What is Commercial Carrier University?

Commercial Carrier University is a way to learn about the business of trucking in an organized, orderly fashion.
It’s a way to fill in the holes in your knowledge and experience, and a way to make yourself more valuable to your employer and your industry.

But isn’t experience the best teacher?

No doubt about it, experience is a good teacher. The trouble is, when you learn by experience, you often end up taking the final before you’ve taken the course. Sometimes, that’s costly.

And, until you have experience in a given area, you tend to remain ignorant.

What CCU does is give you an opportunity to explore special topics concerning the trucking business, to prepare yourself for those experiences when they do come.

What kinds of topics are covered?

CCU is well under way, with five complete courses already.

How do the courses work?

Each course consists of a set of readings on a specific subject. They’re written by experts in the field, people with real knowledge of the trucking business.

So, there’s no “ivory tower” attitude. The information is to the point, accurate, and based on the experience of others in the industry. And, of course, it’s specific to the trucking industry, to make it more useful to you. Every CCU course is written by trucking industry people, for trucking industry people.

At the end of each chapter, there’s a quick summary, to recap what you’ve covered before you move on to the next section.

How do we take one of these courses?

There are lots of ways to do it, all of them easy. If you like, you can read the full text of every course currently available – on the Internet – at www.commercialcarrieruniversity.com.

You can view all of the courses online, and spend a few minutes, any time you have them, studying the material that most interests you.

How much do the courses cost?

There’s no cost for CCU courses when you access them via the web site. Because they’re on the Internet, you can visit any time you wish, spend as much time studying as you like, and perhaps best of all, you can do it from anywhere you can get Internet access.

Are the courses available in book form?

They are. Each text is $6 for members of the Truckload Carriers Association, and $12 for non-members.

For information on ordering, visit the Truckload Carriers Association web site: www.truckload.org, and click on the Truckload Academy link.

How long does it take to go through one of these courses?

That’s entirely up to you. Each manual is about 60 to 80 pages long, and is divided into a half-dozen or so chapters.

If the material is new to you, you may want to go slowly, taking time to absorb, study and think about what you’ve learned.

If you just want a refresher on subjects you already know about, you can probably proceed more quickly. The key is that you proceed at your own pace. There’s no risk of missing a class, and no one rushing you to finish.

Will there be more of these CCU courses?

New courses are constantly being developed. Right now, there are plans for several more, with topics including “Working with Owner-Operators” and “Succession Planning,” among others.

A Few Chapter
Titles From
the CCU Courses:

Course 1:

How to Use Financial Statements
Why should I care?
Three basic reports
The profit-and-loss statement
The balance sheet
The cash flow statement

Course 2:

How to Write a Business Plan
Part I: Developing your plan
Why should I care?
When to write a business plan
Getting information
Strategic planning
Part II: Writing your plan

Course 3:

How to Evaluate Life-Cycle Costs
Defining vehicle life
Prioritizing replacement
Types of vehicle specifications
Developing vehicle specifications

Course 4:

How to Manage Cash Flow
Why all the fuss?
Analyzing your current situation
Understanding the cash flow statement
Understanding cash cycles

Course 5:

How to Recruit and Retain Drivers
Recruiting basics
Developing a competitive wage package
Understanding turnover
Creating a positive image
Getting drivers off to the right start
Creating a driver-focused company

What other resources are there? Because CCU is a partnership with Truckload Academy, there’s a wide variety of other educational opportunities available. For example, Truckload Academy (TLA) offers seminars in conjunction with industry events. Some are held in conjunction with TCA meetings. This year, there are seminars during the TCA annual meeting, at the TCA refrigerated division meeting, at the TCA independent contractors’ division meeting, and at the Great American Truck Show.

Why seminars rather than textbooks?

Research and experience show that live instruction and peer interaction can be just as valuable as expert advice.
So the CCU curriculum includes seminars throughout the year that combine lecture and discussion.

And the other seminars?

TLA recently launched a popular series of audio conferences that have focused on hot topics like driver turnover, insurance, cargo theft and personnel issues.

These telephone-based seminars are conducted by recognized experts in those areas – several of whom are the authors of CCU textbooks.

How do we take part in these?

All you need is a phone. And, if you use a speaker-phone, you can have any number of people listen in for one low price. In addition, many of the seminars are available on audiocassettes that you can purchase.

After each seminar, speakers typically make themselves available for a special, two-hour e-mail question-and-answer period, where you can ask specific questions concerning your particular situation.

Where can we find out more about the audio seminars?

Just send an e-mail to TLA@truckload.org, or call Virginia DeRoze at 703-838-1950.

Anything else?

Again, through the Truckload Academy, there’s an online interactive teaching game called the “Daily Dispatch Challenge.” Like other computer games, it features simulations of real-world situations – in this case, those faced by fleet managers – and allows you to use your best judgment in dealing with them.

There are three levels of play, each one greater in complexity and difficulty. Based on your choices and responses to the game, you’re awarded points that indicate your proficiency.

But isn’t this like what you were calling “taking the final before you’ve had the course”?

In a way, but in this case, because it’s a game, there’s no risk. In fact, you can even go back and replay any level of the game as many times as you wish.

The game automatically changes each time you play it, to present new challenges, but by replaying until you’ve earned the maximum number of points at each level, you can hone your skills – in a non-threatening environment.

What are some of the topics the Daily Dispatch Challenge covers?

Much of it has to do with interpersonal communication and decision-making skills. So, you’ll be presented with situations in which your ability to listen, negotiate and resolve conflicts will be tried, as well as situations testing you in problem-solving, emergency management and sales techniques.

Part of your score will show how well you did in retaining drivers, and you’ll also get feedback regarding the satisfaction level of your “virtual” customers.

How do we sign up for the Daily Dispatch Challenge?

Just send an e-mail to TLA@truckload.org, or call Virginia DeRoze at 703-838-1950.

What is Bridgestone’s involvement?

Bridgestone is committed to the concept of providing “Real Answers” to customers like you. And, we recognize that not all of your needs can be met by products and services, no matter how good those products and services are.

The best products in the world can’t fix your business if it isn’t functioning as well as it needs to. So, we’re always eager to support education that helps trucking companies improve their operations. And, we recognize that the size of your firm makes no difference: small trucking firms need good business practices every bit as much as large ones.

But smaller firms may not have the kind of resources the big fleets have to find those “Real Answers.”

So are these programs limited to smaller fleets?

Absolutely not. If you feel you can benefit from the information available from CCU, you’re welcome to participate.

Which course is Bridgestone sponsoring?

Bridgestone sponsors “How to Recruit and Retain Drivers.” Because good drivers are vital to the success of any trucking company, we feel this is a critical topic. As economic recovery proceeds and freight volumes climb, we may very well see serious driver shortages that can hamper the ability of fleets to grow.

In addition, having constantly to recruit new drivers because of high turnover is a huge cost to America’s fleets. If you can improve your recruitment and retention, you’ll likely cut your costs and improve your service to customers.

What other companies are involved?

Besides Bridgestone, CCU courses are being sponsored by Maddocks Systems and Qualcomm – and new sponsors are welcome.

Can we have those web site addresses again?

For more information:
Commercial Carrier University: www.commercialcarrieruniversity.com
Truckload Carriers Association: www.truckload.org
Truckload Academy: www.truckload.org/tla
Daily Dispatch Challenge: www.truckload.org/tla/ddcoverview.htm