The Truck Training School Association of Ontario (TTSAO) is an association focused on the training industry in Ontario Canada helping to improve the level of professionalism in the industry and making our roads safer. Over the years several groups have evolved within the association to help focus truck driver training issues and solve some of the large issues in the industry. The Association now has four significant membership groups that help shape the opinions and projects looked at by the Association.
The Accredited Schools Group is the major membership group within the association. This group is made up of the training facilities registered with TTSAO. The Accredited Schools are audited on a regular basis to ensure their training systems and curriculum meet the standards set out by the TTSAO.
The Insurance Group is made up of insurance providers registered with the Association. This is an important group because the insurance market dictates much of the hiring requirements
and policies for new drivers. Over the years this membership group has been important to guiding the TTSAO on how they design programming to offer the best career outcome for new students.
The Associate Members Group is the largest group and is made up of vendors, suppliers, trainers, and other companies involved in the transportation industry either working with or supporting the truck training industry.
The Carrier Group is possibly the most significant after the Accredited Schools Group. The reason for this is that the carriers registered with the TTSAO are the ones directly hiring the
students. Their direction, opinions, and requests are extremely important to the other membership groups. As current President Kim Richardson says, “The carriers are our customers without them there is no training industry.” If you are a carrier based in Canada and hire new students on your team then you may want to consider joining the organization that is training those students. Not only will you get to know the people training your future team members but you will also have a say on the type of training you would like to see a new student have when applying for a job. If you’re a carrier joining the organization you don’t have to do anything unique as you will automatically be added to the Carrier Group upon acceptance of your application. If you’re not sure if you want to join the group the best thing to do is to attend the upcoming conference and attend the Carrier Group Meeting where leader of the group Guy Broderick will be leading a discussion and updating the group on issues discussed throughout the group. You can learn more about the TTSAO at www.ttsao.com or register for the conference at https://uke.yyg.mybluehost.me/website_bf2bfdb2/ttsao-conference/
About the Author
Bruce Outridge has been in the transportation industry for over 30 years. He is an author of the books Driven to Drive and Running By The Mile, and host of The Lead Pedal Podcast. TTSAO also known as the Truck Training Schools Association of Ontario has certified member schools in the truck training vocation ensuring quality entry level drivers enter the transportation industry. To learn more about the TTSAO or to find a certified school in your area visit www.ttsao.com