PTTAC to ensure driving schools not cutting corners: Campbell
Commercial driver training professionals from across the country have teamed up to ensure driver training meets standards and work toward getting it recognized as a Red Seal trade.
“We want to ensure that all schools are providing the training they’re supposed to be providing and not cutting corners,” Jim Campbell, chairman of Professional Truck Training Alliance of Canada (PTTAC) told TruckNews.com.
The alliance aims to create nationally approved truck training instructor programs and remove barriers and bring accessibility to funding and tuition for truck driver training programs.
Campbell, president and general manager of First Class Training Centre in Winnipeg, said an oversight of training facilities and driver instructors across Canada was required along with harmonized regulation and compliance.
Executive and board of directors
PTTAC’s executive and board of directors include Don MacDonald, co-chairman, CCA Truck Driver Training, Calgary, Alta.; Carmela Gennaro, secretary, Gennaro Transport Training, Edmonton; Earl Driedger, treasurer, Maximum Training, Saskatoon, Sask.; Jeremy Nichols, Commercial Safety College, Truro, N.S.; Kris Schroeder, Fossil Creek Industrial Training, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut; Matt Richardson, KRTS Transportation Specialists, Caledonia, Ont.; Brian Pattison, Northern Academy of Transportation Training, Lively, Ont.; and Tony Falk, United Transportation Driver Training, Blumenort, Man.
“Our board of directors consists of seasoned executives who bring hundreds of years in industry experience – specifically in commercial truck training – and are united in our vision to better the industry, road safety, and education,” Campbell said in a news release.
The PTTAC is planning to lobby federal and provincial governments to ensure everyone is on the same page regarding truck driver training. “Some places are dropping the ball on oversight,” Campbell told TruckNews.com.
The alliance is offering yearly memberships. School membership is $1,500, affiliate members $1,200 and industry associations $500.
Campbell said benefits of membership will include helping demonstrate best practices and influencing the industry. Members will have the opportunity to access the network of like-minded professionals, industry leaders, regulators and potential clients.
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So true, John. There has been no political will to create and fairly enforce credible instructor qualifications. As a former member of CTHRC, OCOT, OTA Road Knights & various OTA road safety committees , Certified Fleet instructor, etc, etc, I have direct experience with this long-standing issue. We pushed to improve commercial driver training and instructor qualifications. Most of it fell on deaf ears, with Ontario Transportation Ministers unwilling to even respond to correspondence filled with questions and reasonable solutions. The only positive result we had was getting MELT implemented. Any negative press regarding MELT is from those who are grossly misinformed about the primary goal of MELT. We’ll leave that discussion for another time.
Suffice to say, I wish the present-day lobbyists for improved instructor qualification ‘Good Luck & God-Speed’. They’re going to need all the help they can get.
Maybe we can provide effective oversight if we have a system- of proof of payment , proof of physical attendance , proof of curriculum, proof of completion.
Unfortunately this creates burdensome bureaucracy for both the private institution and the public sector. However with enough staff at both levels it is not unmanageable when a fair fee is demanded.
For proper oversight, that may mean financial audit is the final determinant of compliance.
Hi-minimal and 30 years too late