AB Tech Community College
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Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology
The Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology program at AB Tech Community College is designed to provide students with the knowledge and training necessary to properly troubleshoot, service, and repair medium and heavy duty trucks and equipment.
In the classroom, students learn the fundamentals of the diesel engine as well as the purpose and principles of operation of medium and heavy duty trucks and equipment. In the laboratory, students learn, hands-on, about the features and functions of the diesel engine and its integrated system components, including machine processes, brake systems, suspension and steering, climate control, diesel electronics and electrical systems, transmissions, and power trains. Students will also acquire hands-on training in preventive maintenance and welding for diesel mechanics.
Students learn all aspects of diesel engine repair by disassembling, inspecting, diagnosing, repairing, and reassembling various diesel engines, using sophisticated diagnostic machinery, specialized instruments, tech manuals, wiring diagrams, and hand tools.
Workplace ethics, communication and leadership skills, and analytical thought processes are also learned by students in the Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology program at AB Tech Community College.
The Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology Curriculum
The curriculum of the Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology program consists of the following career-relevant classes:
- Diesel Engines
- Preventive Maintenance
- Machine Processes I
- Intro to Transportation Technology
- Medium/Heavy Duty Brake Systems
- Suspension and Steering
- Transport Climate Control
- Electronic Engines
- Mechanical Transmissions
- Basic Transportation Electricity
- Basic Transportation Electrical Lab
- Basic Welding Processes
- Power Trains
- Work-Based Learning II
- Power Trains
- Intro to Sustainable Transportation
- Work-Based Learning II
Students are also required to take Success and Study Skills, Applied Physics I, Freshman Composition, Introduction to Computers, one Humanities/Fine Arts Elective, one Communications Elective, and one Social/Behavioral Science Elective, in order to meet the minimum 67 credit hour requirements of the Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology Associate of Applied Science Degree program. To be eligible to graduate, each student must successfully complete every class and maintain at least a 2.0 GPA, the equivalent of a “C” grade.
Occupational Outlook
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 North Carolina was $42,510 yearly and $20.44 hourly, just 5% lower than the national average.
Students who successfully complete the Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology program at AB Tech Community College will qualify for entry-level positions in the diesel and heavy equipment technology field, specifically at dealerships, fleet shops, and independent service garages as diesel mechanics. Any student who has fulfilled the work experience requirements should be fully prepared to take the ASE certification exam.
The Associate of Applied Science Degree, Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology Diploma, and Undergraduate Certificate
AB Tech Community College offers a two-year Associate of Applied Science Degree in Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology. AB Tech Community College also offers an 18-month Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology Diploma and an 8-month Undergraduate Certificate in Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology. All three programs are Pell Grant eligible.