Volvo Trucks is expanding its North American training footprint with the addition of a 9,600-square-foot location in Hayward, California, located near San Francisco.
It is scheduled to open June 1.
The facility will be the West Coast hub of Volvo Trucks Academy, which provides technical vehicle knowledge, dealer operations training, and provides customers with access to expert training, Volvo says. The Hayward location will also support battery-electric vehicle (BEV) training efforts for the Volvo VNR Electric, supplying programs for company employees, technicians, dealer sales staff, and aftermarket personnel, as well as owner-operators and fleet customers.
“The new training center in California will improve access and convenience, providing greater support to dealers and customers in the Western U.S. and Canada,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America. “With the recent launch of the new Volvo VNR Electric and the introduction of a completely new technology to the industry, the in-depth education provided in this facility, in addition to our standard curriculum, will continue to advance the knowledge and capabilities of our employees, dealers, and technicians, offering better service, support, and uptime for our customers.”
Volvo Trucks is among the first major truck manufacturers in North America to commercialize and sell battery-electric Class 8 trucks. The VNR Electric is produced at Volvo Trucks’ New River Valley manufacturing plant in Dublin, Virginia, and is fully assembled in the U.S.
Because technician training is essential to introducing the Volvo VNR Electric to customers with comprehensive service and support, the Hayward location will further advance the model’s viability in the market. Additionally, the training facility will increase opportunities for collaboration between various Volvo Group business units as the site is also home to Prevost, Volvo Group’s passenger coach division, and Volvo Trucks Academy will also share a portion of training space with Volvo Construction Equipment.
Classes at the training facility will begin the first week of June and gradually build toward a 50-week schedule. Training courses will be focused on BEV safety, operation, and repair, as well as engine overhaul, transmission design and function, parts sales, and warranty fundamentals.
“We want to make the training process as efficient and effective as possible,” said Leanne Fitzpatrick, strategic program manager, Volvo Trucks Academy. “By providing the same training tools found at all Volvo Trucks dealerships throughout the U.S. and Canada, we can better simulate real-world work environments for all of our trainees.”
With the addition of the Hayward facility, Volvo Trucks Academy now has six locations in North America, including Atlanta, Georgia; Grand Prairie, Texas; Hagerstown, Maryland; Joliet, Illinois; and Toronto, Canada.
