(MARSHALL, Texas) – Skyler McMurrian grew up surrounded by diesel vehicles, from his toys to his family’s farm equipment. Enrolling in Texas State Technical College’s Diesel Equipment Technology program was an easy next step.
“I basically moved from playing with my little construction vehicles to playing with big construction vehicles,” the Hughes Springs native said.
McMurrian described his former instructors at TSTC’s Marshall campus as some of the best diesel mechanics in Texas. Halfway through his education at TSTC, he heard about a diesel apprenticeship opportunity with ROMCO Equipment Co., a construction equipment supplier, at the company’s Longview location.
“The opportunity was brought to me,” McMurrian said. “I came here (to ROMCO), and now this is my family.”
After receiving his certificate of completion from TSTC in May 2024, McMurrian continued to work for ROMCO, turning his apprenticeship into a career.
Robert Stroud, a shop diesel mechanic for ROMCO, said McMurrian’s work ethic stands out.
“He’s very technically smart, and that’s very hard to teach,” Stroud said. “It’s one of those things you either have or you don’t.”
McMurrian is currently a shop technician with the company and said he hopes to expand into field service at age 24 or 25.
“Feeling like I’ve made it somewhere, feeling like I’ve got a family here and I work with people I know are going to take care of me, that’s definitely the rewarding part,” McMurrian said. “Every day is definitely a new day, and you’re always getting into something you didn’t know and you’re learning from it.”
According to onetonline.org, bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists earn a median salary of $56,780 in Texas, where the number of these jobs was projected to grow 19% between 2020 and 2030.
Diesel Equipment Technology is available at the Abilene, Fort Bend County, Harlingen, Marshall, North Texas, Sweetwater and Waco campuses. Several Associate of Applied Science degrees and certificates of completion are offered in the program, depending on location.
Registration for TSTC’s summer and fall semesters is underway. For more information, go to tstc.edu.
