On April 28, Mack Trucks launched free 90-day access to eLearning courses for high school and secondary technical education students interested in becoming a diesel technician, but who cannot attend in-person hands-on training because of the COVID-19 situation.
The courses, provided to students through their local Mack dealer, will provide an option for training typically done in a classroom. With recent mandates for self-isolation and social distancing, training for these students had been temporarily postponed.
"Recognizing that it's impossible for students to train in person at this time, the Mack Trucks Academy decided to work with Mack dealers to offer online training that is comprehensive," said Scott Behe, Mack Trucks Academy senior manager for training support. "The online courses will help fill the gap until we can go back to a more normal situation."
The Mack Trucks Academy will offer free 90-day access to a portion of the Technical Education Support (TES) online training and resources currently offered to diesel technicians. TES90 Access will be limited for high school students and secondary technical education students to training sessions such as engines, transmissions and vendor components, among others.
The dealer will provide access to the training content and will communicate the availability of online training to the schools, with which they already have relationships. Schools will enroll through their local dealer.
"Diesel technicians are critical to the uptime of heavy-duty trucks, so we are pleased to offer a program that will make training available for those interested in a career as a technician trained on Mack truck models," Behe said.
Offering online training is just one area in which Mack Trucks has offered help during COVID-19.
Mack Trucks recently launched info.macktrucks.com/thankyou, an online resource offering dealers and trucking companies useful information from government agencies and other sources, along with Mack-specific updates regarding ongoing 24/7 customer support from Mack OneCall agents, parts availability, production and a link to dealer locations.
The dedicated webpage also features a video expressing Mack's gratitude for the tireless efforts of truck customers, professional drivers, service technicians and dealers during these difficult times, as well as links to the #thankatrucker conversation on social media.
For more information, visit www.macktrucks.com.
This story also appears on Truck and Trailer Guide.
