The OSU Institute of Technology School of Transportation & Heavy Equipment received a truck donation that will aid in the instruction of several hands-on technical courses offered through the Truck Technician program. 

Daimler Trucks North America donated a 2009 Freightliner Cascadia Evolution valued at more than $12,000. The Cascadia model is the flagship of the Freightliner brand and became an industry benchmark when it was introduced. The donated truck has been updated with 2017 emissions and training harnesses for optimum instructional experience. 

"This donation is priceless to us," said James Weygandt, Truck Technician instructor. "This additional to our fleet gives our students real-life work rather than work 'on a stand.'"

The program will be able to add faults to the truck for real-life troubleshooting in the classroom. The added new technology, EPA 2017, is already integrated, allowing students to have a training aid they haven't had access to before. 

"This opens up our ability to train on makes and models we have not previously been able to," said Weygandt. "Most trainers are for individual courses; this truck will allow us to use it throughout the program and is a huge asset to the program."

The Freightliner donation will assist in teaching all 10 face-to-face courses in the Truck Technician program: two maintenance courses, two engine courses, brakes, drive train, electrical, fluid power, air conditioning and capstone.

Although this is the first donation from DTNA, the partnership with the OSUIT Truck Technician program is long-standing. Their local dealerships have donated trainer engines to the program and provided free, local training classes for another Truck Technician instructor, Casey Reinhardt.

Like most programs on campus, our expert faculty come from industry with knowledge, experience and relationships. This partnership is the result of those connections. 

"Our relationships with DTNA were built from prior employment in the industry," said Weygandt. "This partnership has opened up opportunities for many of our students who are now employed within our local Premier Truck dealer groups."

The instructors reached out to the local dealers and expressed the need for a truck to train. Premier Truck Group helped facilitate a connection with the corporate office, which resulted in this donation.

"Premier Truck Group has been outstanding in assisting OSUIT's Truck Technician program to grow enrollment and turn this program into the best it can be," said Weygandt. "Thank you, DTNA/Premier Truck Group, for your continued partnership with our Truck Technician program."

Daimler Trucks North America LLC, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is the leading heavy-duty truck manufacturer in North America. Daimler Trucks North America produces and markets commercial vehicles under the Freightliner, Western Star and Thomas Built Buses nameplates. Daimler Trucks North America is a Daimler company, the world's leading commercial vehicle manufacturer.