The Problem
Trucking companies are fed up, and no prospective driver can sleep easy at night when their potential employers are unhappy campers. What exactly is getting on their nerves? Reputable carriers are frustrated with how AZ licensed drivers are frequently ill-prepared when they show up for the road tests.
One experienced driver and road-tester for a fleet in Brampton, Ontario, Guy Broderick, says that, “You can tell within the first five minutes … from the way they open the hood … If they can’t find the dipstick, you know there’s a problem right off the bat.” Chief operating officer with Bison Transport, Rob Penner, complained about the “scary” quality of the applicants and reported that only 9 of every 100 applicants are invited to join their fleet. Not very encouraging numbers for new grads!
Those disheartening numbers beg the question, why are so many AZ license holders coming to trucking companies seeking employment with poor, inadequate training?
Many unregistered schools use low admission fees to lure in aspiring drivers and teach them the bare minimum skills that they need to get their AZ licenses at Drive Test Centres. This “check-list” only mentality, combined with the fact that driving tests have been reduced to a mere hour in length, leave drivers educated at these sub-par schools unprepared for seamless entry into the industry. Rick Geller, a trucking insurance veteran and senior safety services rep with Old Republic, summed up the problem succinctly: “They’re teaching them to pass the road test as opposed to how to drive trucks.”
Trucking companies trying to maintain their standards are left with the grueling task of managing “quality control” in the hiring process, trying to identify drivers whose skill sets will enhance their fleets.
Expressing his concern that drivers leave low-cost unregistered training schools lacking basic skills, Jeff Bryan, Transport president and current OTA chair says, “We’ve noticed we’ve got a whack of drivers that don’t know how to read a map properly, or how to plug in the correct information in the GPS.” What’s worse, the underqualified candidates from inexpensive, non-registered schools struggle to get insured and secure employment with reputable companies in the industry. It’s a lose-lose situation for trucking companies and drivers alike.
The Solution
Excitingly, last year, Ontario’s Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) developed a rich 200-hour curriculum for men and women seeking quality professional truck driving training. The new curriculum is administered by MTCU- adopted and followed by registered training schools like CHET (Commercial Heavy Equipment Training), a partner of Musket Transportation Ltd. CHET offers competitively priced professional drivers’ training ensuring that their grads are sought after by top carriers in the industry.
Another incentive for choosing CHET? As a member of the Truck Training Schools Association of Ontario (TTSAO), CHET issues TTSAO certificates which are equivalent to two to three years of driving experience. This translates to greater hirability and higher salaries.
Committed to maintaining premium training, all instructors at CHET are trained and qualified as required by provincial laws, for both in-truck training as well as classroom instruction. Aspiring drivers have access to a large yard which accommodates their thorough training practices. CHET’s training is elevated by the fact that the ratio between driving instructor and student is 1:1.
What sets CHET apart from other registered training schools? Its ability to offer job opportunities to its grads when they successfully complete their specialized driver’s training is an invaluable incentive for selecting the program. CHET often employs its graduates at The Musket Transportation Ltd, Ontario’s largest intermodal carrier.
With tens of thousands of truck drivers inching towards retirement, there’s a need for new drivers in the industry. When you choose the right certified training school, you arm yourself with the skills you need to get hired at a reputable carrier. So choose well, choose CHET and take comfort in knowing that gainful employment is just around the corner.
Contact us to learn more about CHET’s flexible, affordable programs.
Source: Truck News
