Train with Trimac program launched in the West
CALGARY -- Trimac Transportation has agreed to train its entry-level drivers using the comprehensive Earning Your Wheels program developed by the Canadian Trucking Human Resource Council (CTHRC). Under the new "Train with Trimac" initiative, the CTHRC-accredited Mountain Transport Institute (MTI) of Castlegar, B.C. will deliver the training material, while Trimac will offer paid on-the-job coaching, financial support toward tuition, and a job upon graduation. Earning Your Wheels includes two months of classroom and in-truck training prior to four weeks of supervised work experience. On-the-job training will take place under the watchful eye of experienced Trimac personnel that MTI will train as coaches. Participants in the program will have access to financing that covers up to 73 percent of tuition costs. Drivers who stay with Trimac for two years will also be eligible for a tuition refund worth up to $5,000. "Trimac's decision to offer financial assistance to its trainees will be particularly welcome to those who believe tuition costs are an insurmountable barrier to an effective training experience," says CTHRC Chairman Roy Craigen. "We applaud Trimac's leadership and commitment in opening doors for training new Professional Drivers to National Standards." Norm Kennedy, Trimac's vice-president of Western Canada Operations says he's confident that the students graduating from the Train with Trimac program at MTI will be some of the most focused and safest new entrants in trucking. "The 'Train with Trimac' program has been developed in response to the need to make a career as a professional driver more accessible," says Andy Roberts, MTI's president. "Many people who are interested in truck driving can't afford the training. The Train with Trimac program removes that hurdle."