Scott Greteman believes a well-maintained motorcoach fleet begins with well-trained people. And as technology advances faster than ever, he says the key to keeping buses and the industry running smoothly is constant, structured education.
“If we didn’t train, we’d have guys doing their own thing, and we’d have a cobbled mess,” said the vice president of family-owned Windstar Lines. “We look at training as an investment, not just a cost. It’s expensive to bring everyone together, but it’s a lot cheaper than paying for breakdowns 1,000 miles away.”
Greteman helps oversee 15 maintenance shops across 10 states for Windstar, a company his family built from just a couple of buses in Iowa to one of the nation’s largest private motorcoach operators.
The next generation of maintenance technicians must learn not only how to turn wrenches, but how to work with computers, emissions systems, and increasingly complex electrical networks that define the modern coach, he says.
To stay ahead, Windstar runs a training system with annual, quarterly, and monthly sessions that combine hands-on instruction, vendor partnerships, and online certification programs.
Each summer, technicians gather in Carroll, Iowa, Windstar’s hometown, for the company’s largest in-person training.
“We bring our guys in on a Sunday night, and we spend all day Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday until noon,” Greteman explained. “We go over everything they want to learn, and we bring in vendors like ABC, MCI, Cummins, and REI (Radio Engineering Industries).”
Targeted education
Greteman and his National Maintenance Manager, Juan Velasquez (2024 Grand Champion in the UMA Maintenance Competition), split attendees into two tracks. One consists of the new “greenhorn” hires who learn basics such as reading schematics and tracing circuits. The other includes advanced “A-techs” who tackle air-conditioning systems, diagnostics, and electrical troubleshooting.
“They don’t want to sit at a desk for eight hours a day,” he said. “They want to move, to touch the buses, to work through problems. That’s where they learn best.”
Each session ends with a 50-question test that includes Department of Transportation rules, company policy, and manufacturer-specific material. The company also offers a quarterly tool bonus for employees who complete online courses through MCI’s Learning Management System, ABC University, or other manufacturer-led portals.
“There’s tons of online training available,” Greteman said. “I call it cheap money – free training for the most part. And our guys like the incentive.”
Greteman shared his training model during a panel at the United Motorcoach Association Town Hall on Nov. 6, where he joined Louis Hotard of All Aboard America Holdings and moderator Kevin Whitworth.
Whitworth, the longtime organizer of the UMA Maintenance Interchange, said the conversation couldn’t come at a better time.
“Training and education have never been more important than they are today,” Whitworth said. “For almost half a century, we relied on technology from the 1940s through the 1980s. It was handed down from one generation to the next, and a lot of training wasn’t required. But those days are gone.”
Handling complexity
Greteman and Hotard both oversee hundreds of vehicles. Windstar has nearly 300 buses, and All Aboard America Holdings operates more than 1,200 across the country.
“Keeping up with technology and continuing education has been critical to their success,” he said. “And it’s something operators of all sizes can learn from.”
Hotard, who is the Director of Maintenance for Hotard Coaches, Inc., said the industry’s biggest struggle is keeping up with the complex emission systems and sensors now required on modern coaches.
“Our biggest downfall right now is emissions training — or lack of it,” Hotard said. “The sensor reliability is really poor. You can change a bad sensor, and three months later it fails again. The young guys aren’t scared of that technology, but we’ve got to invest in training them.”
Hotard, who began his career working for his father’s small motorcoach business before joining major manufacturers MCI and ABC Companies, Inc., the exclusive U.S. distributor of Van Hool motorcoaches, said vendors today offer extensive educational opportunities.
“Basically, everyone — TEMSA, Mercedes, MCI, Prevost, ABC — they all offer customer training,” he said. “It could be for drivers or technicians. Sometimes we forget the driver part, but that’s just as important.
“Manufacturers are working with their 2026 training schedules this very moment. Contact your area representatives and see what they have to offer.”
Hotard said he’s also learned to push more of his younger mechanics into those opportunities.
“I used to rely too much on my senior guys,” he said. “Now I’m reaching out to the younger ones. I might plug in a computer to a bus and erase everything. They’re not scared of it — they grew up with technology. We need to build that confidence in them.”
Collaboration cuts costs
For smaller operators, Hotard and Greteman say collaboration is key. Not every company can afford to fly vendors in or send technicians out for multi-day sessions.
“If you’ve got a good relationship with a couple of different carriers in your area, work together,” Greteman said. “Ten or 12 guys is a good group for training. If you line it up ahead of time, it’s not as expensive as you think.”
Hotard said regional training can be even more effective when it’s hands-on.
“Bring a bus that’s got a problem, not one that works,” he advised. “Have the manufacturer’s trainer walk through the issue right there in your shop. Let the techs fix it while they’re learning.”
The two men also praised the UMA Maintenance Interchange, a long-running peer forum where maintenance professionals meet to share ideas and troubleshoot problems.
“I get more out of that interchange than I like to admit,” Greteman said. “There’s so much valuable information. We take notes, ask questions, and go home to review and tweak our maintenance program. It’s grown a lot over the years, and the experience in that room is invaluable.”
Hotard agrees.
“The problems each company has, somebody else already had and came up with a solution. No manufacturers are in the room. It’s just operators sharing what works. It’s a free exchange of information, and no question is dumb.”
Supporting the next generation
UMA President and CEO Scott Michael closed the session by announcing a new initiative to help grow the industry’s technical workforce — the Ring of Honor Scholarship, an extension of the organization’s Rising Star Award for up-and-coming maintenance professionals.
“We’ve got to be training new people, new mechanics, to take over for some of these industry stalwarts,” Michael said. “We’re excited to support the younger generation through this new scholarship.”
The program will initially provide a $500 award to an emerging technician, with plans to increase that amount in future years. Michael said it’s part of a broader push to highlight the value of maintenance professionals and encourage companies to invest in their growth.
Whitworth praised the effort as a milestone for UMA.
“There’s no program anywhere that emphasizes what the United Motorcoach Association does for technicians and mechanics,” he said.
“This is a unique opportunity — a way of giving back to the people who keep our fleets safe and moving.”
Greteman says he believes collaboration is the best tool operators have.
“You’d be a fool not to get each other’s contacts,” he said. “The people you meet in that room, they’re having the same problems you are. When you’ve got a question or a bus broken down in their area, you call them. That’s how we keep this industry moving.”
The more people share what they know, the better everyone gets, he adds.
“Training is not just for big companies,” he said. “It can be scaled down, done online, or shared regionally. What matters is that we keep investing in our people. It’s not about one company. It’s about keeping this industry strong for the long haul.”
