RENO, Nev. — Cameron Wood, the lead electric vehicle performance analyst for school bus contractor Student Transportation of America, accepted the sixth annual Innovator of the Year award July 12 during the opening session of STN EXPO West.

Wood is highlighted on the cover and a feature article in the July issue of School Transportation News. He joined STA in 2024 after working as a systems engineer at Lockheed Martin. His background in engineering, algorithms and data analysis helped him bring a new perspective to student transportation.

He is recognized as Innovator of the Year for creating a machine-learning system that determines the appropriate state of charge for individual buses. The program combines real-time information from electric school buses, chargers and local weather with historical performance data. It then automatically recommends charging levels and adjusts charging times based on operating conditions, route needs and expected energy use.

The technology addresses challenges that can make electric school bus charging more complex than conventional fueling. Charging sessions can fail because of dirty connectors, improperly inserted plugs or communication problems between the vehicle and charger. Cold weather also increases energy consumption because heating systems draw power from the battery. These factors are especially important when buses must recharge between morning and afternoon routes or share sequential chargers.

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Before launching the automated program, Wood developed a calculator that required employees to enter charging and scheduling information manually. While useful, that approach could not easily scale as STA added more electric buses and chargers. Wood’s updated system, which is patent pending, now manages charging sessions throughout the day with minimal intervention, reducing work that could take employees several hours to a process completed in seconds. The automation also minimizes human error and gives drivers greater confidence that buses will be ready for their routes

During STN EXPO West conference, Wood was joined by his mother and her partner, as well as Rachel Lane, the company’s vice president of electrification and sustainability, and Thomas Yessman, the executive vice president of shared services at STA.

Tony Corpin, the president of STN Media Group and publisher of School Transportation News, introduced Wood as a passionate, intelligent and articulate individual.

“To say that I’m honored is an understatement,” Wood said on stage Sunday morning. “I want to thank Tony and the team at STN and along with NSTA for giving out this award every year. I want to thank Rachel Lane and Thomas Yesman for coming out from STA to support me. Especially Rachel, she’s a great boss. And thank you to my family, my mom and her partner came out all the way from Pennsylvania to support me and it means a lot. Thank you everyone.”

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WALL, N.J., Student Transportation of America (STA), a leader in student transportation, safety, and fleet services across North America, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Tremblay’s Bus Company, effective June 30, 2026.

Tremblay’s Bus Company is an ideal addition to the STA Family of Brands. Based in New Bedford and Fall River, Massachusetts, Tremblay’s operates a fleet of approximately 400 vehicles, serving school districts and communities throughout southeastern Massachusetts. The acquisition adds approximately $35 million in annual revenue and further strengthens STA’s strong and growing footprint across the Northeastern United States.

For STA, this acquisition is about far more than geography and growth. It’s about welcoming a company whose values closely mirror its own.

Founded in the late 1960s with a single station transporting local workers to nearby factories, Tremblay’s has grown into one of the region’s most respected transportation providers. Today, the company serves key customers including the New Bedford School Department, Fall River School Department, and Dartmouth School Department and is widely recognized for its longstanding commitment to safe, reliable service.

Tremblay’s has earned a reputation as an organization deeply connected to the communities it serves. For decades, Tremblay’s has supported veterans, public servants, seniors, youth organizations, and charitable causes throughout the greater New Bedford and Fall River area, becoming known for having a heart every bit as large as its fleet. STA values and celebrates this local commitment while supporting the business with corporate resources and best practices to ensure continued growth and success.

“Tremblay’s Bus Company represents exactly the kind of organization we are proud to welcome into the STA Family of Brands,” said Gene Kowalczewski, CEO of Student Transportation of America. “Their commitment to safety, their strong local leadership, and their deep ties to the communities they serve align perfectly with who we are as a company. We are excited to build on Tremblay’s remarkable legacy while continuing to support the students, families, employees, and school districts that have trusted them for generations.”

