Mississippi-based KLLM Transport Services has signed an agreement with Instructional Technologies Inc. (ITI), of Vancouver, Wash., to provide Pro-TREAD Driver Training to its fleet of nearly 1,400 drivers.

This week, KLLM began using the Internet-based, interactive training, both for continuing and remedial training.
KLLM requires that all drivers participate in a specified number of training hours per year, and Pro-TREAD will be one of the key methods of delivering the training. Rick Parker, director of safety, expects that all drivers will have begun Pro-TREAD training within the next two months.
“At KLLM we want to provide and maintain safe and healthy working conditions, to train our personnel and to use work procedures and practices that will minimize the exposure to accidents of our employees, our vehicles, our property, the cargo of our customers and to the public,” Parker said. “We are always looking for ways to improve our safety record and to provide training at all our locations regardless of driver scheduling and availability of training staff.”
Having realized that so many of their drivers now travel with their own notebook computers, and seeing that Internet access is so readily available at truckstops, libraries and homes, Parker researched all available options for computer-based training.
“After months of research and talking with other safety professionals,” he said, “there was no question that ITI was the dominant player, and its Pro-TREAD Internet version offered us exactly what we had been hoping for. The range of courses is large and continues to grow, it provides absolute consistency across our whole fleet, and its content is consistent with the PTDI standards. Beyond that, its superb training record-management system, which they provide at no additional cost, is thorough and easy to customize, and it allows us to maintain a bird’s-eye view of our nationwide fleet.”
Dr. James Voorhees, ITI’s CEO, said his company is delighted to be able to provide this kind of Internet-based training for carriers as large and demanding as KLLM. “Just three years ago, distributing TREAD-1 via the Internet was still a dream: Data speed and driver access were not widely-enough available. During the past two years, we have witnessed a real communications revolution. Drivers carry laptops, high-speed access is everywhere, and no longer is there any excuse for not being able to train each and every driver on a regular basis no matter where that driver sleeps at night. KLLM clearly saw this transition and we couldn’t be happier that they have chosen Pro-TREAD to meet their training and risk management needs.”