The Truck Training Schools Association of Ontario (TTSAO) hosted its 3rd Annual Conference, Striving for Excellence in Training, in Mississauga, Ontario on Wednesday, February 28 and Thursday, March 1 at the Centre for Health and Safety Innovation (CHSI), thanks to the association members and official facility sponsor, the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA). The hallway and conference centre were filled with sponsor booths, many of which returned for the third year in a row.
Approximately 120 delegates attended the Conference, taking part in the meetings and networking opportunities. Delegates included training facilities, trucking companies, government representatives, consultants and industry service providers. Day one of the Conference featured meetings throughout the day including, a Board of Directors meeting, a TTSAO Carrier Group meeting, a TTSAO Insurance Group meeting and the TTSAO’s Annual General Meeting to wrap up the afternoon.
Following the meetings, delegates gathered for networking and cocktails, surrounded by sponsor booths. Once again this year, the networking event featured a guest speaker – Kelly Henderson, Executive Director of Trucking Human Resources Sector Council Atlantic. Kelly shared her thoughts on how we can better work with millennials. Using videos and current stats, she provided valuable insight on this topic to everyone in attendance.
Day two of the conference included a full agenda of speakers and panels designed to educate everyone on all areas of the transportation industry. Kicking things off, Enzo Garritano, President and CEO of the IHSA, welcomed delegates and spoke about the transportation industry and his organization’s involvement with the TTSAO. This was followed by an update from the Provincial Government on Mandatory Entry Level Driver Training (MELT). Claudio De Rose, Director of Safety Policy and Education at the Ministry of Transportation, shared the latest in what they are seeing since the implementation of MELT on July 1, 2017.
Lisa Arseneau from Staebler Insurance and the current chair of the newly formed TTSAO Insurance Group then led the first panel of the day called Dispelling the Myths About Insurance. Lisa sat for a candid conversation with insurance professionals including Todd MacGillivray, VP Transportation and Logistics at Northbridge Insurance; Don Williams, Senior Manager Transportation/Fleets Complex Risk at Aviva Canada; and James McFarlane, Manager, Programs at Cowan Insurance Group.
Mario Da Silva, Corporate Risk – Safety and Security Manager from Mantilouin Transport, took the lead on the second panel of the day featuring current TTSAO students from different schools. Mario moderated an open discussion on why these individuals chose the transportation industry and their process in selecting a TTSAO school.
Conference Master of Ceremonies, Guy Broderick from Apps Transport Group, lead the final panel of the morning with young leaders in the transportation industry. This panel included, Seema Sondhi from Kirska Transport, Matt Richardson from Kim Richardson Transportation Specialists Inc, Marcus Mares from PeopleNet, and Jennifer McConnell.
The morning events were wrapped with a special presentation of a donation to the Convoy for Special Olympics. For the third year in row, in lieu of speaker gifts, the TTSAO Conference Committee decided it would be better to donate to the Convoy and help support this great industry cause. Tammy Blackwell, Chairperson for the Convoy, was once again on hand to accept the donation and speak to the delegates.
Kim Richardson, TTSAO Chairman of the Board, then presented the first ever TTSAO Industry Service Award. The surprised recipient was Claude Chaulk, from Manitoulin Transport, who received this award for his 52 years of dedicated service to the transportation industry. Following Claude’s presentation, Ed Popkie, President of 5th Wheel Training Institute and TTSAO Board member, then awarded Charlie Charalambous, TTSAO Conference Chairperson and Director of Client Services for ISB MEE, an Appreciation Award in honor of his service and dedication to the TTSAO and the membership.
The afternoon began with a passionate presentation on Promoting Diversity in the Transportation Industry from Jane Jazrawy, CEO of CarriersEdge. Jane shared her experiences along with some of the best practices she is seeing in the industry.
To conclude the day, Lou Smyrils, Group Publisher from Newcom Business Media, lead a discussion and panel on The 5-Year Outlook of Transportation. Included in this panel were industry veterans the aforementioned Kelly Henderson, Mike Millian (President of the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada), Gerald Carrol (Operations and Safety Manager at Websell Logistics), and Geoff Topping (VP of Human Resources at Challenger Motor Freight).
Kim Richardson commented, “A very big ‘thank you’ goes out to the TTSAO Conference Committee for once again putting together a fantastic line up of speakers and panelists and thank you once again to all of our sponsors who supported the event as, without them, this wouldn’t be possible. Save the date everyone, the TTSAO Conference Committee has already announced that the 4th Annual Conference will be held on February 27 and 28, 2019. Looking forward to seeing you all there!”
