High Point, N.C. – Thomas Built Buses has named Rohrer Bus Sales of Duncannon, Pa., its 2006 national dealer of the year. Rohrer is the Thomas Built dealer for eastern Pennsylvania.

The dealer of the year awards, which include five regional winners and one overall national winner, are presented each year to Thomas dealers who show outstanding performance in customer satisfaction, customer service and support, financial performance and overall relationship with Thomas Built Buses. Thomas Built president and CEO John O’Leary presented the awards at the annual Thomas dealer meeting in Greensboro, N.C.

“The Rohrer Bus Sales organization has high technical and ethical standards and provides outstanding service,” said O’Leary. “Rohrer has been in the pupil transportation business for three generations and its name is synonymous with quality and integrity.”

Howard E. (Skip) Rohrer III, president of Rohrer Bus Sales and grandson of company’s founder, accepted the award on behalf the company. “We feel very fortunate to be partnered with Thomas Built Buses and to be able to offer the best products on the market,” he said. “We pride ourselves on taking care of our customers and that’s what has enabled us to gain share in a very competitive market.”

Rohrer’s history spans more than 80 years. The company was established in the early 1920s by Howard E. Rohrer, Sr., who transported children to school in horse‑drawn wagons and later in wood-framed school buses. The school bus contracting service has more than 600 vehicles serving 14 school districts in 10 counties. Rohrer Bus Sales was formed in 1975 to sell and maintain school buses. Today the company operates state of the art maintenance facilities in Duncannon, Lewisburg and Williamsport, Pa.

The 2006 national dealer of the year was chosen from among the top-performing dealers from five regions. Regional dealers of the year are:

• American Bus Sales of Annapolis, Md. (Northeast region)

• Mid-South Bus Sales of Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Southeast region)

• Rohrer Bus Sales of Duncannon, Pa. (Great Lakes region)

• Thomas Bus Sales of Des Moines, Iowa (Central region)

• Western Mountain Bus Sales of Nampa, Idaho (Western region)

Gold, silver and bronze awards for dealership excellence also were presented to selected dealers to honor and recognize outstanding performance in service, parts support and bus sales.

Thomas Built Buses (www.thomasbus.com) is the leading manufacturer of school buses in North America, with more than one-third of the market. Since the first Thomas Built bus rolled off the assembly line in 1936, the company has focused entirely on delivering the smartest and most innovative buses in North America.

Thomas Built Buses is a member of Freightliner LLC, the largest heavy-duty truck manufacturer in North America and a leading manufacturer of class 3-8 vehicles. Freightliner LLC produces and markets commercial vehicles under the Freightliner, Sterling, Western Star and Thomas Built Buses nameplates. Freightliner is a company of DaimlerChrysler, the world’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturer.

Photos below are available upon request.

Photo #1 Thomas 2006 National Dealer of the Year Pictured left to right: Rohrer Bus Sales president Howard E. (Skip) Rohrer III and John O’Leary, Thomas Built Buses president and CEO.

Photo #2: 2005 Regional Dealers of the Year Pictured left to right: Skip Rohrer, Rohrer Bus Sales, Pa. (Great Lakes Region); Brad Carpenter, Western Mountain Bus Sales, Idaho (Western region); Leonard Stevenson, Thomas Bus Sales, Iowa (Central region); Steve Leonard, American Bus Sales, Md. (Northeast region); George Law, Mid-South Bus Sales, Tenn. (Southern region); and John O’Leary, Thomas Built Buses president and CEO.

Photo #3: Gold Award Winners for Dealership Excellence Front row, pictured left to right: Skip Rohrer, Rohrer Bus Sales, Pa.; Henry Waston, Carolina Thomas, N.C.; Doug Farnsworth, Auto Safety House, Ariz.; Steve Leonard, American Bus Sales, Md.; Bucky Law, Transportation South, Inc., Ala.; George Law, Mid-South Bus Sales, Tenn.; Brad Carpenter, Western Mountain Bus Sales, Idaho; Larry Fowler, Matheny Motors, W. Va.; and John O’Leary, president and CEO, Thomas Built Buses.

Second row, pictured left to right: Shawn Buchan, Perry Rand, Nova Scotia; Floyd Merryman, Sonny Merryman, Inc., Va.; George Eckes, Quality Bus Sales, N.Y.; Leonard Stevenson, Thomas Bus Sales, Iowa; John Hoekstra, Hoekstra Truck Equip., Mich.; Merlin Yeager, Midwest Bus sales, Ark.; and Don Kincaid, Midwest Bus Sales, Kan.

Photo #4: Silver Award Winners for Dealership Excellence Front row, pictured left to right: Robert Coleman, Interstate Transportation Equipment, Inc., S.C.; Graham Warner, Warner Industries, Saskatchewan; Brian Cressey, WC Cressey and Son, Maine; Jim Bay, Florida Bus Unlimited, Fla.; Cliff Zehr, Kerlin Bus Sales, Ind.; Bill Langdon, Thomas Bus Sales, Manitoba; Holly Chatelier, Kent-Mitchell Bus Sales, La.; and John O’Leary, president and CEO, Thomas Built Buses.

Second row, pictured left to right: Bill Webster, Bus West, Calif.; Jerry Galant, Thomas Bus, British Columbia; Glen Mason, 1st Bus Center, Saskatchewan; Dale Nelson, Nelson Bus Service, Wis.; Fred Davis, E.H. Davis, Ohio; Paul Daniels, NESCO Bus Sales, N.Y.; Craig Myers, Myers Equipment, Ohio; Jason Morgan, Lewis Transportation Sales, Utah; Steve Kreinbring, Omaha Truck Center, Neb.; Joe Heller, Thomas Bus Sales, Ga.; Nick Clawson, I-State Truck, Mont.; Mark Olsen, Trucks of Bismarck, N.D.; and Guy Matthews, Matthews Buses, N.Y. Not pictured: Barry Zink, Whayne Supply, Ky.

Photo #5: Bronze Award Winners for Dealership Excellence Front row, pictured left to right: Gregg Peterson, Thomas Bus Gulf Coast, Texas; Steve Hamrick, Midwest Bus Sales, Ill.; Dusty Vickery, Midwest Bus Sales, Okla.; Dennis Noon, H.A. Dehart & Son, N.J.; Barry Mead, New England Transit Sales, Mass.; Will Schaffer, Transwest Trucks, Colo.; Todd Telin, Superior Transit, Minn.; and John O’Leary, president and CEO, Thomas Built Buses.

Second row, pictured left to right: Larry Busch, Midwest Bus Sales, Ill.; Wayne Kruger, Ponder Equipment Co., Mo.; Bernard Dube, Autobus Thomas, Quebec; Steve Murphy, Atlantic Bus Sales, Fla.; Ray Belanger, Quality Equipment, Ark.; Mark Frank, Midwest Bus Sales, Ill.; and Barry Zink, Whayne Supply (silver level winner) Ky.