Report: Truck Driver Training - by Ted Cohen - Truckers' Trucking Forum

WiseOne · **^ Top** #1 02.13.2009

This report was submitted with full copyright permission by Ted Cohen:

TheTruckersReport.com - 13 Feb 2009 - (By Ted Cohen)

When Jerry Verrill learned to drive the big rigs, it was in the days when most tractor-trailer drivers didn’t go to school for their training. They did it the old-fashioned way – borrowing someone’s truck.

But that was nearly 30 years ago, an ear when the highways were much-less congested and the government was working to scale back some of the tough regulations under which the trucking industry was operating.

“Nowadays things are much different,” says Verrill, 47, who now teaches commercial driving in western Maine at Oxford Hills Technical School, the only industry-certified driving academy in New England.

Oxford Hills not only considers a feather in its cap the top ranking its tractor-trailer program has received from a nationally prominent professional-driving organization. But the curriculum, certified by the Professional Truck Driver Institute, may soon become a model for training standards if a federal plan for training requirements goes into effect.

Training for drivers is becoming more important, industry observers say, as the roads become more crowded. Moreover, truckers are coming under increased scrutiny as safety advocates lobby for more regulation of the big rigs.

“Over the last decade, professional drivers have experienced a tremendous growth in their day-to-day responsibilities,” says Alice Adams, author of Trucking Rules and Regulations, published by Thomson Delmar Learning. “As carriers have become more regulated, drivers have been given more responsibility.

Verrill, who was looking for a fulfilling way to help the next generation of professional truckers keep up with the increasing need for training, began teaching 14 years ago.

Being a safe, professional, responsible driver over the course of hundreds of thousands of miles was tough enough; learning how to teach what he knew to others – especially with the growing focus on highway safety - was even harder, though in a different way, according to Verrill.

“It took me awhile to get used to teaching but now I love it,” he said. “I like making sure our students understand why it’s so important – even more so nowadays - to learn the right way.”

The evolving change in commercial driving – from the days when virtually no one went through the rigors of formal training to today’s growing requirements for accredited programs – makes it all the more essential to make sure drivers are qualified, said Jim O’Neal, chairman of Truckload Carrier Association.

“We’ve got to make sure drivers are safe,” O’Neal said. “The more we do to provide the proper training, the less the government will force us to do.”

“There seems to be some debate win the industry whether there should be any training requirements,’ said Don Osterberg, vice president at Schneider National, Inc. of Wisconsin. “Of course there needs to be standards.”

Training is so important these days that “the federal government should require standards that reflect actual on-road driving requirements,” said Dave Osiecki, the American Trucking Association’s vice president in Virginia.

Todd Spencer, vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, said he is a firm believer in the adage that “the more training, the better.”
“To do the task safely and responsibly requires a high degree of skill,” Spencer added. “There should be significant improvements in driver training for commercial drivers.”

Bill Graves, a former two-term governor of Kansas who is now president and chief executive officer of the American Trucking Association, said, “We’re always in hopes that every commercial truck driver will be safe and professional. While current economic conditions may not call for as many drivers, when we begin the financial recovery there will be the same driver ‘supply and demand’ issues that we’ve been dealing with for the past six years.”

When Colin Micklon of Fryeburg, Maine, was considering trucking as a full-time profession, he realized the importance of formal training in order to meet the growing demand for drivers who have closely supervised schooling. He decided to attend the Oxford Hills program in western Maine.

Micklon, who recently graduated from the course, said that Verrill covered all the bases, including the hours-of-service rules and the important regulations and laws of the road that promote safety-first and efficiency. “He accommodates us and works around our schedules, which is really, really helpful because a lot of us work full-time,” Micklon said.

Besides 109 hours of classroom and lab work the school offers 46 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction. The school’s program exceeds the industry’s certification requirements of 104 hours and 44 hours.

In the mid-1980s, as the need for more training for commercial drivers was winning public favor, the Federal Highway Administration designed a curriculum that became the catalyst for the trucking industry to create the Professional Truck Driver Institute in 1986.

