New tanker huge asset for Bay transport students

The Road Transport team from Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology are all smiles with the arrival of a new rig to join the fleet – a decommissioned milk tanker from Fonterra.

The replacement tanker, which was officially handed over earlier this year, will be used by students on the 22 week Certificate in Commercial Road Transport (Level 3) programme. The programme, which is delivered in Tauranga and Tokoroa, will see approximately 90 students per year use the truck; they’ll graduate with the skills and knowledge to allow them to safely drive and operate trucks up to 44 tonnes.

“Fonterra recognises the need to ensure all truck drivers are safe drivers. Their support enables us to reduce our vehicle hire costs (meaning it’s cheaper for the students) and it helps promote the Fonterra brand to new drivers coming through the programme who are looking for future employment – so it’s a win-win situation,” says Malcolm Hardy, Head of School Applied Technology.

“The driver shortage is still a very real problem, so it’s great to be able to work with Fonterra to increase the number of safe drivers we have on the roads,” he says.

Toi Ohomai’s relationship with Fonterra goes back to 2013 when a lease agreement was signed for the provision of a Scania P420 truck and 4 axle trailer unit for an initial three year period; this continues to be rolled over.

“The truck and trailer unit allow us to produce drivers that feed into the local and wider regions helping solve the driver shortage and replacing the older drivers that are leaving the industry, which in turn creates a wider pool of drivers for Fonterra to draw on,” says Dean Colville, Group Leader Transport Training.

The trucks are based out of Toi Ohomai’s Road Transport, Warehousing and Logistics Training Centre in Truman Lane, Mount Maunganui and can be seen around the region delivering driver training.

For more information about Toi Ohomai, visit our website.