BOWIE, Md. – The Tire Industry Association (TIA) has launched a new virtual training platform featuring live instruction from staff trainers.
The first program to be held via the Zoom platform, 200-Level Basic Commercial Tire Service (CTS), will be available in both English and Spanish. Classes will be held Tuesday through Thursday and consist of six hours of instruction each day in two separate three-hour sessions.
Students who successfully complete the virtual training class, skills demonstration form and final exam will receive a TIA Certificate of Completion and compliance with training regulations established by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 29 CFR 1910.177.
“COVID-19 has forced TIA to pivot on our methods for delivering training and we are proud of how quickly the training staff researched, developed and released a virtual training platform in just six months,” said Brian Rigney, TIA president. “Our mission is to improve tire safety through training and education so the virtual training model using Zoom is the perfect fit for times like this. We are especially excited about the opportunities to bring OSHA compliance training in Spanish to all of our commercial truck tire members.”
Companies that want to participate in the virtual 200-Level CTS classes must purchase an access link and workbooks for each student enrolled in the class. The member price for an access link is $50 and the non-member price is $100. Each link can only be used on one computer and is not shareable, but it allows companies to train multiple students at the same time in a single location with one link. The member price for a CTS Workbook and Exam is $35 for members and $65 for non-members.
“We are fortunate to have a bilingual staff trainer with commercial truck tire experience who can teach the entire class in Spanish and explain the key safety concepts for servicing truck tires in a familiar language,” said Kevin Rohlwing, TIA senior vice president of training. “The 200-Level CTS Program materials already are available in Spanish, but there are some differences in terminology that can be confusing for different dialects. With an experienced and fluent bilingual trainer teaching the class in Spanish, it’s much easier for students to understand the most important safety guidelines for servicing commercial truck tire and wheel assemblies.”
Tuesday and Wednesday classes will be held via Zoom from 9:00 am to noon and 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm EST. Thursday classes will be held from noon to 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm EST, in order to make the training more accessible to students in the Mountain and Pacific time zones.
Basic CTS in Spanish will be the first virtual training class on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. The first series of virtual training classes will run for three weeks with a total of nine classes. 200-Level CTS in Spanish will be held on Oct. 6, 8, 14, 20 and 22, while 200-Level CTS in English will be held on Oct. 7, 13, 15 and 21.
Registration forms are available online at https://www.tireindustry.org/basic-commercial-tire-service-virtual-training, or companies can request a form by emailing training@tireindustry.org. For questions on course content or registration, contact Christine Hoogenboom, TIA director of training at 800-876-8372, ext. 106 or choogenboom@tireindustry.org.