Hamrick School invites you to attend the Annual Truck Driving Career Fair on Thursday, July 21st, from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm at 1156 Medina Rd., Medina, OH 44256.

This is a great chance for current students, graduates, and the public to:

• meet with various trucking companies' representatives and learn about employment opportunities;
• view different motor carriers' equipment;
• learn about tax deductions, resume writing, on-line job search, credit union benefits, insurance info and more...
• acquire information about our Truck Driver Training Programs. (CDL Class "A")
  

Bring your resume and be ready to talk with trucking industry employers. Registration is not required.

Please call 1-800-362-0098 or visit our website for more information: www.hamrickschool.edu.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Val

Val Hamrick, M.Ed., M.A.
Vice President/Director of Education
Hamrick School
1156 Medina Road
Medina, OH  44256
Call Toll Free:  1-800-362-0098

Accredited member, ACCSC; OH Reg.# 88-02-1147T; Lic. # 155

Great Lakes Truck Driving School will be hosting a job fair on June 2nd, 2011 from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. This job fair is expected to be one of the largest truck driving job fairs in the history of the state.

35 - 40 companies from all over the country will be seeking candidates to fill multiple truck driver job openings. Job seekers are encouraged to bring a resume and be prepared to fill out applications. This event is open to the public, free to attend, and there is no need to register.

Non-CDL holders are also encouraged to attend. The job fair is a great chance to learn about the many opportunities available within the industry.

Over 400 jobseekers were in attendance at the Great Lakes Truck Driving School October 28th, 2010 job fair. The fair featured 23 companies seeking experienced and inexperienced truck drivers.

For more details on the event, including a list of scheduled recruiters, visit greatlakestds.com and click on the, “School Events” button or call (866) 932-3436.

WESTERN TRUCK SCHOOL salutes our Veterans, both past and present.

Audrina Bigos
www.FoxCharlotte.com

CHARLOTTE, NC- Distracted drivers are a big concern… especially when they're operating the biggest vehicles on the road.

Larry Hiott is an instructor at TransTech, a truck driving school in West Charlotte.

He says first-time students come in with bad habits.

"We're trying to wean people off cell phones because they are addictive..

almost as bad as some drugs and people rely on them too much," said Hiott.

The stakes are high for truck drivers.

"They only get one chance.  If they make a mistake with a tractor trailer.. it's usually a fatality,” said Hiott.

He tells his students they are 23 times more likely to get in a wreck while texting and six times more likely if they are just reaching for a cell phone.

When his students were asked if they use cell phones in their own cars, they were quick to raise their hands. But after this course, they may have to reconsider and make some changes to keep other drivers safe.

"Yeah that's a big difference. You got a lot of metal, a lot of weight… you gotta think about the stop and control.. the distance," said TransTech student, Rozell Washington.

TransTech says the new ban on talking could help emphasize its no cell phone rules already in place.

"Truckers shouldn't be on the cell phone because they do need to pay more attention to the road," said Washington.

They're not the only ones.

Other drivers support a possible ban.

"The reason I don't even talk on the phone that much is because I almost crashed doing it so it's more like a personal thing. Some people just are just not going to ever do it… some people just think it's fine," Joshua Byous, a South Charlotte resident.

Those drivers would face a hundred dollar fine if the bill passes.

Foxcharlotte.com/news/local/NC-Considers-New-Ban-On-Cell-Phones-For-Drivers-119224444.html

Recipient is devoted to advancing commercial truck driver training

San Diego, Calif. - The Professional Truck Driver Institute, Inc. (PTDI), an organization whose mission is to raise the quality of truck driver training courses by establishing and promoting minimum training standards, and by certifying courses that meet those standards, has awarded its 13th annual Lee J. Crittenden Memorial Award to Carl Spatocco, regional vice president of Education Affiliates/All-State Career School, Lester, Pa. The ceremony was held March 15, 2011, during the Truckload Carriers Association's (TCA) Annual Convention at the Hilton Bayfront Hotel & Convention Center in San Diego, Calif.

The award, sponsored by Delmar, Cengage Learning, is given to a person who exemplifies the overall mission of the Professional Truck Driver Institute, Inc., of which Lee Crittenden was a staunch supporter until his death in April 1998.  "Delmar is proud to sponsor this prestigious award and is proud to partner with PTDI in recognizing Mr. Spatocco", said Kristen Davis, Director of Transportation Industry Solutions at Delmar, Cengage Learning.  "It is people like him that make working in this industry so rewarding."

