MONCTON, N.B. – GW Driver Training has changed its name to Collège Trans-Canada College, the first step in a major new initiative to help address the severe truck driver shortage crisis in New Brunswick.

The company was acquired by Tony and Susan Reeder in 2009 and maintains a head office in Riverview along with a hands-on training facility in the Scoudouc Industrial Park.

“This announcement of our new name coincides with the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association’s (APTA) annual conference,” Reeder said. “The APTA recently formed a Driver Shortage Blue Ribbon Task Force to address the driver shortage.  We believe we can play a prominent role in supplying much-needed driver resources into the system. The truck transportation industry is vital to Greater Moncton and New Brunswick’s economy, with some of the region’s largest trucking companies located here.”

“We will be modernizing and upgrading our facilities and services in order to meet the growing needs of New Brunswick’s trucking industry,” Reeder said. “There are many opportunities for long-term, well-paid trucking jobs right here at home. We need to ramp up our efforts to ensure our very important trucking industry has the workforce it needs to meet the needs of the people and businesses it serves. There’s no need to commute to Western Canada and leave your family for weeks or months at a time. There are jobs right here.”

Trans-Canada College also announced today that Brian Baxter, former president and CEO of Oulton Career College, past president of the New Brunswick Association of Career Colleges and current co-chair of the University of New Brunswick’s board of governors, has agreed to chair its new advisory board and lead the group during the rebranded company’s first year. The advisory board’s role will be to help guide Trans-Canada College in its initiatives aimed at meeting the needs of local carriers, employers and APTA members.

“We want to ensure that the best practices of private post-secondary education are utilized,” Reeder said. “Brian Baxter’s deep knowledge of post-secondary education in a private-sector setting is an immense asset in our commitment and determination to do just that.”

“Trans-Canada College must keep pace with industry’s changing needs,” Baxter said. “As a key partner in supplying the industry with fully trained human resources, we will help to build relationships and collaboration among key industry stakeholders. This will allow us to ensure that we’re providing the best possible skills development for our vitally important trucking industry.”

“There are real jobs out there right now that are going unfilled,” Baxter said. “We need to do a better job at recruiting students, training them and matching them with employers.”

According to the Conference Board of Canada, it is anticipated that 24,700 unfilled truck driver positions will exist across Canada by 2020 if current trends are not reversed.