Suncor made a 1.375 million pound donation to Keyano College in the form of a 797 Cat® Haul Truck
The department of haul truck and heavy equipment operator programs requested the donation to better teach their students.
“Although our simulator training is very comprehensive, we wanted to give students a better understanding of the physical size of these vehicles. What better way than to have an actual haul truck at our Campus?” stated Chester Parisan, program chair, in a press release.
Truck 113 was used at Suncor for more than 16 years to move oilsands for processing and will now be used as a static training aid and display.
“We saw this as a great opportunity to engage students and support the heavy equipment operator and mechanics programs at Keyano College,” says Mike Agnew, vice president, mining, Base Plant at Suncor. “We recognize and want to support the next generation of talent and this means having an innovative approach to community investment.”
Many companies helped make the donation happen as moving the massive truck more than 40 kilometers along Highway 63 and through the city of Fort McMurray was no easy task.
Finning Canada choreographed the transportation and provided technicians equipment and services.
“We have a long-time partnership with Keyano in supporting education in the trades and were pleased to further support the college by orchestrating the move and re-assembly of the 797 on campus, which will be given a new life as a useful training aide to the students for years to come,” said Brent Davis, VP mining solutions, Finning Canada. “We’d also like to thank our business partners who didn’t hesitate, when asked to donate their time and resources to make this move possible.”
The truck was partially dismantled and NCSG Crane & Heavy Haul Trans Tech transported the pieces on a flatbed from Suncor to Keyano’s Industrial Campus early on the morning of Oct. 13 around 3 a.m.
Kal Tire and LaPrairie Crane also provided crews, equipment and services to dismantle and reassemble the truck.
“We are extremely grateful to Suncor for this donation and to all the partners involved who helped make this delivery a reality,” said Dr. Trent Keough, President and CEO, Keyano College. “This gift is a reminder of the importance of industry to our Region, a valuable teaching aide, and a monument to our partnership with industry.”
Truck 113 is now set up at its specially prepared site on Keyano College’s campus.
