Students and faculty in Ferris State University’s Heavy Equipment Service Engineering
Technology program welcome the donation of a 2017 Freightliner Cascadia commercial
truck, which Meijer, Inc. delivered on Monday, Oct. 9.
A donation from Meijer, Inc. will help students in Ferris State University’s Heavy Equipment Center gain the most up-to-date skills in a growing field.
The Grand Rapids-based company delivered a 2017 Freightliner Cascadia commercial truck to Ferris State earlier this month to enhance student learning opportunities in the service laboratory.
Heavy Equipment Service Engineering Technology program coordinator and associate professor Daniel Meyers said the donation allows the students to look at modern technology currently operated on the road.
“It is a contemporary diesel truck with a modern emissions system,” Meyers said. “We received three 2010 model year trucks from Meijer several years ago, but this donation offers us the chance to review detailed service records, both from Meijer and Freightliner, on a vehicle that logged many highway miles and developed its share of problems while in service.”
Truck drivers are in great demand. The American Trucking Association estimates the industry could be short 180,000 drivers by 2028 due to retirements and increases in demand for shipping as online shopping continues to grow.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects demand for diesel mechanics to grow by 4 percent through 2031.
Meyers said Meijer is a valued corporate partner of their program thanks to gifts like the Cascadia.
“Meijer has a tradition of providing us trucks that are not dilapidated from use, so our students can learn as they examine rigs that they could encounter as interns or professionals,” Meyer said. “I recall a donation from Meijer that came to us with new tires, a testament to their commitment to us as partners. The 2017 Freightliner Cascadia is the second-newest vehicle we have for training our students beyond a 2019 prototype model received a few years ago. That is an interesting vehicle to look over and work on, but this recent gift offers our students applicable technology they can observe and learn from.”
Click here to learn more about the Heavy Equipment Service Engineering Technology program for this discipline, the only Bachelor of Science degree in the nation.