ATSSA Signal March/April 2019

The Signal | Mar/Apr 2019 33 Training News ATSSA has been widely recognized for offering the highest quality training in the roadway work industry for near- ly 50 years. In fact, the association’s courses have been approved by nearly all 50 states, and Washington, D.C.— meeting the training standards of each region. The latest state to find ATSSA courses meet state standards and in- clude ATSSA training in their project specifications is Minnesota. This was a significant step for Minneso- ta, the Minnesota Department of Trans- portation (MnDOT), and ATSSA mem- bers, according to ATSSA BoardMember and President of the Northland Chapter of ATSSA Reed Leidle. Leidle said add- ing that offering and recommending high-quality training is key to having safer roads across Minnesota. “The Northland Chapter has been meet- ing with the state transportation agen- cy monthly for a couple of years, dis- cussing how to do everything we can to make our work zones as safe as pos- sible,” said Leidle, who is also the vice president of Safety Signs, LLC. “In the context of that conversation, the ques- tion of whether or not we are doing everything we can when it comes to training arose.” Leidle said the initial conversation re- garding ATSSA and the department’s efforts led to looping other stakehold- ers, such as various cities and counties, into the conversation. While a number of questions about available and pub- licized training were brought up, Leidle said one glaring issue concerned the lack of fundamental work zone training that is required by the state. According to ATSSA Director of Training Jessica Scheyder, in order tomake ATSSA training courses meet MnDOT stan- dards, ATSSA worked with MnDOT to make their Traffic Control Technician (TCT) and Traffic Control Supervisor (TCS) courses comply with the state’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control De- vices (MUTCD). “We intend to work tirelessly with other states to bring more tailored training to their regions. We know training avail- ability is important and critical to ad- vancing roadway safety,” Scheyder said. According to MnDOT Work Zone Spe- cialist Jeff Morey there is not only a need for more training for the depart- ment but also for other agencies and contractors. By finding ATSSA courses compliant with MnDOT standards, Mo- rey said the department is hoping it will provide another avenue for stake- holders to obtain quality training. “It’s beneficial to have ATSSA as an op- tion for training in our state because there’s not enough out there,” Morey said. “There’s a big gap in options and resources, which is why we’ve been working to bring in more sources. We feel that especially when you’re deal- ing with traffic control, you affect so many people with it that we want to make sure roadway workers have prop- er training when they’re out on the roads.” This was a significant step for Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), and ATSSA members, according to ATSSA Board Member and President of the Northland Chapter of ATSSA Reed Leidle. Leidle said adding that of fering and recommending high-quality training is key to having safer roads across Minnesota. Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Transportation.