Across North America, STA’s Family of Brands is united by a shared focus on what matters most: safety, reliability, and care for people. The model combines local expertise and relationships with the resources, technology, and support of a larger organization—ensuring communities continue to receive personalized service while benefiting from industry-leading transportation practices.

STA will work closely with Tremblay’s leadership and employees to ensure a seamless transition for customers and staff. Day-to-day operations will continue without interruption, and the company looks forward to preserving the strong local relationships that have defined Tremblay’s success for more than half a century.

About Student Transportation of America
Student Transportation of America (STA) is an industry leader in school transportation, management, driver training, safety, routing, fleet services, maintenance, and innovative transportation solutions. Through the STA Family of Brands, the company operates more than 22,000 vehicles and serves communities across the United States and Canada with an unwavering commitment to safety, reliability, and customer service. For more information, please visit rideSTA.com.

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The July issue introduces the STN 2026 Innovator of the Year, Cameron Wood, the lead electric vehicle performance analyst for Student Transportation of America. Read the full story to learn how the 26-year-old is helping shape the future of electric vehicle charging. Read articles on how student enrollment affects transportation operations, cameras with new AI capabilities impact on driver training, school bus driver fatigue, alternative vehicles and learn more on the National Express to Summit Services contractor rebrand.

Read the full July 2026 issue.

Cover Story

Taking Charge
Cameron Wood, the lead electric vehicle performance analyst for Student Transportation of America, is this year’s STN Innovator of the Year. At only 26 years old, Wood is credited with developing a patent-pending program to help electric school buses charge smarter.

Features

Growth Spurt
Districts leaders say growth isn’t solely defined by an increase in student enrollment. Factors such as increased routes and new schools contribute to expanded transportation operations.

Smart Move
What do cameras with AI capabilities that record driver activity and student behavior mean for the future of school transportation?

Dealing with Driver Fatigue
While they love aspects of the job, school bus drivers share the many external and internal factors that contribute to burnout and resignation.

Special Reports

Same Goals, Different Vehicles
Increasingly, non-yellow vehicles are taking students to and from school and extracurricular activities. This makes it even more paramount that the bar of alternative transportation safety standards is set high.

Q&A: Industry Ascension
CEO Tim Wertner discusses the reasons for the recent rebrand of one of the largest school bus contractor groups and plans its companies have for the present and future.

Conversations
Ad Index

Editor’s Take by Ryan Gray
Safety in Sight

Publisher’s Corner by Tony Corpin
Fuel Choice, Budgets & Fresh Ideas

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KYLE, Texas – Each year, the Bill Loshbough Grand Champion award goes to the winner of the School Bus Driver International Safety Competition produced by the National School Transportation Association (NSTA). This year’s two-day event concluded over the weekend, and Brian Rickmann of Oregon’s Beaverton School District took home the honors.

Rickmann finished the event with a grand total of 694 points, which gave him a commanding lead in the Type D competition over second place winner James Hethcock of Colleyville Independent School District in Grapevine, Texas (571.53) and Kevin Beck of Salem-Keizer Public School District in Oregon (545.87).

For the title of Bill Loshbough Grand Champion across all categories, named for the Hall of Fame member of NSTA and the National Association for Pupil Transportation, the overall race was a little tighter. Rickmann’s 694 points bested the 628 points tallied by James Tiensvold of Dickson County School District in Tennessee in the Type A competition and the 624.67 points by Betty Nelson of Dean Transportation in Lansing, Michigan in Type C.

The 52nd edition of the School Bus Driver International Safety Competition took place in Uhland, Texas June 27 and 28 at the Hays Consolidated Independent School District transportation facility. The competition was sponsored by Beacon Mobility and hosted by the National School Transportation Association. Hays CISD has hosted the event since 2019, with no competition held 2020-2022 due to COVID-19. The site has proved to be the perfect fit for a competition of this sort, “This facility is really tailormade for a competition like this. As you can see, the spacing and just the layout is really helpful” said Curt Macysyn, NSTA’s executive director.

