President’s Report for October 2024

Our long-awaited Instructor’s Certification Program launched this month.   Together with the Commercial Vehicle Training Association (CVTA) we have embarked on the mission of upskilling and creating consistency among our TTSAO instructors in Ontario.

This is a step towards separating our Association’s members from the other schools who do not profess to deliver the most complete, relevant and professional instruction for new drivers entering our industry.

In true form, from the beginnings of our association, we are putting a path towards the accomplishment of having our schools join in presenting the proper training for professional, skillful and compliant drivers to move our freight throughout North America.

This is also a part of the planning that we undertook to advise the Ministry of Transportation in revising the Entry Level Training rules and regulations, so that the cracks and fissures in the current rules can’t be so easily manipulated.

The participating stakeholders in this endeavour spent the summer meeting us to forge a better understanding of how we can structure and deliver training that suits the industry and the public in the correct and needed ways to gain safety and compliance on the roads the public uses.

Our participating stakeholders represent ALL of the main players in the industry and have done studies and surveys to indicate the problem areas and the solutions required.

Also, this month, our Conference ’25 team has taken hold of the timing and nature of our next conference, April 9-10 which is titled, Back to Basics. We will be back to Lionhead Conference Center in Brampton for the full day on the 10^th, as we know that they provide the quality our association has come to expect.  Keep an eye out for coming announcements for sponsorship and speakers.  This will be a celebration for all things that have set the TTSAO apart for over 30 years!

Our Smart Driver Mentorship program is now running as well, and this will give our schools an upper hand in placing their students in all kinds of carriers where additional onboarding is really needed.   Imagine a course which can offer an additional 200-400 training hours to hone the skills and habits of newcomers to their companies.   This results in better compliance and longer retention numbers with new drivers.

We participated in sponsoring the Fleet Safety Council’s conference in Brampton last week, and remain in the forefront for entry level training in commercial vehicles.   Our goals align prominently with those who toil for the safety of all road users in Ontario, and Canada.