With two new trucks has come a new training center for the Volvo Trucks and Mack Trucks Academies.
Earlier this year, Volvo and Mack Trucks announced the relocation of their joint dealer and fleet technician training center from Joliet, Ill., to nearby Tinley Park. The move was necessitated by the two brands’ growing product lines — specifically the Volvo VNR Electric and the Mack LR Electric.
At nearly 15,000 sq.-ft., the new training center is nearly double its prior footprint and Technical Training Managers Jason Wasserott and Adam Prusakiewicz say nearly all aspects of the facility have been expanded. The new location features dedicated classrooms for Volvo and Mack curriculum, a large common area for joint meeting and demonstrations and an additional training room. The garage is larger too, with three trucks on site (and space for more), dedicated module stations for engine and transmission training and plenty of bench space for smaller component work.
Mack and Volvo both state the growing acceptance of their EV products as a motivating factor in expanding their training footprint, yet the new Tinley Park location provides more than just EV training. Mack offers ten on-site courses and Volvo nine at the facility, and only one of each are EV-centric. Most of the curriculum taught at the training center are existing courses that were previously taught at the Joliet location.
A look inside the Volvo Trucks classroom at the new Mack Trucks Academy and Volvo Trucks Academy joint training center in Tinley Park, Ill. The new facility also has a Mack Trucks classroom and an additional classroom on site to be used when needed.
But with the new facility does come added space to bring in more technicians per course, if necessary.