Spatocco has extensive experience in the commercial driver training segment of the transportation industry. His background includes managing multiple accredited commercial driver training schools for 25 years. Since 2003, he has served on PTDI's Board of Directors, Standards Review Committee, and Certification Commission. He has been a Board member of the Commercial Vehicle Training Association (CVTA) for seven years, including holding the positions of treasurer, chairman and past chairman. Spatocco is currently vice chairman of the Commercial Driver Training Foundation and has served on numerous industry advisory boards and committees for the American Trucking Associations, TCA, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. He also sits on the Board of the Pennsylvania Association of Private School Administrators and is a former Board member of the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce.

According to David Money, CDS, CDT, chairman of PTDI's Certification Commission and technical director-transportation for Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, Loss Control Advisory Services Group, "Carl applies a consistent, insightful, analytical approach to reviewing schools and policies for PTDI course certification; utilizes his significant knowledge not only of the transportation industry, but the business of training to benefit PTDI; and is unflappable in his commitment to detail."

Through his involvement with CVTA, Spatocco helped to create an instructor development program that has proven to be highly beneficial to PTDI. "One of PTDI's core standards is instructor development, so we were fortunate that we could make the program available to schools. A number of [schools are] now using it to help ensure the quality of their instructors," said Virginia DeRoze, former program director for PTDI and the 2002 recipient of the Lee J. Crittenden Memorial Award.

Personally, Spatocco is described as a leader and mentor who has consistently demonstrated innovation, resourcefulness and dedication to student success. "He never misses an opportunity to discuss the benefits of 'doing it right' with individuals outside of the training arena, or those involved with training. ... Many students have benefited from Carl's dedication to driver training and for them, we thank him," said Chuck Wirth, CVTA's representative to the PTDI Board and one of the individuals who nominated Spatocco for the award.

The presentation of the annual Lee J. Crittenden award will keep Crittenden's memory alive and serve as inspiration to others who get involved with truck driver issues. Crittenden helped many important industry activities get their start. He was passionate about promoting a positive image of the nation's professional truck drivers, and was largely responsible for the creation of America's Road Team. He also initiated a scholarship program for drivers who participate in the National Truck Driving Championships. His greatest industry achievement is largely believed to be his part in founding the Professional Truck Driver Institute, where he served on the board of directors and also as the finance chairman during the Institute's infancy. Crittenden worked for CitiCapital, the company that was instrumental in creating this award along with the Truckload Carriers Association.

In partnership with OMCAP, INC., Coastal Truck Driving School accepted scholarships for new over-the-road truck drivers. Each awarded scholarship provided training and jobs placement. Coastal’s scholarships were paid only if the trainee graduated and assured that each scholarship resulted in a new driver. To date, more than 80 residents applied for scholarships; 55 were selected and 50 graduated with job offers. Of the 50 graduates, 44 are currently employed with carriers at a minimum salary of $30,000 per year. This $250,000 investment represents a potential return of $1,320,000 (528% increase) in salaries, alone.

COASTAL TRUCK DRIVING SCHOOL is a proprietary, co-educational institution, which was established in Louisiana in 1985 and is one of the premier truck driving schools in the country.

Michael Brock is hitting the open road in search of job security.

After two decades working construction jobs, he is tired of being laid off when times get tough. He enrolled at the C1 Truck Driving School in Benbrook and plans to become a long-distance driver.

"Construction is not stable enough for me," Brock, 43, said last week during a class. "Driving a truck is a stable industry. As long as you keep your report clean, you've got a job."

Americans as a whole may be struggling to find work after a long recession, but there are jobs aplenty in the cab of an 18-wheeler. Trucking companies are reporting a shortage of drivers nationwide, which could delay shipments and ultimately raise the price of goods.

"During the recession, companies had to cut the work force, so now that freight volumes are picking back up they don't have the work force to accommodate the demand," said Brandon Borgna, spokesman for the American Trucking Associations in Arlington, Va. "A lot of drivers are older. There isn't that younger generation stepping in."

