Alexandria, Virginia - The Professional Truck Driver Institute (PTDI) is pleased to announce that SAGE Technical Services in Missoula, Montana, has been added to the growing list of North American truck driver training schools offering PTDI-certified courses. In addition, SAGE Technical Services, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; Ohio Valley Truck Driver Training Inc. LLC, Williamstown, W.V.; Trans American Technical Institute, Carbondale, Penn.; and York County School of Technology, York, Pennsylvania, have received course recertification for five years.
SAGE Technical Services offers two PTDI-certified programs in Montana: The Billings campus has had PTDI program certification since early 1990s, and the Missoula campus recently received initial certification. "In this rural area of the country, some students will travel 500 miles to attend the Montana campuses," said Carmella Campanian, school director of the Missoula campus since 1989, "and PTDI probably has the finest process for certification. For Montana, it's a credential we would never go without."
Ed Delridge, CDL coordinator for York County School of Technology, supports that suggestion. "One of the values of PTDI course certification is that a team of third-party evaluators come into the school to verify that the course meets national industry standards." Delridge currently volunteers as an evaluator for PTDI on-site visits at other schools. "I enjoy it," he said. "It gives me an opportunity to see how other schools are doing and insights into how to do things better here. We're always looking to improve, which is why we got involved with PTDI in the first place."
York County is a public school offering adult education, including a truck driver training program that is 10- to 12-weeks long.
Now that the U.S. Department of Transportation is considering implementing federal mandatory entry-level truck driver training, Campanian said she hopes the government's minimum training standards follow PTDI's lead.