If you run commercial trucks or operate a commercial fishing boat, you likely know Terry Cheyne or are familiar with his mechanic shop on the Coos Bay waterfront.
Soon, folks who want to train as mechanics in truck and engine repair will know Terry as well.
Starting in September at the Coos campus Terry will be bringing his 35 years of experience to the new diesel tech program being offered. This two-year program was designed by Terry to help guide new mechanics to enter the career field. These students will take the learning materials from lectures and readings and then apply them in a heavily hands-on setting to become confident and knowledgeable in the industry.
“They will learn all aspects of the business, not just turning wrenches,” explains Terry. “Many trade schools offer training as a moneymaker, but there’s no heart in their programs or focus to making a person a well-rounded employee.”
This program is different. In addition to gaining the other crucial hands-on skills servicing chassis and fixing hydraulics, students will learn to complete and maintain records to avoid legal liability. Attendance and attitude matter.
“I learned a lot from hard knocks. I plan to structure this program like a job all the way through graduation,” Terry says. “Students will be required to be on time and wear a uniform.”
This is a limited-entry program that will require a person to apply and interview. Students will learn what it takes to show up, be accountable, and build a career.
“We will pick the best candidates for the program. That’s how we intend to get the best students trained and out in the mechanics world,” Terry summarizes.
Bringing high-skill training home
You might wonder why a man who owns a mechanic shop and small trucking business would want more work – and to teach.
Terry is all Coos Bay – many years of hard work have given him calloused and rough hands; he looks you in the eye to have a conversation, so you know you’re being heard, and he wants to bring growth and opportunity back to the area he grew up in. He put the same attention and dedication into designing the program.
“As a business owner, I wanted to grow and expand my business, but there are no mechanics. Well, there are, but they need to grow their training,” Terry says.
Up until now if people left to get diesel training, they didn’t come back to the region. Terry plans to change that.
If you’ve lived here a long time and went to high school here, you might remember Terry. He grew up in Coos Bay and graduated from Marshfield High School. He went on to earn a certificate in diesel technology at Universal Technical Institute in Phoenix, Arizona.
His mechanic skills landed him a first job working for a log truck company, then a commercial farm in Klamath Falls. Eventually he went to work for Wal-Mart in Hermiston as a tech at a distribution facility. He worked hard, climbing the ladder in the corporation to manage staffing and open new repair shops nationwide. In 2016, he decided to come home and start a mobile repair service that has grown into Cheyne’s Truck & Marine, employing a full crew of mechanics.
Mechanics for the future
Terry will teach the first year of classes in the College’s ambulance garage in Umpqua Hall, while SWOCC develops plans and builds a full-size mechanic shop on campus. The College and SWOCC Foundation will be seeking grants and donations to get it done in 2026, and outfit the shop with tools. Local and national companies are already stepping up. Business owners and managers are serving on an advisory committee and some plan to donate engines and equipment for students to use.
For Terry, who is ready to teach, the goal is simple — to train good technicians and give students the skills they need for real careers. For students ready to work, the outcome is guaranteed – learn solid job skills and you can help fill a workforce gap that’s been growing for years.
