Recently there has been a lot of talk in the industry about entry level training standards for new drivers. Government officials along with industry associations are all pushing for new driver standards for the new driver signing on with a carrier. The reason is that the days of potential drivers coming out of an environment where they were already used to being around machinery is long gone. Back in those days, many had already been driving before they even got their licence on farm equipment. With new drivers coming from very diverse backgrounds and that background not necessarily industry related has caused associations and the industry in general to look at the training given to new drivers. Hopefully we will be able to get truck driving listed as a skilled trade and that would be good for all of us.

At what point will that stop, and do we want it to? Where else can we apply the formulas that will be developed in the near future for entry level drivers to other parts of the industry? Some companies do this already in their hiring criteria, where they state you must have a degree or similar level of experience to get a job. What if we did this to move people through the ranks of the transportation industry? How much better educated would your Owner Operator fleet be if everyone wanting to buy a truck had to complete a course showing they have done their homework in business and know what they are doing? Before that new person becomes the safety person do they know about safety, demonstrated with a background showing a clean safety record? Did they complete a course on conducting the different aspects of safety in the office? That would mean actually training people for the position that they want to achieve.

Now I am certainly not saying that everyone that moves up the ladder has no training. Many people moved up the ladder because they have self-educated themselves and worked hard to get to the levels that they have achieved. Those aren’t the folks we are worried about however, the folks we have in mind are those that have been given positions based on longevity in the workplace. The driver who operates a truck for one month and wants to become an Owner Operator without knowing anything about business is where we need to start entry level training; even though they may already have their licence. The industry is changing drastically from where it was in the past and I am happy to see that truck driving is moving towards a skilled trade where it should be, and you should too. Maybe we will finally prove to the public that transportation is an industry with a future.
About the Author

Bruce Outridge has been in the transportation industry for over 30 years and is author of the books Driven to Drive and Running by the Mile. Challenger Motor Freight Inc. is one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies (platinum member) and is looking for quality team members. To learn more about opportunities with Challenger visit their website at www.challenger.com