Hino Trucks gift made possible by Cedar Rapids truck center endorsement
Students at Kirkwood Community College now have an up-to-date working tool to keep them current in the workings of diesel trucks. A Cedar Rapids truck industry veteran and supporter of the college made the gift possible.
On July 13, Hino Trucks delivered a 25,950 lb GVW Hino 268 medium-duty truck to the Kirkwood Diesel Truck Technology program. The donation is valued at nearly $22,000 and provides a significant update and upgrade to the college’s student learning experiences.
“Hino is pleased to make this donation to enhance innovative educational leadership,” said Ryan Hitsman, Manager of Human Resources for Hino Trucks. He continued, “Hino Trucks has made a commitment to education by donating vehicles to diesel technician programs that provide students with knowledge and experience that prepares them to work on diesel trucks as well as new technologies that are important to the environment.”
The four-semester program covers all aspects of repair and maintenance of all diesel trucks. Kirkwood also has a related Ag Diesel Technology program. “This is a great donation for our students and for all the businesses and individuals who work with diesel vehicles in eastern Iowa,” said Scott Anderson, Kirkwood Diesel Truck Technology instructor. “One of the biggest challenges for our Kirkwood program is having newer equipment in our department. The EPA has made changes in exhaust emissions every few years, and with those changes come new technology advances. A donation of this type really makes a difference in how we can teach better to the current needs of the industry. We are very appreciative of George Grask, our local Hino dealer, for all they’ve done for our program since we started back in 2001.”
Grask’s connections with Hino were instrumental in making the July truck donation a reality. Kirkwood Vice President of Resource Development, Kathy Hall praised the efforts of Grask and his company. “We are truly fortunate and deeply grateful for this latest example of George doing good things for Kirkwood and our students. He has been a remarkable and steady friend to the college for years. This is an example of how good people make good things happen. The transportation needs of our region will benefit well into the future from George’s thoughtful work this year,” Hall said.