The North American Transportation Management Institute (NATMI) offers courses on fleet safety. These courses are the first step to becoming a Certified Safety Supervisor or Certified Director of Safety. Topics covered during these courses include driver hiring and retention; regulatory compliance; the fleet; workers’ compensation; vehicular accidents; safety management; and self-auditing.
These are useful courses, the benefits of which include: evaluating the effectiveness of your safety program; learning about new computer systems that affect training and safety; utilizing outside services; learning how to recruit and retain qualified drivers; updates to regulations; developing programs to return injured workers to work; decreasing workers’ compensation claims; increasing your ability to prepare and present a safety budget; preparing for litigation; and expanding your understanding of vehicle maintenance.
The courses have been approved for Continuing Education Units through the University of Central Florida.
In addition to the Certified Director of Safety (CDS) and Certified Safety Supervisor (CSS) certifications, other safety-related certifications can be obtained from NATMI, including:
• Certified Director of Maintenance/Equipment (CDM/E)
• Certified Supervisor of Maintenance/Equipment (CSM/E)
• Certified Driver Trainer (CDT)
The topic of OSHA training is extensive and worthy of its own manual. We refer to it here as a reminder, simply because it is often overlooked. Most of the OSHA training requirements will apply only to your mechanics, while others may apply to other company personnel. In addition to the training, some OSHA standards require the development of a written policy or plan related to the standards.
The following are some of the types of OSHA training that would normally be required for employees in a truck repair/maintenance facility:
- Hazard Communication (“Right-to-Know”).
- Fire Extinguishers.
- Emergency Action Plan.
- Emergency Evacuation.
- Welding.
- Tire Changing.
- Personal Protective Equipment.
- Lock-out/Tag-out.
- Forklifts