Read more at Star-Telegram

Federal regulation of the interstate trucking industry began in 1935. But, as with other industries, economic research throughout the 1960s and early 1970s showed that trucking rates would be far lower in a competitive marketplace. Given that and a growing opposition to interstate regulation, Congress passed legislation in 1980 that virtually deregulated the trucking industry. “Since then, the industry has transformed itself,” says Harry Kowalchyk, Jr., president of National Tractor Trailer School, Inc.

With campuses in Liverpool and Buffalo, New York, Kowlachyk and his business partner, William Mocarski, co-founded NTTS in 1971. Since then, NTTS has trained over 17,000 men and women as entry-level tractor trailer and heavy truck drivers, and has placed its graduates with over 600 national and local companies. Accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT), NTTS offers courses certified by the Professional Truck Driver Institute (PTDI).

“Prior to deregulation there were approximately 17,000 to 18,000 regulated interstate companies. Since deregulation, there are well over 40,000; so the industry has seen substantial growth. That, in turn, created a tremendous need for more drivers,” he says, adding, “that is but one change the industry has seen. Additionally, the implementation of the Commercial Drivers License (CDL) further increased the need for qualified drivers.

“The industry wasn’t perceived as a lucrative profession in the early 1980s. To attract new drivers, companies began implementing better compensation packages, home-time policies, and tried to create a more driver friendly environment to recruit new drivers from different backgrounds. Currently, we are seeing that go from real headhunting of drivers to more selective and stricter pre-screening. A company no longer has to settle for an inferior driver,” says Kowalchyk. “I’m not suggesting that companies do that, but if you have a lot of trucks sitting against a fence, you might be tempted to put somebody in there that you wouldn’t normally put behind the wheel.”

“The industry has also seen the rise and fall of the CDL mills, the two-week CDL courses, free training, and things of this nature. The whole industry went through a nosedive along with predatory lending that occurred in educational loans and the mortgage business where everything was overly inflated. Now reality is starting to sink in,” he continues.

Kowalchyk says, however, many trucking companies are telling him these things are both good and bad for driver training schools. “There’s a silver lining to this cloud. Companies are raising their criteria and qualifications for drivers. Companies will think twice about hiring a person who graduated from a CDL-mill type school versus someone who graduated from an accredited school or a school with PTDI-certified courses. That, ultimately, is a safer driver. In other words, they are going to truly get their pick now. The cream will always rise to the top when it comes to training,” he explains. “If you take a look at the survivors in this business, people who have been around for a long time—and there are some very good non-accredited schools and some that don’t have certified courses that have been around for a long period of time—you’ll see that they haven’t sacrificed the quality of their instruction just to be competitive.”

Some of the schools that have been around the longest have comprehensive programs, including more behind-the-wheel training, and more in-depth subject material added to their courses, Kowalchyk notes.

“I never thought I’d see the day that we’d be teaching drivers things like business operations. What does that have to do with getting a license or driving, some might ask? Well, I think they should know something about business because if their truck is two hours late for a delivery and they’ve got a payload on there worth $40,000, and there’s an assembly line that needs all those parts by tomorrow afternoon, that driver better know about business operations. They better understand their cost per mile and how much it costs to operate. If a driver understands the operational side of trucking, dispatching and such, they’ll not only be able to comprehend more, but they’re going to become a more productive employee all the way around.”

“The industry has worked on recruitment and retention for the last 25 or 30 years, and it’s made some great advances. With today’s economy, we are not seeing the big shortage of drivers as in past years, and there is not a huge retention problem right now because drivers are hesitant to jump around.”

Where does Kowalchyk see the future of driver training schools headed? “The more marketable the product, and the more crosstraining that you provide to your students, the better success you have. Is there going to be a fallout of smaller schools? Absolutely. Unfortunately, some good ones will fall out, too. But, there’s also going to be a weeding out process, and it will force training to improve for those that need to be improved. They will turn out a better driver who is more competitive and has more soft-skills training. The industry will improve overall. Obviously, if a company hires a safer, better trained driver, accidents and injuries decrease, safety records improve, insurance rates go down, and profits go up.”

NOTE: Schneider National, the largest trucking company in the country (featured in the Career Education Review, December 2008), is now hiring only experienced drivers and has closed its driving schools. Offering free training, Schneider trained over 10,000 drivers a year.