American Transportation Corporation (better known as AmTran) was an American manufacturer of school bus bodies. Tracing its roots to Ward Body Works (established in 1933), AmTran was formed in 1980 following the 1979 bankruptcy of Ward to continue bus production.

In 1991, the company became a subsidiary of Navistar International, leading to a series of acquisitions of school bus body manufacturers by chassis suppliers during the 1990s. In 2000, Navistar rebranded AmTran as part of International Truck and Bus, with vehicles taking on International branding. During 2002, the branding changed again, as the name was changed to IC Corporation (IC Bus since 2008).

As with its predecessor company, AmTran corporate headquarters and manufacturing facilities were located in Conway, Arkansas. In 1999, the company opened an assembly facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma (where IC Bus currently assembles vehicles).

During the late 1970s, the school bus manufacturing industry was in relative turmoil. From the early 1950s, the segment was dependent on student population growth related to the baby-boom generation. By the beginning of the 1980s, the last of the generation had completed their secondary education, leading to a decrease in student population growth across the United States.

At the time, Ward Body Works was among "the Big Six" full-line school bus manufacturers (alongside Blue Bird, Carpenter, Superior, Thomas, and Wayne). The declining economy of the late 1970s also cut into the profitability of all school bus manufacturers. Of the "Big Six", Superior and Ward were the hardest hit. Following the 1975 closure of its secondary manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania, Ward amassed over $20 million in debt by 1979.

In July 1980, Ward Industries filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In the filing, the family-owned company declared $21.5 million in liabilities. As Ward Industries was a significant manufacturer in the central Arkansas region, the Wards sought for a way to keep the doors of the company open.

With company president Charles Ward selling off his stake in the company, Ward Industries was acquired by an investment group (assisted by then-Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton) named MBH, Inc. MBH was an acronym for the first letters of the last names of each of the 4 investors: Thomas E "Mack" McLarty, J.W. "Buddy" Benafield and two Kansas City brothers, Richard L. "Dick" Harmon and Robert Harmon. McLarty and Benafield each held one-third ownership; the Harmon brothers together held the remaining one-third ownership. MBH reopened Ward Industries as American Transportation Corporation (AmTran). As Ward Industries continued to hold significant market share in the school bus segment, AmTran chose to retain the Ward brand name for school buses although non-school bus products adopted the AmTran brand in 1981.

Following the acquisition, the Ward family held no stake in AmTran; however, Steve Ward remained in the new company for vehicle distribution and marketing, having the exclusive rights to sell Ward/AmTran products in Arkansas, based in a dealership from Conway.