The Manitoba Driver, from Manitoba Public Insurance
April 2009

About 475 words
Program turns trainees into talented truckers

When Peter Protzek celebrated his 55th birthday, permanent retirement was the last thought on his mind. His mindset was on changing careers.

“I’d always had an interest in long-distance truck driving,” remembers Protzek. “When I retired I thought what better time to learn than now. I wasn’t ready to stay at home and watch time go by.”

Shortly after retiring from Manitoba Hydro, his employer of nearly 30 years, Protzek applied for the Entry Level Professional Truck Driver Training Program. It was developed and funded by Manitoba Public Insurance, and created with members of the local trucking industry and the Manitoba Trucking Association.

The program is all encompassing: it provides 100-per-cent tuition funding to qualified candidates and supports the training efforts of participating trucking companies.

“The program is interesting, but certainly very challenging,” admits Protzek. “It’s just not a matter of jumping behind the wheel of a big truck and driving. The program covered off all necessary areas of driving a big truck.”

The sheer size of a big rig can be very intimidating, says Protzek, who lives in St. Pierre, south of Winnipeg.

“It’s not like driving your car,” he says with a laugh. “Just making a turn can be a challenge and driving in the city can be tricky sometimes.”

The key to the program’s success is a comprehensive four-stage training and employment process, which consists of driving school instruction, classroom instruction, on-the-job training, on-the-job mentoring, followed by graduation.

Protzek, a father of two, recently completed the mentoring phase and should soon graduate from the program.

Trainees receive 240 to 320 hours of classroom, in-lab and in-cab instruction depending on the instructor to student ratio from an approved driving school. The program also consists of pre-trip inspections, air-brake instruction and in-cab instruction.

“Every day there’s something new to learn,” says Protzek. “It can be very intense and demanding, but the program really prepares you for when the time comes to hit the road.”

Protzek vividly remembers his first solo trip. “I was intimidated for sure, but once I got going, I kept thinking about what I had learned in class and with my instructor.”

While the demands of being a professional truck driver are rigorous – long hours behind the wheel, many days away from home, ever-changing weather conditions – Protzek enjoys all aspects of his new career.

“It’s not a job for everyone,” he says. “But it’s a great job for people who love to drive and make a decent living.”

Protzek says his long-term goal is to drive long distance with his son Daniel, 24.

More information about the Entry Level Professional Truck Driver Training Program can be found at www.mpi.mb.ca

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© 2009 Manitoba Public Insurance