Transportation Center

Learn in the region's premier transportation facility

M State students in both the Diesel Equipment Technology and Automotive Technology programs have the opportunity to get hands-on training in the college’s state-of-the-art Transportation Center, the region’s premier facility for training transportation workers.

A $7 million renovation project, completed in 2016, provides nearly 46,000 square feet of lab and classroom space for the 150 students who enroll in the M State programs each year.

The Transportation Center expansion, which involved new construction and renovations to existing lab and classroom spaces, and was funded by the Minnesota Legislature and supported by regional business and industry partners who rely on M State to provide highly skilled transportation workers.

Highlights of our center

The highlights of our Transportation Center include:

• Well-equipped, modern labs and classrooms prepare students for high-tech jobs
• Facility is spacious, clean, bright and warm
• Students learn by doing live work on equipment, not simulators
• Industry support and donations mean equipment is state-of-the-art
• Center is recognized as one of the best transportation training facilities in the region
• Thirty-six-seat classroom features seven LED touch screens to accommodate student teams
• Equipment meets or exceeds all industry safety standards
• Eighteen hoists and five dedicated alignment machines are available for Auto Technology students
• Twelve overheads hoists are available for Diesel Technology students during overhaul classes
• Beginning in Fall 2020, M State will have the only diesel program in the region that supplies tools for its second-year students on campus, ensuring students will have tools available at both their job sites and at the college

Here's what our business partners are saying

"The facilities at M State are the newest and most up to date in the state of Minnesota. M State students experience the latest in industry technology to get a jump start on their careers. The staff’s partnerships with industry and the facilities where they learn mean the students who attend M State for Diesel Technology and Automotive Technology have the potential to be very successful in the careers they pursue."

Steve Mikkelson
Regional Manager
Allstate Peterbilt of Fargo
 

Here's what our graduates are saying

"I chose M State’s Diesel Technology program over others in part because of the location and what it has to offer, but also because of the welcome I received when I toured the facility. I thought the best part of the program was that it has a structured daily work schedule, as it would be later in our careers.

After M State, I got a job at Ziegler CAT in Crookston as a shop technician, then transferred within the company closer to home after two years to work as a shop technician on the night shift in Fergus Falls. When a position opened up for service supervisor, I took a chance and applied. I’d like to thank the diesel program instructors and the college for helping me get ready to take that leap. Without the technical skills I learned and the work ethic they taught, I would not be in the position I’m in.

My advice to incoming diesel students is to work hard every day. Don’t take breaks in your learning because, if you do, the next person applying for that job posting might be one step ahead of you."

Tanner Jorgenson
2015 Diesel Technology program graduate
Service Supervisor, Ziegler CAT