For Immediate Release
September 22, 2003
Contact: Nancy O'Liddy, Director of Public Affairs
703/838-1950 or noliddy@truckload.org
PTDI Recertifies Courses at Two Truck Driver Training Schools
for Five Years
Alexandria, Virginia – The
Professional Truck Driver Institute (PTDI) is proud to announce
that two
schools have received a five-year recertification of their
truck driver training courses:
Baker College of Flint, Saginaw, Mich., and Professional
Drivers Academy, Milton, Penn.
The two schools, known for their excellent reputations
and high standards, have opted to continue to seek certification
because of the many benefits associated
with PTDI. As Brick Kepler, director of Professional Drivers Academy in Milton,
explains, "It's the little surprises that become available when
you're PTDI certified," that have made certification worthwhile
for this small school located in the hub of the trucking industry in Pennsylvania. "Just when I think that this little school can't afford
this [certification], someone walks through the door and
says ‘I'm here because you have
PTDI certification and your opposition doesn't,'" Kepler says. "That
has motivated me to make that choice [to recertify], and I have found it beneficial
every time."
Kepler cites instances where local trucking companies have
come to him saying they "need PTDI students." And recently,
"a driver came through
the door saying he had his CDL, but needed the PTDI-certified course to
get the job he wanted."
Phil Whitmer, program coordinator at Baker College of Flint,
cites similar motivation. "We let students know that completing
a driving school is
one thing, but graduating from a school with PTDI course certification
puts them in the forefront," he says. "We have several employers in
the area that will hire only PTDI students."
Whitmer's program has taken the PTDI certification requirements even
further by requiring additional student hours, expanding outside classroom
time, and adding other "extras." "We strive to be recognized
as the best program in the state of Michigan," he explains. "We
also realize that students have a limited amount of time, and we want to make
the most of that time. We don't want to put students on the road who
aren't safe. We educate and train students to be safe drivers to the
best of our ability."
Now that Baker College has received a five-year course
certification, Whitmer says "we can set our sights on other things we want to do," including
expanding the program and focusing on certifying driver-training courses at
their other schools.
As one of the pilot schools in the PTDI process, Professional
Drivers Academy has undergone its second recertification
process. For Kepler, the only full-time
staff person in the program, the PTDI process has helped him incorporate
accurate record keeping, develop superior curriculum standards,
and follow additional
guidelines that keep the program "top notch."
"We felt PTDI certification would lead to greater funding and opportunities
for students," Kepler says. "And we have had great success with student
graduates finding work with the small companies as well as with the big guys
like UPS."
He suggests that today's Internet-savvy students better understand what
PTDI certification means and "that they'll be able to get any job
when they graduate." Another added benefit – Kepler likes being
able to place the PTDI logo on his letterhead.
TCA is the only national trade association whose collective
sole focus is the truckload segment of the motor carrier industry.
The association represents dry van, refrigerated, flatbed,
and intermodal container carriers operating in the 48 contiguous
states as well as Alaska, Mexico, and Canada. Representing operators of over 200,000 trucks, which collectively produce an annual revenue of over $20 billion, TCA is an organization tailored to specific truckload carrier needs.
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