SEMA Show, Day Two: TIA trains in 2012

Nov. 3, 2011

Next year the Tire Industry Association (TIA) will launch a Spanish version of the Commercial Tire Service (CTS) Program, as well as a Spanish translation of the Basic Earthmover Tire Service (ETS) Program. The announcement was made after TIA’s annual board meeting at the Global Tire Expo in conjunction with the 2011 SEMA Show.

“Spanish is the primary language spoken at home for more than 35 million people in the United States and many of them work in the commercial and earthmover tire service industries,” said TIA President Larry Brandt. “Our members came to us with the need for a Spanish version of the CTS Program. While it was not budgeted this year, our dealers and manufacturers stepped up with contributions to make it happen.”

Brandt says that the need for Spanish training materials in the earthmover tire industry prompted Michelin North America to translate and produce the ETS Program at no cost to the Association. He says both translations are prime examples of TIA working with the industry to meet the training needs of technicians in the field.

TIA will also release the On-Line University for all six Basic Level Training Programs: Automotive, Basic TPMS, Advanced TPMS, Commercial, Fleet and Earthmover. This will allow companies of any size to train new hires on the first day and automatically track their progress through reporting mechanisms that can be linked to internal human resources software.

“In the past, the traditional video, workbook and paper test format has worked well for the Basic Level Programs, but our members are becoming more sophisticated so they are becoming more reliant on electronic recordkeeping,” says Kevin Rohlwing, TIA senior vice president of training. “By developing an On-Line University, large companies can control costs with annual subscriptions while smaller companies can utilize the pay-per-view approach and purchase the training for individuals as they need it. The bonus is that all of our members can take advantage of the electronic reporting functions and the liability protection that it provides.”

TIA will also begin production on a new Farm Tire Service (FTS) Program, which is scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2013. This program will address the proper procedures for servicing agricultural, construction and skid steer tire and wheel assemblies, in addition to the safety guidelines for operating articulating boom trucks and liquid ballast pumps.