Private Truck Council, partners launch online learning
In a move aimed specifically at fleet owners and managers within the private trucking industry, the National Private Truck Council in partnership with International Truck and Engine Corporation and Idealease of North America have developed an online training program. Private fleets account for 82% of the total vehicles in trucking with many of the 130,000 operations running fewer than 10 trucks. The new program is tailored for small operators that do not have the resources for time and travel to off-site training.
The new program can be reached at fleetlearning center.com. It was first demonstrated at the NPTC annual Education Management Conference and Exhibition in St Louis on April 27 through 29, 2003. NPTC personnel and members developed the curriculum using material contributed by International and Idealease customers. The two sponsoring companies also have pledged to support continuing development and expansion of the program.
Small fleets are hard to reach with training, because their personnel are less likely to attend traditional educational seminars than their colleagues from large companies, says Garry Petty, NPTC president. However, small operators may actually need the information more than personnel in large companies. The program covers critical subject matter, including safety, financial management, and technology application. Users have access to the latest regulations and industry data as the online program is constantly updated.
Private Truck Council members request safety instruction more frequently than any other subject, so the first online course is titled “Safety, Security & Compliance.” The course provides information about how to handle accidents and how to lower the risk of operating large commercial vehicles. The program also addresses how to administer background checks for driver applicants and how to help keep commercial trucks from becoming terrorist weapons. Other course titles include “Workforce/Workplace Development,” “Equipment & Maintenance,” “Organizational/Operational Systems,” and “Fleet Finances.”
Courses in financial management are planned to take advantage of the size differential of fleets with personnel enrolled in training. With a large number of fleets using the training, students should be able to compare their operating standards and practices against comparable or larger fleets. Students who successfully pass a course will be awarded a Certificate of Completion by NPTC.
Course subject matter ranges from basic to intermediate difficulty and is based on recommended best practices within the private trucking sector. Each course includes a reference guide that can be downloaded and printed as a hard copy text.