October 18, 2021
East Central Community College Diesel Equipment Technology students pose with a 2013 Freightliner Cascadia truck donated to the college by Structural Steel Services in Meridian.
The students studying in East Central Community College’s Diesel Equipment Technology program have a new real-world learning tool for their Philadelphia classroom.
Structural Steel Services of Meridian has donated a 2013 Freightliner Cascadia diesel truck to the program for classroom use. The truck, which is a sleeper cab, is valued at $30,000.
The company initially sought the assistance of the Diesel Equipment Technology students in repairing the truck’s engine. However, the students determined that the engine had suffered catastrophic failure and repair would not be feasible.
“Structural Steel Services donated the truck to us after doing a cost comparison of value versus cost of engine repair,” said Scott Hale, ECCC’s Diesel Equipment Technology instructor. “It has a great body, good drive train, good tires, and other very good components to give us opportunities for live troubleshooting in the classroom. In the immediate future we are going to use it for lighting and electrical lessons, brake replacement lessons, driveline angles lessons, tire balancing lessons, and other training.”
Hale said he hopes in the future to be able to secure a donated engine replacement to provide even more real-world training experiences for the students.
In addition to the Freightliner truck, Structural Steel Services also fabricated a bracket to increase safety during use of the fork lift in the Diesel Equipment Technology facility.
“We were extremely thankful that East Central Community College’s Diesel Equipment Technology students took the time to diagnose the issues with the truck’s engine,” said Tony Dean, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Structural Steel Services. “Once we found out it was catastrophic engine failure, we wanted to support school anyway we could through donation of the truck.”
The first cohort of students began classes in ECCC’s Diesel Equipment Technology program in August 2019. The facility at the former U.S. Motors Plant site in Philadelphia was officially dedicated the following week, with U.S. Sen. (Miss.) Cindy Hyde-Smith participating in the ceremony.
The program runs from August to July. Students have an opportunity to earn 45 hours and a technical certificate during that time and move straight into the workforce. They also have the option to complete an additional 15 academic core courses and earn the Associate of Applied Science degree.
The instructional program provides students with competencies required to maintain a variety of industrial diesel equipment, including agricultural tractors, commercial trucks, and construction equipment.
Coursework includes Fundamentals of Equipment Mechanics, Electrical/Electronic Systems I, II, and III, Hydraulics I, Diesel Systems I, II, and III, Preventative Maintenance and Service, Transportation Power Train, Air Conditioning and Heating Systems, Advanced Brake Systems (Air), Steering and Suspension Systems, and Heavy Equipment Powertrain.
To be considered for the program in the fall of 2022, prospective students must complete the online ECCC application for admission at www.eccc.edu, and submit all official high school and college transcripts or an official high school equivalency diploma.
Structural Steel Services Inc. was established in Meridian in 1975, and in its over 40 years has grown into one of the largest and most highly respected industrial steel fabricators in the country.
