FleetSmart Profiles: Highway Trucking

Reimer Express Driver Training Institute Inc. – Winnipeg, Manitoba

Started in 1991, Reimer Express Driver Training Institute (REDTI) Inc. is a private vocational school registered in Manitoba and accredited with the Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council. It is also a member of the Manitoba Association of Career Colleges. REDTI has a staff of 10 employees including eight instructors. All its instructors are qualified under the Province of Manitoba standards and are licensed professional drivers with 15 to 27 years of practical tractor-trailer experience. REDTI offers its students a quality learning environment, which includes the following:

• Equipment – Its fleet of eight tractors are all modern tractors equipped with 435-horsepower electronic engines and 13-speed transmissions. Its fleet of trailers is made up of eight 48-foot semi-trailers.
  
  
• Classroom and instructional labs – REDTI offers the most modern teaching aids and hands-on demonstration equipment.
  
  
• Driving range – REDTI offers a driving range that extends over three acres.
  
  

The basic goal of REDTI teaching is to graduate entry-level tractor-trailer drivers to the transportation industry by providing students with the professional competence that employers require: performance, capability, thorough knowledge, effective skills and a positive and productive attitude.

Since its beginning, REDTI has taught over 1500 students and has maintained a 98 percent placement rate. Because it is part of the Reimer group of companies, 80 percent of students find employment with Reimer Express Lines. Reimer Express Lines Ltd. is a subsidiary of Roadway, a large U.S.-based transportation conglomerate.

The teaching program

The REDTI teaching program consists of instruction over a 13-week (320-hour) period and has the following four basic components:

• Classroom – Students are instructed and tested on a full scope of subjects related to professional driving, including fuel efficiency. In effect, REDTI has now fully integrated the eight-hour SmartDriver program into its classroom instructional program. According to Mr. Hartle, Manager, "The SmartDriver program provided us with the best available program for our students. It not only teaches fuel efficiency techniques, but it also focuses on the professionalism of drivers and that fitted very well with our philosophy at REDTI."
  
  
• The SmartDriver program is fully integrated into the classroom instructions, and the modules are delivered together in a day. Mr. Hartle notes, "With fuel being such an important cost element of any trucking operation, with the SmartDriver program, we have been able to focus our teaching on fuel efficiency and give more punch. The teaching aids contained in the program, such as the card games and the video, are also a fun way for the students to learn. Whereas before, we used to teach the same techniques but in disparate modules, we now feel that the message is getting across to the students."
  
  
• Laboratory – The "lab" gives students a hands-on understanding of truck equipment and components and provides detailed instruction in maintenance procedures and requirements. According to Mr. Hartle, "What the students learn in and see in the SmartDriver program on fuel efficiency, we are then able to show them on real-life equipment, so that they can see the inside of transmissions and engines."
  
  

The students are provided with a total of 120 hours of classroom theory and lab practice.

• Range – The range is a controlled driving area that is used to simulate the conditions and needs for a variety of manoeuvres. Students also receive their vehicle orientation training and acquire behind-the-wheel practice in a controlled environment. As Mr. Hartle explains, "A range is an essential component of teaching new truck drivers. Where else could you best train a novice driver to perform complex operations and manoeuvres such as backing up and progressive shifting?"
  
  
• Street – The street portion of the course provides students with driving experience in cities and nearby secondary highways.
  
  

The students are provided with a total of 200 hours of in-cab range and street training.

REDTI recognizes that today's trucking industry demands that drivers be fully qualified for its present needs. One of those needs is to be able to cross the border into the United States. In the United States, the minimum age for driving a tractor-trailer from state to state is 21 years old. It is for that reason that, although the minimum age for a Class 1 license in the Province of Manitoba is 18 years old, REDTI recommends that all new applicants be a minimum of 21 years of age.

Future plans

REDTI is committed to remain a leader in transport vocational training and wants the students and the trucking industry to view it as a partner in offering instructions aimed at graduating only the safest and most efficient drivers. To that effect, Mr. Hartle believes that the SmartDriver program has helped them to achieve that goal.

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