Training programme for articulated truck drivers - A PTHA and CMI initiative

The Port Trailer Haulage Association (PTHA) has forged a strategic partnership with the Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI) to develop and implement a training programme for the island's articulated truck drivers.

On Monday, May 13, the PTHA and CMI hosted a stakeholders' orientation session at which members of the import-export trade industry were sensitised on the benefits of an internationally recognised programme for truckers.

"The PTHA recognises that training and development is a proactive approach that can be applied to improve and develop the skills and expertise of our trailer drivers," said Andrew Henry, president of the PTHA.

VERY EXCITED

"We strongly believe that such a programme will help in managing the negative perception which stigmatises the trucking industry, and as such, we are very excited about the relationship we have built with CMI to have our drivers trained and certified within international standards," continued Henry in his opening address to the group.

Osric Forest, director of the School of Advanced Skills at the Caribbean Maritime Institute, impressed upon the gathering the importance of training and developing their staff to international standards. In defining the ASK concept, Forest distinguished among training, education and development and commented on the relative difficulty in developing the attitudes, skills, and knowledge of employees.

He informed the trucking company operators that the course content would include speed management and defensive driving; dangerous-goods handling; emergency manoeuvres; the Road Traffic Act; logistics management and trip planning; providing efficient customer service; equipment, and vehicle inspection, among other critical topics.

HANDS-ON TRAINING

Participants will be given a mix of classroom and hands-on training to complete the following levels of competency: Level 1 - Basic Articulated Truck Driver; Level 2 - Skilled Articulated Truck Driver; Level 3 - Supervisor; and Level 4 - Logistics Managers.

The programme is expected to be launched in August for commencement in September.

The curriculum is endorsed by HEART Trust/NTA; The Ministry of Transport & Works - Road Safety Unit; KCT Services Limited; Kingston Wharves Limited; The Shipping Association of Jamaica; and Allied Insurance Brokers.

Representatives from each entity encouraged the industry to embrace the programme as skills and knowledge garnered can be incorporated into their individual business environments and, by extension, the industry. In articulating their support, the stakeholders declared that the project was relevant and timely, and would position the island's trailer drivers to better serve the logistics hub being planned for implementation in Jamaica.

The Port Trailer Haulage Association was established in 1981 as a membership organisation for trucking companies and truckers involved in the movement of cargo to and from the Port of Kingston and other out-ports. The association's primary objective is to regulate its members and lobby on their behalf to ensure that the logistics processes within the import-export trade are smooth, transparent, and efficient.

The Caribbean Maritime Institute is the premier educational institute in the Western Hemisphere which offers tertiary maritime education.