With the highly-coveted PTDI certification, “there is an extra level of quality,” said Jane Courcy, a director of adult-education in western Maine
PTDI-certified courses are currently offered at only 66 schools in 28 states and Canada. Courcy said offering a certified Class “A” program gives graduates a leg up when it comes to finding jobs.

“Our students go in to the job market with extra credentials, and they are able to say, ‘I have these extra credentials,’ ” Courcy explained.

Ted Cohen of Portland, Maine, has been a journalist 30 years. After retiring in 2004 from the state’s largest newspaper, he attended “ProDrive of Maine” and achieved his PTDI-certified, Class A license. He drives the big rigs out of Maine for Land Air Express of New England. He may be reached at tedcohen@hotmail.com.

doubledragon5 · **^ Top** #2 02.13.2009

They should also close all those fly by night schools, that charge a enormous amount of money, and offer poor quality training..

macho52 · **^ Top** #3 02.14.2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by doubledragon5

They should also close all those fly by night schools, that charge a enormous amount of money, and offer poor quality training..

Hay Doubledragon. Just got done with Swift and got my CDL thanks for your words of incouragement. I was looking for help about 4 weeks ago and you helped a lot. Thanks

jshepp · **^ Top** #4 02.15.2009

hey guys how important is ntsi certification of a school, conway has a school in joplin mo. called Crowder but my heard its not certified. whats the pro & cons of this & should we be concerned

RickG · **^ Top** #5 03.05.2009

Good training doesn't create freight or jobs . Training and a CDL are useless when stacks of applications come in to carriers that are laying off drivers , reducing their fleets , or going out of business .

Nascar_Bobby · **^ Top** #6 03.05.2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickG

Good training doesn't create freight or jobs . Training and a CDL are useless when stacks of applications come in to carriers that are laying off drivers , reducing their fleets , or going out of business .

The above comment seems very true.

I am sure there are many good truck driving schools that are not PTDI certified. I avoided the PTDI school because it was to far away. How much more can you learn from a PTDI truck school over a good state run school that is not PTDI certified. Most programs are around 4-week or 160 hours. In the real world you are going have to have more traing than 4-weeks to be a good driver in a truck to have a better chance of surving in this economy.

chief · **^ Top** #7 03.05.2009

looking back, I seriouly can't believe anyone would have to go to school for this.

RickG · **^ Top** #8 03.05.2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nascar_Bobby

The above comment seems very true.

I am sure there are many good truck driving schools that are not PTDI certified. I avoided the PTDI school because it was to far away. How much more can you learn from a PTDI truck school over a good state run school that is not PTDI certified. Most programs are around 4-week or 160 hours. In the real world you are going have to have more traing than 4-weeks to be a good driver in a truck to have a better chance of surving in this economy.

Bobby , is there any work for you there around Lima in or out of the chemical plants or tank farms ? What about that ethanol plant ? It doesn't look like it's running much .

Nascar_Bobby · **^ Top** #9 03.06.2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickG

Bobby , is there any work for you there around Lima in or out of the chemical plants or tank farms ? What about that ethanol plant ? It doesn't look like it's running much .

I am not sure. Also not sure who does the trucking for the tank plant or the chemical plant. I believe there is work somewhere around Lima but the pay is low. 5-7 years ago there were plenty of truck driving jobs around Lima. Procter and Gamble uses Schneider which I believe is on a hiring freeze. There are trucking companies that do the shipping for Honda which I believe are hearting. I just got out of school so I really do not know.

Lastly, just wanted to add that my school was not certified by PTDI but my text book was. LOL

HwyPilot · **^ Top** #10 03.27.2009

The only text book we had was the Georgia CDL manual that we were to pick up ahead of time at a DDS. I'd like to know what text book you used, and where I can get a copy to read while I'm waiting to re-test road LOL.

BTW Nascar - I dig your avatar pic - that sign is classic! So basically empty trucks are permitted and I hope they'd have a good turn-around on that route LOL.

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