A bit of advice

I’d try and save up a bit more. Maybe lease into a smaller outfit around you and see how they do things. Save a bit more money again, and go out on your own.

Im familiar with companies around Indiana. When the time comes just ask for help if needed.

 

Buddies that are Diesel Mechanics? You got it made. Watch them work, ask questions, help out a little. Check YouTube videos. Ezrider92356, Koon Trucking, Gordon Robertson, along with other Manufacturers videos on Clutch, A/C, Fans, injectors, brakes, wheel ends, you name it. You’ll learn more on your own, than school. I wish I’d spent more time learning things, in the beginning. Used to watch them fix my Truck, trying to ask questions and learn. Now with the internet, it’s much easier. The Mechanic section here is a great source of info. Just search it, you’ll find just about everything. Got a problem? Post it up, someone else has had the same issue. Good Luck.

 

I think if you're not really mechanical you want to be able to do at least a little things like fix air leaks change your alternators starter batteries belts things like that.

Since you have time here's how I would break it up into units of study to make it more simple.

Frame and Chassis. Look at what the components are of the front end tie rod pitman arm kingpins drag link all of that stuff steering box. You're going to have to grease the truck so you should know those components and basically how they work.

Air ride suspension airbags leveling valve- axles wheel bearings wheel seals wheel hubs front and back rear pinion seals. You can probably find a video that shows how the gears in the rears are set up and the axles just so you have an idea of what's there and this gives you an idea at least how the axles ride and how you keep the oil in.

Brakes drums air Chambers slack adjusters how to replace them adjust them and grease them. And how the s-cam brakes work.

There's a really good video on YouTube that shows you how a roadranger transmission works. It's very simple and easy to understand and it gives you an idea of how the counter shafts are set up and what actually is happening in the transmission as you shift gears. Look into how a clutch works and how the clutch brake works.

The engine you will want to be able to change oil filters fuel filters and air filter.

You can also look into how a 4-stroke diesel operates.

Then you can generally look at engine management systems which show you basically what the sensors are and how they work to interpret what's going on in the engine.

You don't have to dive deeply into each topic but if you can just basically see how it works and how it works together you can always get more information on something specific.

You should also learn to use a Multimeter even if it's only just to test for ground or test for electricity or test for ohms.

 

i didn't have much experience with working on semi's till i owned one i had done some small repairs on trucks but nothing major. i did have quite a bit of experience in lighter duty trucks and automotive repairs. now i do everything on my trucks. in a lot of ways there simpler than automotive repairs everything is just bigger and heavier but not necessarily complicated.