Another year, another instructor, another successful conference. The Truck Training Schools Association of Ontario (TTSAO) recently completed a late but successful 6th Annual Conference with awards and presentations that were top notch. One award which is a big honour for the recipient is the Instructor of the Year Award. The award has been in existence for three years and the experience level and expertise of the recipients have been second to none.
I remember that first year that the award was given to Joe Teixeira of Rosedale Transport. He had a 30 plus year career, was well liked by his company and teammates and was shocked that he won for 2020 for the 2019 season. It is an emotional time for the winners, Joe could barley talk on stage and had to be helped by his manager he was so overwhelmed.
In 2021 Doug DeGrow of KRTS Inc received the award for 2020. Doug had an equally impressive record and was just as shocked when he received the award. The recipients know they are nominated when they attend the conference but often don’t expect to win so it is always a surprise.
The award has a number of criteria that an instructor nominated has to meet to be included in the nominations. With 50 plus schools involved in the Association it can be very hard to choose the right instructor.
- 10 years verifiable experience
- Clean abstract
- Must work for a TTSAO School or Carrier
- Must be employed full time
- Certifications, volunteerism, and other community involvement
For 2021 the Instructor of the Year was awarded to Doug Graves an instructor with Zavcor Training Academy in Stevensville Ontario. Doug told us he was a young 75 years old and has been in the trucking industry all his life. He enjoys teaching and says as long as he is healthy will continue to teach. Happy to be nominated, the win was an extra bonus and high point in his career.
Instructor of the Year is a big honour and something that should be looked at early in the year. Do you have an instructor doing great things with lots of experience and great feedback from students? Start gathering information and putting together a profile for next year. The conference is expected to return to its regular time of February 2023. Learn what else happened at the conference here.
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