Ontario-based truck driving school, Commercial Heavy Equipment Training Ltd. (CHET), has been selected as a training partner for the government funded Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) research project on City Logistics for the Urban Economy (CLUE).
The purpose of CLUE is to fill gaps in the Canadian urban freight system—a system that has fallen more under the public eye over the past two years thanks to the global pandemic. More of the general public are now aware of the challenges and systems that make up the freight system and the goal of research projects like this are to uncover more data and improve analytical tools to help understand effects on freight flows, supply chains, and infrastructure needs. CLUE is a research program of the Smart Freight Centre, a multi-university, multi-sector partnership working strategically to address the identified knowledge gaps.
“It is really an honor for CHET to participate in a project funded by the federal government where we are the only training academy selected,” stated CHET Operations Manager, Philip Fletcher.
The initiative includes 24 separate research projects that relate to different areas of the trucking industry and the associated data and metrics. Topics range from driver training to automated delivery of goods. The project CHET is most involved in is the “Safer Interactions Between Trucks and Vulnerable Road Users” project in partnership with the Smart Freight Centre.
“Goods movement hasn’t been studied as extensively as people movement but interest is growing as it becomes clear just how much we rely on an efficient goods movement system,” says Dr. Judy Farvolden, Executive Director of the University of Toronto Transportation Research Institute (UTTRI). “CLUE addresses issues of significance to Canadians and this collaboration of public and industry partners further strengthens our chances of success.”
Over $3 million in NSERC funding has been matched by contributions from other supporting institutions and partners, including CHET’s parent company, Musket Transport Ltd, for a grand total of over $11 million in direct and in-kind support.
“The project will help create some strategic relationships for CHET with companies like Walmart as well as Loblaw and McMaster’s Digital Transformation Center for new tech in training,” said Fletcher. “But most of all it’ll be an honour to contribute to the growth and development of freight systems and processes throughout Canada where the industry can benefit as a whole.”
About CHET
Commercial Heavy Equipment Training Ltd. (CHET) was formed 25 years ago, in 1997, as a subsidiary of Musket Transport Ltd. to provide a high caliber of training to the industry through its graduates. Our focus is on nurturing skills, safety, and training to ensure students succeed in their chosen profession.
For more information, contact Philip Fletcher, Operations Manager for Commercial Heavy Equipment Training Ltd. – CHET, contact-us@chet.ca.