Spartan Motors Reports Increased Orders for Fire Truck Chassis

CHARLOTTE, Mich., May 29 Spartan Motors, Inc. today reported that it expects May 2002 to be the Company's best month of orders for its custom fire truck chassis in more than three years.

The Charlotte, Mich.-based manufacturer of custom chassis and emergency- rescue vehicles said its Spartan Motors Chassis unit received orders for approximately $9 million worth of fire truck chassis during May 2002. Spartan said the orders came from nearly two-dozen fire-truck original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) including Spartan subsidiaries Luverne Fire Apparatus and Quality Manufacturing. The Company said its previous best month of fire truck chassis orders was in February 1999, when it posted orders of $7.8 million.

Spartan also said sales of its fire truck chassis through the first five months of 2002 are up 29 percent, compared with the same period last year.

"The recent spike in orders for Spartan's fire truck chassis reflects the changing dynamics in the emergency-rescue industry as well as our internal efforts to improve our quality and increase sales," said John Sztykiel, president and chief operating officer of Spartan Motors. "We have dedicated considerable effort to developing innovative new features, products and technologies that our customers value. The Bush Administration's $3.5 billion budget for first-responders in 2003, along with current increase in local funding for emergency-rescue equipment, bode well for Spartan Chassis and our EVTeam subsidiaries."

The Spartan chassis ordered during May will be delivered to the OEMs beginning in July of this year, and are going to be used on fire trucks in locations spanning the country -- from San Francisco to Charlotte, N.C.

Spartan Motors, Inc. (www.spartanmotors.com ) is a leading developer and manufacturer of custom chassis for motorhomes, fire trucks, ambulances and other specialty vehicles. The Company also owns three fire and rescue vehicle manufacturers, Luverne Fire Apparatus and Quality Manufacturing, and ambulance maker Road Rescue, Inc.