The TTSAO (Truck Training Schools Association of Ontario) and the PMTC (Private Motor Truck Council of Canada) have always had a great relationship because both organizations believe in investing in the future and the ambition of young people. The PMTC has put together a Young Leaders Group to do just that and get the next generation involved in transportation. I met a number of people from the Young Leaders Group from a college class with Mohawk College that really impressed me and I believe will be a great addition to the trucking industry in the near future. In fact some were graduating this Summer and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were hired from the people they met at the recent conference. They had made the decision to join the group from a class of 20 and now took the next step of attending their first transportation conference which was the PMTC Conference in Niagara Falls.
One student really impressed me and although not as young as the others or part of the Young Leaders Group she had also invested in attending the conference herself. She paid for her own ticket and attended every session to learn about the different areas of transportation. She is currently enrolled in a TTSAO school and knew very few people in the room at the time she first arrived. As she heard people speak and learned about who was in the room she began to network with people and find out more about them. I remember when she first came up to me she seemed very nervous and I remember commenting on the brightness of her shoes as she was wearing extremely bright running shoes the same colour as a Flamingo.
Over the next day or so we began to talk about her goals for driving and being part of the industry. We even did a podcast interview together that will come out at a later date. She would say I would like to meet this person or that person and since I knew most of the people in the room I would take her over and introduce her. Even when she would say, “Not now.” I would say, “No time like the present, you’ll be fine.” and drag her over to meet the person. I think she knew most of the room by the time the conference ended. Here she was networking with some of the top brands in the industry and they are all looking for truck drivers with quality training. She will have no trouble finding a job and may even start her driving career at a top carrier. This new driver had already made a big step in her career by paying her way and attending a conference on her own. She was taking another big step and had already committed to attending the TTSAO Conference in July.
If you are a new driver you may be saying why should I attend a conference about truck training? Yes you are already in training so the issues being discussed may not be as important to you as to others attending, but the information is not really the reason people go to a conference in the first place. It’s the networking! There will be carriers in the room, consultants, media specialists, training facilities, insurance companies, and much more. These people could possibly make introductions or even lead you to a new career path for the future. Networking is the most important thing anyone can do for their current position and the future. Wondering what to expect at the conference? In the video below Gerald Carroll tells us what we can expect at the TTSAO Conference in July.
A couple hundred dollars is not a cost but an investment in yourself and will stay with you long after the conference is over. I am a firm believer in attending as many events in the industry as possible and meeting as many people as you can. You can learn more and register for the TTSAO conference at www.ttsao.com
About the Author
Bruce Outridge is a veteran in the transportation industry with over 40 years in the industry in a variety of roles from driver to fleet supervisor and more. Today he is a media specialist in the industry producing a number of programs for the trucking industry such as his trucking podcast The Lead Pedal Podcast for Truck Drivers at www.theleadpedalpodcast.com or his radio station Lead Pedal Radio at www.leadpedalradio.com
Disclaimer: This article is written and based on the opinion of the author and is for general information only