What is a Heavy Vehicle: Training Available in Hampton Roads

If you can’t picture yourself working in an office, if you still have every episode you ever recorded of the Discovery Channel’s Extreme Machines series, and you never outgrew the Tonka years, then you could have what it takes to become a leader in the diesel repair industry. You might find yourself diagnosing, repairing, adjusting or overhauling buses or trucks, maintaining a wide range of diesel engines.

In addition to the service teams who keep the world working by monitoring and repairing heavy vehicles in operation, there are managers with an aptitude for keeping the business side of things ticking over as efficiently as the vehicles they work on. With the right training, you could become one of these managers.

What Qualifies as a Heavy Vehicle?

Rare is the industry that does not depend on heavy diesel vehicles. Farmers use tractors, combine harvesters, tillers, sprayers, packers and ploughs to keep food on our tables. The construction industry relies on the following types of heavy vehicle to sculpt the land for development, move building materials around and erect structures.

  • Bulldozers
  • Cranes
  • Backhoes
  • Dump Trucks
  • Cement Mixers
  • Excavators
  • Motor Graders
  • Articulated Trucks
  • Multi Terrain Loaders

Between road, rail, shipping and airfreight, the transport industry revolves around diesel buses, railway cars and 18-wheel trucks. The military also relies heavily on diesel technology. According to James Anderson, writing in engineering.com, diesel tanks outshine their gas turbine counterparts on the battlefield. Mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic equipment is used in the logging and surface mining industries.

In the shipping industry, although cruise ships and freighters are undergoing a revolution as they convert to electric and hybrid engines in an effort to minimize pollution and improve public health, they currently use diesel engines. When the transition is complete, people will be needed to maintain and repair the newer engines.

Heavy Vehicle Specializations

The BLS estimates that 179,200 heavy vehicle service technicians are active in the United States. The top industries in which these individuals work are government, transportation and warehousing, rental and leasing services, heavy and civil engineering construction, and agriculture.

Opportunities for Heavy Vehicle Technicians in Hampton Roads

Hampton Roads, also known as Tidewater, Virginia, describes both a huge body of water in Virginia and the surrounding metropolitan areas in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. There is a large military presence, an ice-free harbor and thriving shipping industry.

Becoming a Heavy Vehicle Specialist in Hampton Roads

Training to become a heavy vehicle specialist or mobile heavy diesel mechanic begins in high school with courses in electronics, physics, welding and automotive repair. While this provides a solid foundation, further training is often needed to progress your career. An Associate in Occupational Science degree program in Heavy Vehicle Technology is offered in Hampton Roads for more education. Students receive classroom and laboratory training. Completion of this course prepares students for entry-level positions in heavy vehicle repair.

Once they have completed the practical course, students progress to the Service Management course, where they learn communication skills, business management, customer relations, financial skills and employee relations. Students who complete this course could make rapid progress through the work force and many of them even start their own businesses.

Are You Ready to Take the Next Step?

Interested in learning more? If you want to earn an Associate in Occupational Science (A.O.S.) degree program in Heavy Vehicle Technology, ATI offers this degree program at an accelerated rate. For more information, connect with us today!

Diesel/Heavy Vehicle Training