Which company owns Thomas Built Buses?

Thomas Built Buses is owned by Daimler Truck. The company operates within Daimler Truck North America, alongside brands such as Freightliner, Western Star, Detroit Diesel, and Thomas Built Buses itself.

Thomas began in 1916 as the Perley A. Thomas Car Works and built both streetcars and buses. It adopted the Thomas Built Buses name in 1972 as school buses became its central product. In 1998, Freightliner acquired the company from the Thomas family and Berkshire Partners; Freightliner was then part of the Daimler commercial-vehicle organization.

A common mix-up is confusing the manufacturer with its parent structure. Daimler Truck is the corporate owner, while Daimler Truck North America is the regional parent organization. Ford, Navistar, and Volvo have supplied chassis or competed in the bus market, but none owns Thomas Built Buses.

Thomas is best known for Saf-T-Liner school buses, including the C2, EFX2, and HDX2, manufactured in High Point, North Carolina.