One of the highlights of the National Private Truck Council Annual Education Management Conference and Exhibition is always the recognition of those who have successfully completed the rigorous Certified Transportation Professional (CTP) training and certification program. This year’s conference in Cincinnati, OH, was no exception.
NPTC said sixty-nine graduates received their certification—a record number for a single class. Gary Petty, NPTC president & CEO, and Tom Moore, NPTC vice president-education, presented the plaques to the graduates who attended the conference.
Fleet Owner, which sponsors the CTP Top Graduate Award, was also on hand to help honor Joey Wood, platinum customer manager for PeopleNet and the CTP Top Graduate for 2012. He was presented a crystal eagle as a symbol of his achievement. Wood, who joined PeopleNet in 2009, said that he did not expect to graduate at the top of his class, but that he is proud of the CTP certification.
“Training is valued pretty highly at this organization,” he said. “When they asked me if I wanted to participate in the CTP program, I said ‘yes’; [it was a great opportunity].”
Wood began working toward his certification in January by attending the annual CTP training program offered by the NPTC Institute. Af- NPTC’s Gary Petty, top grad Joey Wood, and Fleet Owner’s Wendy Leavitt. ter that, he settled down to a month of studying and practicing—particularly focusing on the case study portion of the certification test.
According to Wood, his wife and two children (an eight-year-old girl and a fiveyear- old boy) were very understanding when he had to study at home in the evenings.
“My family was very supportive,” he said. “They all understood what I had to do.” Fellow PeopleNet employees who had already earned the certification were also a huge help, he noted. “We had people right here at the company that I could talk with about the test,” Wood said. “That made a big difference.
“I am not an advertiser when it comes to this stuff; I don’t like to be boastful,” he added. “In fact, when they emailed me to say I was the top graduate, I wrote back asking if they were sure they had the right person. I was just hoping to pass the test the first time so that I did not have to retake it again in March.” Still, Wood is proud to wear the CTP pin. “The training is valued by PeopleNet and its customers,” he said. “Those CTP initials really mean something. They give you more credibility.”
NPTC considers the CTP designation to be “the pinnacle of excellence among private fleet practitioners and one of the most rigorous standards obtainable within the transportation industry. Certification is the recognition of achievement and experience, a validation of management skills, a demonstration of commitment to the transportation industry, and a vehicle for continuing education.”
