Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Works Training topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
College Place touts faster, cheaper CDL training and wins grant for sidewalk grinder
Summary
Public Works said a new employer-run CDL program with Diversified Logistics Training Solutions cut training time from weeks to days and reduced costs; the city also received a $6,200 WCIA risk-reduction grant to buy a sidewalk grinder to remove trip hazards.
City Public Works staff told the College Place City Council July 14 that a new employer-run commercial driver’s license training partnership has sharply reduced training time and cost for city hires.
Robert McGanders said the city previously sent staff to a six-week CDL program in Pasco that cost roughly $5,500 per trainee plus overtime and vehicle costs — producing a total per-hire training cost he said ‘‘penciled out to almost $36,000’’ when counting lost productivity. The city instead partnered with Diversified Logistics Training Solutions (DLTS), which delivers employer-run training and can get an employee ready to test in about five days for roughly $7,000 per trainee, McGanders said.
‘‘We were able to partner with them and be the first ones to do this in Washington,’’ he said, noting the program waives some classroom hours for employer-run instruction and uses city vehicles for on-the-job training. McGanders said the American Public Works Association wrote about the program and selected the city’s session as a top presentation for its fall conference.
Separately, Public Works reported winning a WCIA risk-mitigation grant of $6,200 to purchase a sidewalk grinder to address smaller trip hazards on city-owned sidewalks. The department has begun work and will report to WCIA for reimbursement after showing deliverables.
Why it matters: the training change is intended to reduce downtime and recruitment costs for operations staff while increasing local capacity for CDL-certified workers. The sidewalk-grinder purchase is positioned as a proactive, low-cost way to reduce pedestrian trip hazards and liability exposure.
Council members praised the innovations and the publicity they have brought to College Place. McGanders encouraged residents to email operations staff about specific sidewalk locations to add to the grinding list. The council did not take formal action beyond approving routine consent items at the meeting.
