Canadian driver-training schools certified to standards developed by U.S. association

TORONTO — Two Canadian driver training companies — Kim Richardson Transportation Specialists, based in Caledonia, Ont., and J.V.I. Driver Training School of Charlottetown, P.E.I. — are two of 11 schools in North America to be certified to new criteria endorsed by the Professional Truck Driver Institute of America, a non-profit group supported by the Truckload Carriers Association of Arlington, Va.

“There are no borders when it comes to trucking,” explains Kim Richardson, who is also president of the Truck Training Schools Association of Ontario. “We want to continue to raise the benchmark here in Canada. Our purpose is to put safe drivers on the road, and there is no room for licensing mills in this industry.”

The PDTIA recently endorsed a tougher training regimen that includes revisions in skill standards, curriculum guidelines, and certification procedures. It incorporates the U.S. Federal Highway Administration’s minimum driver-training standards and requires an on-site evaluation of the school by an independent party.

Several groups in Canada — notably the Ottawa-based Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council — are working to develop widely accepted training standards that prospective drivers can be held to, but progress has been slow.

Richardson says fleet managers can feel reasonably assured that a driver who graduates from the PDTIA program is competent and can contribute to the company right away. “I believe it is the highest standard for trucking certification in North America,” he adds. “It means we are producing an Ivy League graduate.”

Contact: J.V.I. Driver Training School, 902/892-8774; Kim Richardson Transportation Specialists, 905/765-3445.


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