Centennial College Tries to Help Industry Avoid Crossroads Collision

October 25, 2000 10:26 AM, EDT

Trucking in Canada appears to be headed for a generational collision at the crossroads of aging drivers and new technology. However, Centennial College’s School of Transportation, with help from the industry and the government, is providing the fixtures needed to navigate through the intersection that will decide the direction for many.

	Centennial College
	Instructor Jim Bardeau helps students working on an engine.

“It’s not a good-old-boy profession any more.Computers are used more than ever before, and [vehicle repair] technicians, while in acute demand, don’t have the skills needed to do the jobs.” Alan Stephen, director of the Ashtonbee, Ontario, institution, says, adding that the same can be said about drivers.

With the current level of computer technology in the industry, the need to train drivers for 21st century trucking has become imperative. And Stephen sees even more technology invading all areas of the transportation industry in the future — with computer-generated systems replacing mechanical systems. “We can meet the safety parts, but if these drivers are not technology competent, they won’t be able to keep up.”

That is why training truck drivers is an urgent mission for the school, says Stephen. “There are thousands of trucks off the road [in Ontario] because of lack of drivers. The [driver training] mills are gearing up.”

For the full story, see the Oct. 23 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.