GTCC diesel and heavy equipment program puts Tully McKinley on the road to success
Published on: August 10, 2026
Tully McKinley knew a four-year university wasn’t part of his future, but Guilford Technical Community College helped turn his interest in trucks and big engines into a career through its diesel and heavy equipment program.
Now, at 22, McKinley is a lead diagnostician at TranSource Inc., a full-service medium-and heavy-duty commercial truck dealership and service provider in Greensboro.
“I think a lot of people of my generation had a lot of pressure to go to a four-year school, but from a young age, I had never been big on going,” said McKinley. “I got by in high school, but my parents understood a four-year school was not on my path, not aligned with my future.
“There wasn’t any pressure for that from them. They wanted to support me.”
In 2022, McKinley enrolled in GTCC’s diesel and heavy equipment technician program after graduating from East Forsyth High School. He finished the program in the summer of 2023 and was immediately hired by TranSource at an entry-level position that quickly progressed to his current diagnostic position.
“I’m fully capable of turning wrenches. That’s how I got my start,” said McKinley. “The main focus of the GTCC diesel and heavy equipment program is to help students get a job and start making a living.
“Then you go from changing oil to installing equipment and then diagnostics. But I started as the low man.”
McKinley feels he was predestined to work on big trucks, specifically electrical systems and diagnostics with them.
“I was already pretty experienced with wiring. My dad’s an electrical engineer with Volvo, and I have a background in that. I was pretty good with electrical stuff and took a shine to it. I understood these things and they had me doing diagnostics full-time pretty quickly,” said McKinley.
His mom is also involved in the trucking industry, selling asset trackers to trucking companies. Both of his grandfathers were also in the business, one a mechanic in the U.S. Marines and the other a truck driver.
McKinley is never sure what type of truck or what kind of problem he will face next.
“I could have some guy come in with a 120,000-pound concrete pumper and the next could be a small box truck,” McKinley explained.
Regardless of the size of the truck or complexity of the problem, McKinley is prepared.
“It is my duty to go in and verify the complaint first, then diagnose, see what the issue is, figure out what needs to be fixed, and give an accurate price for the repair,” McKinley said.
“I’m the first line of figuring out what is wrong. For the most part, we can get a truck back on the road in two hours. The majority of things that go wrong are electrical or emissions based.”
McKinley recently won a national championship in a Top Tech competition, a skills-based event designed to find, train and celebrate elite heavy-duty, light-medium, and specialty vehicle mechanics.
“The competition covers everything from anti-lock braking issues to faulty sensors, bad connections, and engine issues,” McKinley explained. “It’s not just diagnostics but actually fixing the problem, too.”
McKinley says he’s “beyond blessed” and that he’s had “opportunities for education and advancement left and right” since finishing his training at GTCC three years ago. Much of his success, he says, can be traced directly back to the college and Jonathan Skeen, instructor of Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology.
“Jonathan is a phenomenal guy. He is able to present information we need in a way that is entertaining and engaging,” said McKinley. “At the same time, he is going to tell you how it is, not sugarcoat anything. Jonathan and the college have been an instrumental part of my growth.”
For more information on GTCC’s Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology program, visit gtcc.edu/academics/academic-programs/programs/manufacturing-transportation-construction/diesel-heavy-equipment-and-transportation.php.
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