BTI launches state-of-the-art truck driving and logistics school
By Shannon Weidemann (McKone) on Friday, January 22nd, 2021 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories
BAKER CITY – (Release from BTI) Baker Technical Institute (BTI) is pleased to announce the launch of a Truck Driving and Logistics School that will provide the needed training for people in Eastern Oregon to obtain their commercial driver’s license (CDL). The first course will be held at the BTI main campus in Baker City beginning March 8th. Classes will consist of four weeks of hands-on training that will provide students with the knowledge and skills to obtain their CDL and give them valuable experience as drivers capable of entering the workforce as safe operators.
For the past two years, BTI has worked with an advisory board of industry leaders throughout Oregon and the Professional Truck Driving Institute to understand better the demand for drivers and what skills employers need now and in the future. The result is an innovative truck driving school built and designed by the industry’s top minds to create the highest quality school anywhere. ” We have certainly put a lot of time and effort into studying how to build a state-of-the-art truck driving school,” says Doug Dalton, BTI President. “Our advisory board has been invaluable throughout the process.
They are the experts, and we wanted to listen to industry and build a school that reflects what they need. One of the biggest things that came from these listening sessions was their focus on producing higher quality drivers than they have traditionally seen from schools, and we’ll do this by giving them a more diverse experience.”
“We are trying to up the game when it comes to driver training,” says Sandy Mitchell, BTI Program Coordinator. “We are following the standards set by our industry advisory board and the Professional Truck Drivers Institute to help our students develop the skills needed to be safe, competent drivers. Through our program, they will have an opportunity to operate multiple types of equipment, pull weighted loads, drive at night, learn to tie down properly, and much more. Our new simulator lab will allow students to face inclement weather conditions, such as wind, ice, snow, and other situations that will give them experience you couldn’t get any other way.”
The skills learned in these courses, combined with a CDL, will give students endless opportunities for high-wage, high-demand jobs. Positions that require a CDL are some of the most in-demand throughout Oregon and the nation. The truck driving industry has suffered more than most when it comes to a shortage of skilled workers over the years. “In today’s transportation industry, there is a continuous shortage of truck drivers. We are always looking for more quality truck drivers. I’m excited about BTI and its approach to a quality hands-on program that will not be just another CDL school. It is a real-life solution for a real-life problem,” says Scott Porfily, President of Western Heavy Haul and a BTI advisory board member. According to Dalton, “we hear it everywhere we go. The need for people with a CDL is tremendous, which has led to increasing wages and benefits across the board. Many of the jobs are on construction sites or local routes where you are home every night. This is why we plan to include construction driver training in many of our courses.”
The truck driving school will be the newest in a growing list of programs BTI has developed over the last few years. Focusing on in-demand trades has caused significant growth, allowing BTI to offer courses throughout the Pacific Northwest. Creating the ability for several programs to be mobile has allowed BTI to travel to communities that would not otherwise have access to this training level. The truck driving program will also travel with semi-trucks and a mobile classroom that includes a high-tech simulator lab. These courses are available for someone with no experience or experienced drivers looking to get additional endorsements or training.
About Baker Technical Institute
Baker Technical Institute (BTI) is a leading provider of Career Technical Education programs focused on developing the next generation of skilled workers, technology innovators, entrepreneurs, and community leaders in rural communities. Headquartered in Baker City, Oregon, BTI offers cutting-edge education and training, leading to certification in high-wage, high-demand careers, such as agricultural sciences, building trades, natural resources/environmental sciences, engineering, health services, welding, heavy equipment operation, truck driving and logistics, and manufacturing. For more information, go to bakerti.org
