City: Hanceville
Province/State: Alabama
College Website: http://www.wallacestate.edu/programs/technical/diesel-mechanics.html
Mechanic Programs: Diesel Mechanics
Diesel Mechanics Certificate Program Summary:
The diesel engine is the workhorse powering the nation’s trucks and buses because it delivers more power, is more efficient, and is more durable than its gasoline-burning counterpart. Diesel-powered engines also are becoming more prevalent in light vehicles, including passenger vehicles, pickups, and other work trucks.
Diesel service technicians and mechanics, which includes bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists, repair and maintain the diesel engines that power transportation equipment such as heavy trucks, buses, and locomotives. Some diesel technicians and mechanics also work on heavy vehicles and mobile equipment, including bulldozers, cranes, road graders, farm tractors, and combines. Technicians need a state commercial driver’s license (CDL) to test-drive trucks and buses on public roads. Wallace State offers a certificate in Diesel Mechanics and provides CDL training and testing for those interested in a career in Diesel Mechanics or truck driving.
Increasingly, technicians must be versatile in order to adapt to customers’ needs and new technologies. It is common for technicians to handle all kinds of repairs, from working on a vehicle’s electrical system one day to doing major engine repairs the next. In modern shops, diesel service technicians use hand-held or laptop computers to diagnose problems and adjust engine functions. Because of continual advances in automotive technology, technicians must regularly learn new techniques to repair vehicles.
Length: 4 semesters
Program Contact Details:
Contact: Jeremy Smith, Department Chair
Phone: 256.352.8063
Email: jeremy.smith@wallacestate.edu
Wallace State is dedicated to providing an excellent student experience that ensures our graduates are the best prepared graduates in the nation for the careers they seek and for university transfer. As a result, more high school seniors taking the ACT indicate a preference for attending Wallace State than any other college in the Alabama Community College System, and the Aspen Institute recently designated Wallace State as one of the top 120 community colleges in America based on the outcomes our students achieve. We lead the Alabama Community College System in graduation rates and a recent report in Community College Week ranked Wallace State among the “Top 50 Associate Degrees: Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences” in the United States.
