Overview:

Linda Gauthier, Executive Director of the CTHRC explained the role of the Council within the trucking industry and some of the human resource challenges and opportunities the Council encounters. She also provided an overview of training in the industry, the Council’s role in developing training and the reasons essential skills are considered such an important element of training programs.

CTHRC Background:

Created in 1994, the Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council (CTHRC) is an incorporated non-profit organization with a volunteer board of directors, representative of stakeholders from the Canadian trucking industry. The mission of the Council is "to assist the Canadian trucking industry to recruit, train and retain the human resources needed to meet current and long-term requirements".

The CTHRC plays a national leadership role in coordinating human resources research and development for the trucking industry. The Board of Directors includes representatives of the Canadian Trucking Alliance, the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada, unionized labour, owner-operators, professional driver agencies, professional drivers, the insurance industry, training institutions, the federal government, as well as provincial sector and sector-like councils.

Historically, members of Canada's trucking industry have had few opportunities to upgrade their skills or access professional development and training despite the fact that the industry recognizes the need to increase the knowledge base and skill level of its members. The CTHRC went to work to develop and to make available the best materials for professional development and the upgrading of skills for members of today’s trucking industry. Graduates of all CTHRC training programs receive a diploma stating that they are certified to the applicable National Occupational Standard.

National Occupational Standards are documents and tools that serve as a roadmap for the development of training programs, assessment tools, hiring, allocation of work, career planning, etc. They are benchmarks, or points of reference against which occupations, and the proficiency of people in those occupations are measured or assessed. All CTHRC National Occupational Standards also contain Essential Skills Profiles, which are associated with the specific occupation.

To date the CTHRC has developed National Occupational Standards for four occupations in the industry: Professional Driver, Dispatcher, Professional Driver Trainer, and Transportation Safety Professional.

For more information visit www.cthrc.com