnostic service for Thomas Built buses equipped with Detroit engines. Virtual Technician helps fleets make informed service decisions within minutes of an engine or aftertreatment fault event by not only notifying fleet managers that a fault code has been triggered, but also by diagnosing the cause of the code, recommending a solution and helping source the parts needed for repair.

This service, which will be standard for five years and factory-installed on all school buses equipped with the DD5 or DD8 engine, increases uptime and reduces maintenance costs by delivering real-time engine diagnostic data and key insights to the transportation manager. This data helps fleet managers identify maintenance issues, trends and root causes so that buses are serviced only when needed or pulled off the road for immediate service.

How Virtual Technician works:

  • Virtual Technician notifies fleet managers within minutes after a fault code has been triggered, as well as the severity of the fault. The notifications are delivered via the Detroit Connect® portal, mobile app or email.
  • The Detroit Customer Support Center analyzes critical faults and provides fleet managers with the cause of the fault code, recommendations for fault resolution and, if necessary, the parts needed to fix the issue and where to find them.
  • This information allows a fleet manager to service buses when needed and prioritize severe maintenance issues, saving time and money.

Demand it all. Demand Detroit for your Thomas Built bus. Learn more about Detroit’s exceptional products and access to the global resources and extensive experience of Daimler Truck North America.

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