This year’s competition consisted of a total of 93 school bus drivers from 27 states and two Canadian provinces. In order to qualify for the international competition, each driver had to win their state, regional, or provincial competition, or be an NSTA Member Inclusion Driver.

Drivers were grouped by type, with 11 Type A (small bus) drivers, 30 Type D (conventional bus) drivers, and 52 Type C (transit bus) drivers. While drivers mainly competed with drivers in their classification, the Bill Loshbough Grand Champion was crowned to the driver with the most points overall.

The competition itself was split into two separate competitions: A CDL knowledge test, which took place Saturday, June 27, and the scored driving competition, which took place Sunday, June 29. An awards dinner followed.

The scored driving competition consisted of 10 different events along one continual course. Before driving the course, drivers toured the course by bus and received the details of each individual event.

The course started with student loading, followed by a railroad crossing, then a right-hand turn. It continued with the offset alley, which required drivers to shift to the left, right and back to the left without hitting any barriers.

After the offset alley, drivers completed a left-hand turn, which directed them to the straight-line test that required them to keep their right dual wheels within a straight line. Drivers then paralleled parked their buses and navigated the diminishing clearance.

The competitors then found themselves faced with what proved to be the toughest task of the day, the backup stall. The backup stall required drivers to back their buses into a tight stall and stop in a marked and measured parameter. Upon securing the buses, drivers were scored on the timing and accuracy. Drivers then needed to pull their bus forward out of the stall without hitting any obstacles and proceed to the final event of the competition: The stop line.

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Type A Results

Type C Results

Type D Results

Each event was scrutinized by a set of judges stationed along the course at their respective events. All judges were volunteers, many of which came from school districts or companies. To avoid conflicts of interest, judges stepped away from the course when a competitor represented the same school district or company.

David Jorgensen, transportation operations manager of Salem-Keizer Public Schools in Oregon, did just that, as one of his district’s drivers, Kevin Beck, not only qualified for the competition, but also placed third amongst Type D drivers. Jorgensen, who judged the backup stall, had no shortage of pleasantries when speaking about NSTA and the competition as a whole.

“It’s fun to be out here. It’s fun to meet people from other places. It’s fun to watch the skills of the drivers and it’s just fun. It’s really smooth. It’s a great facility, the weather has been nice,” he commented. “Drivers have been doing okay. I mean, we are one of the most challenging events on the course, so anytime someone does well, that feels really good.”

Not only did the competition prove to be enjoyable, it allowed bus drivers from across North America to enhance their safety knowledge and skills, something that can go a long way in ensuring the safety of students.

Photos 

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National School Transportation Association (NSTA) bus driver event continues in 2026. When: Sunday, June 28, 2026 – 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM (CT). Host: National School Transportation Association (NSTA). Title Sponsor: Beacon Mobility. Participants: We are now up to 93 School Bus Drivers from 27 states, and 2 Canadian Provinces, who have qualified by winning a state, regional, or provincial competition, or been classified as NSTA Member Inclusion Driver. Where: Hays CISD Transportation Facility, 2385 High Road, Uhland, TX 78640. GPS Location: 29°58’10.5”N , 97°47’03.4”W|Tel.: 512-268-2141.

For the third time since 2019, NSTA hosts the SBDISC, as the event returns to the
Hays CISD Transportation Facility once again in 2026. In 2023, the NSTA Board of
Directors decided to revive this iconic event, and after careful consideration, the
organization approved Hays CISD Transportation Facility as the permanent location for
the event. This two-day Weekend Competition provides an opportunity for school bus
drivers to test their CDL Knowledge through a scored test and Driving Skills in one of
three (3) categories: Small Bus (Type A), Conventional Bus (Type C), or Transit Bus (Type D). Drivers must complete Driver Orientation and complete a CDL Knowledge Test on Saturday, June 27th, prior to the Driving Skills Competition on Sunday (June 28th). In order to qualify for the SBDISC, drivers must win in their Bus Type Classification at a state, regional, or provincial competition, or be granted NSTA Member Inclusion status,
in order to gain entry to compete in SBDISC.

