By ADELLE LARMOUR
There is no industry that is better linked to how the economy is doing than trucking, says Jeff Smith, president of Northern Academy of Transportation Training in Greater Sudbury.
Trucking companies across the province are hungry for drivers, just as Northern Academy is eagerly accepting students for their six-week truck-driver training course.
As part of the Manitoulin Transport group of companies, the school began in 1994 at a time when the need for drivers necessitated the trucking company to educate their own.
“We were having problems finding qualified drivers,” Smith says. He is also vice-president, quality at Manitoulin Transport. “We didn’t find the quality of schools to our level of satisfaction, so we thought we’d see if we could create qualified students ourselves, whom we could then place in our trucks.”
The school is a private vocational institution registered with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, so it adheres to ministry standards.
Furthermore, its affiliation with Manitoulin Transport, one of Canada’s largest freight management providers, which has 48 terminals across Canada and runs to three oceans, is advantageous to incoming students. The training occurs at Manitoulin’s third-largest terminal, a seven-acre trucking yard, where there is access to terminal dock doors, weigh scales and maintenance facilities. During the six-week course, students train with real loads using trailers of different axle configurations, as opposed to hauling empty loads.
Smith says the course is typically a week longer than most other schools, yet the cost is less than their competitors.
“We need to have the extra week in order for the drivers to be competent when taking their testing, and more importantly, when they are looking for a job.”
At the Academy, the students get 53 hours of driving time during the course, which includes practice on multi-lane highways, downtown areas, two weeks of night driving, and 20 hours of backing techniques (moving in reverse is the number one cause of accidents in trucking). They also receive forklift certification.
Between theory and practical education, the school week is approximately 53 hours long, which Smith says it is more reflective of the real world and the hours of service within a week on the road.
The school has three instructors who train in teams of three, with six students per course. Upon the student receiving their ministry qualification, there is a 94 percent employment rate and 88 percent are hired within two weeks.
Most of the students are able to obtain jobs in the North, with a starting salary of $35,000. With experience, drivers can command a salary closer to $60,000.
While Northern Academy continues to train prospective drivers, another service offered is driver training contract services to other trucking companies, which may not have the time and capacity to keep their drivers and/or training files current.
“We can come in and provide any training they may need and make sure the training records are in top shape,” Smith says. “It helps prepare the company for audits and provides peace of mind for the employer to make sure drivers are properly trained and that the rigs are safe on the road.”
With the aging workforce in the industry, the Ontario Trucking Association reports drivers under 25 years of age represent only about nine percent of the current driver population compared to 17 percent for all other industries. Although the trucking industry is not singular to this issue, at this time, the jobs are abundant and a proactive approach is the route Northern Academy has taken.
“The companies that can find their drivers and train them properly, are companies that are probably going to have the most success in the future,” Smith says.
www.mysudbury.ca/Portal/Learning/PostSecondaryEducation/northernacademy
