26 Oregon Trucking Association, Inc. Oregon Truck Dispatch Knife River Takes Training to the Next Level By Christa Wendland, OTA Communications Consultant WE KNOW THAT training plays a huge role in all aspects of the trucking industry, from drivers to safety personnel and beyond. It’s a big investment and, with constant rule changes and regulatory updates, it’s something that never ends. In the past few years, a lot of training has moved into the virtual world. While convenient, it can lack that personal touch and the ability to collaborate with both instructors and colleagues. Plus, environment can play a huge role in the learning process—something our school kids learned during the pandemic. OTA member Knife River recently took their investment in training to a whole new level, opening an expansive and impressive training center in Albany, OR. State-of-the-art doesn’t begin to describe the facility with its well planned and comprehensive offerings. It’s as if it was designed just for the construction and trucking industries. And, while Knife River will undoubtedly make good use for its own training purposes, they’ve also made it available to rent for your training or event. Here’s just a fraction of what you’ll find at Knife River’s training facility in Albany: 80,000 SF Dome A heated dome is 200 feet wide and 400 feet long, with a dirt arena and a concrete viewing platform. Ideal for year-round equipment training or other events that need a large indoor space. Classroom/Conference Rooms Connected to the dome, a training building features four rooms with occupancy ranging from 15 to 350, depending on the configuration. The rooms have state-of-the-art AV technology. There also is a 2,400-sf enclosed patio for less-formal gatherings, and on-site catering is available. Sim Town “Sim Town” is a mock urban environment for training on equipment and underground work, with simulated overhead/underground hazards. Sim Town includes building facades, paved streets, gravel streets, and cul-de-sacs. Outdoor Dirt Arenas The 270-acre site includes outdoor facilities designed to test students in realworld environments. From haul roads with a superelevation, dips and turns to paver training with manhole covers and cul-de-sacs, the outdoor training area is designed to replicate challenges that construction professionals face every day. This is just the start to all of the special features and technology that went into creating the training facility. The training rooms are designed to be flexible and reconfigurable to suit a variety of uses, training styles, and functions. Reliable and flexible technologies provide a consistent and simplified “plug-and-play” userexperience across the facility for training efficiency and user satisfaction. You’ll find all of the details online at https://krtrainingcenter.com/. You can view a video of the May 2022 grand opening event, explore the different classrooms and much more.
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