Tennessee College of Applied Technology – Dickson
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Diesel Powered Equipment Technology*
The Diesel Powered Equipment Technology program at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Dickson has not only been accredited by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF), it has been certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), receiving accreditation in Diesel Engines, Brakes, Electrical/Electronics, Suspension and Steering, Drive Trains, Preventive Maintenance, and Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning. The program provides students with comprehensive knowledge and practical experience in the repair and maintenance of heavy-duty trucks and diesel powered equipment.
In the classroom, students receive in-depth lectures on diesel theory and learn the basics of the diesel engine system, including heavy duty truck systems, medium/heavy duty truck engines, and fuel and computerized management systems.
Through lively class discussions, study materials, and written assignments, students develop critical thinking and reasoning skills, communication skills, and comprehension in both mathematics and technical writing. Topics of discussion include gear ratios, U.S. Standard and Metric measuring systems, effective shop management, and more.
In the laboratory, students gain practical hands-on training, carefully guided by their instructors as they learn how to troubleshoot, diagnose, and repair diesel engines, fuel systems, brakes, electrical systems, diesel electronic systems, suspension and steering systems, drive trains, power trains, track frames, hydraulic systems, and air conditioning and heating systems.
Students also acquire valuable hands-on experience in welding for diesel mechanics as well as preventive maintenance and inspection. Using technical manuals, hand tools, computerized diagnostic machines, gauges, and wiring diagrams, students disassemble, inspect, diagnose, repair, and reassemble diesel engines and their integrated system components.
Each student will strengthen their mechanical aptitude and develop important analytical, technical, and problem solving skills. Students will also be expected to practice shop safety and effective time management as they complete each task assigned to them by their instructors with proficiency and speed.
Work ethics, professionalism, and maintaining a positive workplace attitude will also be stressed throughout the Diesel Powered Equipment Technology program at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Dickson.
The Diesel Powered Equipment Technology Curriculum
The Diesel Powered Equipment Technology program focuses on the following areas of study:
- Orientation & Safety
- Technology Foundations
- Diesel Engines
- Electrical / Electronics
- Fuel Systems
- Preventive Maintenance
- Suspension and Steering
- Brakes
- A/C & Heating
- Drive / Power Trains
- Hydraulics
- Welding
- Track Frame
- Work Ethics
- Employability Skills
Students are required to complete every class and maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0, the equivalent of a “C” grade, in order to graduate.
From Graduation to Occupation
As the diesel industry continues to grow rapidly, job opportunities for qualified diesel mechanics is expected to increase 11% by the year 2020, as fast as average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The mean annual wage for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists working in the United States in 2014 was $45,160, while the mean salary for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists employed in the state of Tennessee was $43,190 yearly and $20.77 hourly, just 4% lower than the national average.
Due to relatively high wages, a diesel powered economy, and an abundance of challenging repair work in the diesel technology job field, graduates of the Diesel Powered Equipment Technology program at Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Dickson can be confident they will be rewarded with a highly successful and fulfilling career.
Occupational opportunities include servicing and repairing buses, trucks, locomotives, marine vessels, farm equipment and construction equipment at commercial trucking companies, bus lines, train yards, shipyards, farms, ranches, construction companies, logging companies, mining companies, oil and natural gas extraction companies, and independent service garages.
The Diesel Powered Equipment Technology Diploma and Undergraduate Certificate
The Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Dickson offers a 20-month Diesel Powered Equipment Technology Diploma with a Heavy Diesel Equipment Technician concentration.
The Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Dickson also offers an 18-month Diesel Powered Equipment Technology Diploma with a Medium/Heavy-Duty Truck Technician concentration.
Finally, the Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Dickson also offers three separate Undergraduate Certificates in Diesel Equipment Technology, each with a different concentration, including a Truck Brake Service Technician concentration, a Diesel Engine Service Technician concentration, and a Preventive Maintenance Technician concentration.
Each program is Pell Grant eligible, except for the 4-month Undergraduate Certificate in Diesel Powered Equipment Technology with the Preventive Maintenance Technician concentration. This program is not Pell Grant eligible.
*Program is certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) and accredited by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF).