Photo: Front – Dr. Charlotte Warren, president of LLCC; Dr. Vern Lindquist, vice president of academic services; Nancy Sweet, dean of the Workforce Institute; Back – Chad Walton, service manager, and Nick Kuntzi, mobile service manager, Rush Truck Centers of Illinois; Jeff Gardner, director, LLCC diesel technologies program, with a GMC 5500 truck donated by Rush to be used to train new diesel technicians.

Rush Truck Centers in Illinois has donated a GMC 5500 medium duty truck to Lincoln Land Community College’s new diesel technologies program.

“We are grateful to Rush Truck Centers for the donation of this truck, which will provide hands-on learning experiences for multiple classes within the diesel technologies curriculum,” said Jeff Gardner, LLCC diesel technologies program director.

Greg La Brune, Rush Truck Centers regional general manager, commented, “The need for qualified technicians in this industry is never-ending, and a diesel program coming to our hometown is great news. We at Rush Truck Centers look forward to helping develop this new program in any way we can.”

LLCC’s diesel technologies program is set to launch in fall of 2023, offering a two-year associate in applied science degree. The program will prepare students for high-demand, high-wage careers as service technicians in agriculture, construction and highway truck and transportation industries.

More information on the diesel technologies program is available by emailing jeffrey.gardner@llcc.edu or calling 217-786-2239.