Running a road transport training school also means managing a fleet of trucks and trailers, and it means being responsible for making the right decisions when it comes to rolling stock renewal. To gain a picture of the current and future state of the market, the Charlesbourg Transport Training Center (CFTC) held an information day for its teaching staff.
This day was organized at the initiative of assistant directors Dave Beaulieu and Martin Boivin, with the support and commitment of Michel Couture, director of the CFTC.
“The goal was to prepare the team to make a gradual transition to the technologies of tomorrow,” said Couture.
Specialists representing truck manufacturers and energy experts paraded throughout the day to discuss the regulatory and technical issues surrounding heavy trucks.
“We either resist change or we adapt to it. It’s essential that our people be part of the change process. We invited specialists who came to confirm the messages we hear when it comes time to buy trucks,” Couture said. “It’s inevitable that technological and regulatory changes will affect us; it’s only a matter of time. We wanted to see where our team stands. As a training school, we want to be leaders.”
It’s important to Couture that his teaching team be ready to embrace the changes. The response he’s received has been “overwhelmingly positive.” But everyone is aware that the process will have to be gradual and that there will be more difficult steps. “We want to make the transition as smooth as possible,” insists the CFTC director.
As truck emissions regulations increasingly favor automated transmissions, the CFTC is preparing to make important decisions regarding the renewal of its fleet. Some of its customers still require truck drivers capable of handling manual transmissions in heavier-duty applications and in more mountainous regions.
“Three-quarters of our fleet is equipped with manual transmissions. And in training, teaching transmissions still takes a lot of time,” explained Couture. “We still see the need in the industry to have the M endorsement on the Class 1 licence. And we also see students who take their course with an automated transmission and come back to get an M endorsement. There’s still a need in this area, and our role is to meet it.”
One step at a time
The school also wants to know how it will have to adapt in terms of training and how teachers perceive these changes.
“Teachers are making suggestions, and we’re currently working on planning what’s next in the training context, because the goal in all of this is to be proactive, not reactive. We need to slowly start taking steps so that teachers are ready when the technology arrives,” Couture insists.
A truck has a lifespan of about 10 years at the CFTC, which allows management to make a gradual transition. “One small step at a time,” Couture repeats, adding that this transition will bring with it a cultural change not only in approaches to acquiring rolling stock, but also in the way teachers view themselves, as they will be called upon to work with vehicles powered by different fuels and equipped with increasingly sophisticated driver assistance technologies.
Couture also believes it is crucial that the CFTC be at the forefront of technologies that are coming and will come to the industry. He hopes, for example, that the fleet will include a natural gas or hydrogen truck, “equipment that would allow us to present to our students what is coming to the industry.”
Technologies such as rearview camera systems are emerging in the industry. The CFTC wants to begin transforming its fleet to include this type of technology.
“Basically, what we learned during the training day is that fundamental changes are taking place, and we need to prepare for them. Starting now, we need to train our teachers so they’re ready to work with these technologies when they’re integrated into our training. The message I received is that we can count on their full commitment.”
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