Invitees: In addition to the approximately 93 drivers, there are 41 competition judges –
who volunteer to officiate at the event. Additionally, spectators are invited to attend the competition, and shuttle buses are provided to-and-from the Hays CISD Transportation
Facility directly from the event’s host hotel – the Austin Marriott

Downtown (304 E. Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78701, Phone: 512-457-1111). The hotel is approximately 45 minutes away from the Hays CISD Transportation Facility. Food
Trucks will be available on-site at Hays CISD for spectators to purchase breakfast, lunch,
and other refreshments.

Cost: There is no cost to attend the Driving Skills Competition at Hays CISD on Sunday
morning, and a photo opportunity for all Driver-Competitors is scheduled for 4:30 PM
with NSTA President Patrick Dean at the host hotel. The Driver Awards Banquet will be
hosted at the Austin Marriott Downtown Hotel on Sunday evening from 5:30 PM to 8:00
PM (CT), and there is a $85.00 registration fee for spectators and guests to attend.
Notes: In 2024, the NSTA Board of Directors approved the Hays CISD Transportation
Facility to be the permanent location for the SBDISC – starting in 2024.

About NSTA: NSTA is the leading resource for school bus transportation solutions and the voice for private contractors for more than 60 years. We are a membership organization for school bus contract-operators engaged primarily in transporting students to and from school and school-related activities. Members range from small family businesses Private school bus contractors account for 38 percent of the nation’s pupil transportation services and employ more than 250,000 individuals as bus drivers, mechanics, maintenance workers, dispatch, and office workers. School transportation represents the largest form of mass transportation in the United States. Daily, almost 26 million K-12 students are transported by an estimated 480,000 yellow school buses.

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Lexus has brought the eighth-generation ES sedan to its home market, following the sedan’s earlier debut in the US and Europe. The hybrid and electric powertrains carry over unchanged, but Japanese buyers get access to a wider selection of optional accessories, including subtle bodykits and interior lighting.

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The standout from the official catalog is the Lexus Genuine Aero Parts Set. It drops the sedan’s stance and sharpens its aerodynamics, with a splitter, side skirts, and a rear bumper extension finished in glossy black. The kit also pairs with droplet-shaped fins on each D-pillar, which Lexus says steady the vortices along the rear quarters to improve stability and steering response.

Lexus

For buyers chasing something different, Modellista has its Advanced Luxury Package. It adds body-colored pieces that cut ground clearance along the profile by up to 26 mm (1 inch). The side skirts are illuminated and paired with mirror covers that integrate fins. Rounding it out is a set of 21-inch forged aluminum wheels in dark premium metallic.

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While Japan has all of these options for the exterior, US buyers are currently restricted to black emblems, wheel locks, and protective films. Another difference between the two markets is the variety of lighting accessories.

Lighting And Projections

Lexus

The Japanese-spec ES can be had with Projection Welcome Illumination, which casts a Lexus emblem onto the pavement ahead of the car, joined by side-projection lighting that throws geometric graphics down the flanks.

The catalog also covers illuminated door sills, a cargo sill, and Lexus-branded puddle lamps, all available in the US too. Buyers who want more can add illuminated cup holders and door pockets in a range of colors.

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The rest of the interior list runs to headrest pillows, a rear footrest with deodorizing properties, seatback storage pockets with a tablet holder, and premium floor and luggage mats. The lineup also includes the ES350e Rr Comfort package, the equivalent of the US-spec Executive Package, aimed at owners who prefer the back seat. Lexus also doubles down on anti-theft measures with physical locks for the wheels and the steering wheel.

