OTTAWA, Ont. — The Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council (CTHRC) has released three new professional development programs for coaches, mentors and assessors of truck drivers.

“With this additional professional development of their own, coaches, mentors and assessors will be able to enhance the guidance offered to drivers throughout Canada’s trucking industry,” said CTHRC executive director, Linda Gauthier.

The CTHRC defines the positions as follows:

“A coach is a company driver who has been assigned to work with a newly trained driver over a short period of time, offering in-cab training to further develop skills and apply company policies and procedures. A mentor, meanwhile, is a company driver assigned to share their knowledge and experience with a newly hired experienced driver over a longer period of time. An assessor is responsible for assessing the skill levels of newly trained and newly hired drivers, providing hiring recommendations as well as feedback on additional training needs.”

“As a trained educator, I have been amazed by the lack of uniformity and standards with regard to driver education and ongoing professional development,” said Gay White, human resources and safety manager for Newfoundland-based DD Transport. “This work being done by the Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council will go a long way to improve the industry in Canada.”

Each of the three professional development programs includes a module on personal attributes and communication skills. The programs also include modules that have been customized to reflect the unique roles of coaches, mentors and assessors.

The Coach Program includes four unique modules: Personalize Coaching; Prepare Trainees for the Trucking Lifestyle; Reinforce Policies, Procedures and Regulations; and Reinforce Over-the-Road Skills. The Mentor Program includes a dedicated Mentor module that will help protégés to develop problem-solving skills, while assessing their risks and offering encouragement. And the Assessor Program includes an Assess Driver module that addresses pre-employment screening, skills assessments and road tests.

For more information on these professional development programs, visit the CTHRC’s Web site.