School Instructor Programs

Safety Professional Level

Commercial Vehicle Training Association offers the Safety Professional Certification as an optional level. This allows the user to access the testing and the official CVTA Certification documentation. Upon successful completion of all the testing and verification of teaching hours, you will have immediate access to download and print the CVTA official document.

The Safety Professional Certification uses Dr. Ronald Knipling’s definitive book, “Safety for the Long Haul’s” as the source for the material. The Safety Professional level comprises four sublevel exams that assesses the instructor’s knowledge based on 13 chapters of material.

Each exam is designed to build upon knowledge gained in a previous level, so these should be completed sequentially. All four levels of education are designed to add additional teaching knowledge and provide instructors with more advanced instruction tools to better serve their students.

Each assessment has been designed by CVTA members to emphasize industry safety and training for the Student Instructor in the area of road safety. Upon successful completion of all the testing and verification of teaching hours, you will have immediate access to download and print the CVTA official document.

Courses

Certification includes the following chapters of information:

  • Introduction & Overview
  • The Science of Safety
  • Driver Risk
  • Driver Error
  • Driver Fatigue
  • 4-Wheelers
  • Vehicle Design & Technologies
  • The Roadway & Traffic Environment
  • Focus: Selected Crash Types
  • Carrier Safety Management
  • Special Topics in Carrier Operations & Safety
  • What About Regulation, Enforcement, & Compliance?
  • Beyond Compliance

Kyle Hayes

Kyle Hayes is the Director of Government Relations at CVTA. In this role, he leads the implementation of the Association’s legislative and regulatory strategy. He is also the primary point of contact between CVTA Members and federal agencies, Congress, and state governments.

Hayes most recently led research projects that supported federal and state advocacy on healthcare and economic issues at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nationally recognized research and policy institute based in Washington D.C. He received a master’s degree in public policy from American University in 2015 and graduated from the University of Georgia in 2012.

Andrew Poliakoff

Andy Poliakoff is the Executive Director for CVTA. In this role, he promotes the mission of the membership organization and implements goals set by the Board of Directors. This includes forming partnerships with external stakeholders, providing guidance and direction to the CVTA staff team, and engaging with state and federal government agencies to advance CVTA’s mission of safety and career opportunities in the truck driver training industry.

In 2021 and 2022, Andy acted as federal affairs lead for Electrify America, interacting at high levels within Congress, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Department of Energy, and the White House. In that capacity, he played a pivotal role in the optimization of large-scale infrastructure funding at the Federal Highway Administration as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

From 2019 to 2021 Andy served as Director of Gov't Affairs for CVTA and formed a strong bond with members, engaging on advocacy related to Entry-Level Driver Training, Skills Testing Delays, and Workforce funding. During the pandemic, Andy fought at the state and federal level to treat CDL training and testing as the essential services they are. He is personally invested in the important mission of CVTA's members to deliver safe training and to transform people's lives through truck driving careers.

Andy holds a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University and a law degree from the Columbus School of Law at Catholic University.

Cindy Atwood

Cindy Atwood is the Vice President at CVTA. An experienced association professional, Cindy handles all activities related to membership retention, financial accounting and committee engagement. Cindy artfully produces CVTA’s off-site biannual conferences, Hill Day operations and Board meetings, ensuring that the general membership and leadership’s necessities and wishes are met with the highest response.

An essential fixture in the truck driver training association space, Cindy manages CVTA’s Instructor Certification Program and provides critical counsel to new entrants into the truck driver training industry.

Kyle Hayes

Kyle Hayes is the Director of Government Relations at CVTA. In this role, he leads the implementation of the Association’s legislative and regulatory strategy. He is also the primary point of contact between CVTA Members and federal agencies, Congress, and state governments.

Hayes most recently led research projects that supported federal and state advocacy on healthcare and economic issues at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nationally recognized research and policy institute based in Washington D.C. He received a master’s degree in public policy from American University in 2015 and graduated from the University of Georgia in 2012.