Japanese Pricing

Lexus

The Lexus ES is on sale in Japan starting at ¥7,900,000 ($49,200) for the entry-level hybrid ES350h FWD. At the top sit the electric ES350e FWD with the Rr Comfort Package and the ES500e AWD Version L, both at ¥9,200,000 ($57,300). The US-spec car runs a bit higher, between $51,095 and $60,295 depending on trim.

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In terms of optional upgrades, the Lexus Genuine Aero Parts Set retails for ¥293,700 ($1,800), the Aero Stabilizing Fins for ¥22,000 ($140), and the Modellista package for ¥642,400 ($4,000), with the 21-inch wheels adding another ¥964,700 ($6,000). The Projection Welcome Illumination is priced at ¥55,000 ($340) for the grille and ¥83,600 ($520) for the side.

And last but not least, Lexus offers a deodorizing footrest, for the driver and passenger whose feet have become a known issue, at ¥46,200 ($290), the headrest pillows ¥38,500 ($240), the seatback storage pocket ¥17,600 ($110), and the luggage mat ¥30,800 ($190).

Modellista

Ford’s European business has spent recent years shrinking faster than an Ozempic’d waistline. Now the company’s planning a comeback, and apparently the answer involves “rally-bred” styling and handling, Broncos, a Fiesta revival, and a direct fight against fast-growing Chinese automakers like BYD flooding Europe with affordable EVs and hybrids.

The company this week confirmed plans to launch five new passenger vehicles across Europe by 2029, including a Bronco SUV that riffs on the look and attitude of the US version, while being entirely unrelated. A single teaser image showed the Euro Bronco on the far left looking suitably tall and square. It will be built by Ford in its Valencia plant in Spain from 2028, offering a mixture of powertrain types.

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Before buyers can get their hands on the Bronco, though, Ford will launch a new small electric hatch that’s almost certain to revive the Fiesta name. It’ll be based on the AmpR Small platform and running gear from the Renault 5, and will be joined by a related electric crossover that’s effectively Ford’s answer to the Renault 4, and a replacement for today’s Puma Gen-e. Both will be built by Renault.

Two additional crossovers using multi-energy platforms are also in development and will hit showrooms by 2029. It’s believed that one will replace the petrol-powered Puma, while the bigger one will take over from today’s Kuga. The automaker didn’t detail the powertrains, but mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrids look likely. And finally, Europe is also getting its hands on the tough, work-ready Ranger Super Duty that’s already available in Australia.

Ford Can’t Win A Price War

So why the big push? A decade ago, Ford ranked among Europe’s biggest automakers. Today, it’s slipped badly after axing household names like the Fiesta and Focus while betting heavily on VW-based electric SUVs and crossovers such as the Explorer and Capri. Meanwhile, brands like BYD have stormed into Europe with aggressively priced EVs and rapidly rising sales.

Rather than trying to outfox China on pricing, which it knows it could never do, Ford’s strategy appears focused on personality – something CEO Jim Farley has already talked about. The company says every new passenger model will feature “rally-bred” character inspired by decades of World Rally Championship success with icons including the Escort RS Cosworth, Focus WRC, and Fiesta WRC.

Ford Europe boss Jim Baumbick told Autocar magazine the company wants to deliver unmistakably Ford driving dynamics, even when using partner platforms from companies like Renault. “We don’t just want to compete, we’re here to play to win,” he said.

The company’s also openly questioning Europe’s aggressive EV mandates.

“We don’t build vehicles to meet regulatory mandates; we build them for people,” Baumbick said. “The fastest route to zero emissions is the one customers will actually take. We can accelerate emissions reductions today with hybrid technologies that let customers drive electric whenever they can.”

Whether rally nostalgia alone can reverse Ford’s European slide remains unclear. But doing nothing isn’t an option, and making the most of your heritage – something Chinese buyers don’t have – seems like a good one.

Ford, Nissan