BOWIE, Md. – The Tire Industry Association (TIA) is giving tire retailers an opportunity to preview its highly regarded Automotive Tire Service (ATS) training program over the next few weeks.
Starting May 19, 2020, TIA will hold six weeks of online video-conference webinars for passenger and light truck tire service technicians. Using information from the Automotive Tire Service (ATS) and the Advanced Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) training programs, TIA staff instructors will lead the discussion on a different topic each week.
The 30-minute online classes will take place Tuesday through Thursday three times each day at 10 a.m., 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. (all times EDT) from May 19 until June 25. A different topic will be covered each week. Week one, for example, will focus on Vehicle Lifting. The Vehicle Lifting webinar will be offered three times each day for a total of nine times to provide ample opportunity for technicians to login at a time that works best for them. A TIA staff instructor will be available for additional questions after class.
“The retail tire business definitely has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, so retailers can take advantage of slow times to train their technicians,” said TIA President Brian Rigney. “These ATS webinars are available to everyone at no charge and can be accessed by computer or mobile device. We want to give every tire retailer the opportunity to get some training for their technicians from the industry leader in tire service training and education.”
Technicians can access the registration page directly at www.tireindustry.org/automotive-tire-service-webinars. Alternately, they can go to TIA’s website, www.tireindustry.org, and select the training tab and then Automotive Training Service (ATS) Webinars in the dropdown menu. When on the registration page, students can select the date and time they would like to attend that week and a link to the webinar. An email confirming the registration will be sent to the email address attendees provided during the registration process. TIA has selected Zoom as the video-conference platform for the ATS webinars, which is accessible with or without video.
“Safety is the top priority for our technician training programs and the ATS Webinars will focus on protecting the employee and the motoring public,” said Kevin Rohlwing, TIA senior vice president of training. “The video-conference format creates an environment where the instructor still teaches the class and the students can still get answers to their questions, which has been our strength for the past 23 years. Social distancing guidelines have forced TIA to rethink our overall approach to technician education, and the ATS webinars are the first step toward creating a new training platform for our members and the industry.”
The topics for the six weeks of ATS training webinars are as follows:
Week 1 (May 19-21) – Vehicle Lifting
Week 2 (May 26-28) – Demounting, Mounting and Inflation
Week 3 (June 2-4) – Balance
Week 4 (June 9-11) – Wheel Torque
Week 5 (June 16-18) – Tire Repair
Week 6 (June 23-25) – TPMS Service
For questions regarding the ATS webinars and TIA training/certification, contact training@tireindustry.org.