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Letter to the Editor

NAAHAC and AIAG Tap CCAR and ShipMate to Develop Online HazMat Program for Dealers by Q4 2005

“The members of NAAHAC have unified for this important safety issue and we have succeeded,” said Dan Wieten, NAAHAC Dealer Training Lead from Toyota Motor Sales. “After two years of intensive work by NAAHAC, which includes all the major OEMs, we have resolved to move forward with training to help dealerships become aware of the right ways to ship the increasing number of HazMat items. Our committee wants to thank every manufacturer for their unselfish contribution in reaching this announcement.”

NAAHAC is a group of regulatory compliance specialists representing the major automotive manufacturers in North America. Their primary focus is to review pending and current Hazardous Materials Transportation regulations and develop concise informed responses for submission to the appropriate regulatory agencies. The group has developed programs within the industry in conjunction with the regulatory agencies that will provide awareness as to best practices across the automotive industry to ensure the safe transport of all hazardous products.

With guidance by AIAG, a not-for-profit trade association of companies that are manufacturers of and/or suppliers to the makers of motor vehicles, the NAAHAC committee worked toward developing an industry effort to communicate HazMat responsibilities.

Ron Tillinger, Occupational Health & Safety Manager of AIAG said, “Understanding the needs of each OEM and finding a starting point that each could agree on was both trying and rewarding. The individual efforts of each committee member will better protect dealers and citizens in HazMat transport. The final selection was unanimous as to who had the qualifications and experience to construct and maintain this important program.”

“The selection process involved intense analysis in determining who would build the content, how we would deliver it, and especially what we might envision would be necessary for a changing future,” added Wieten. “We received many proposals and we selected two unique groups, CCAR and ShipMate; almost a hybrid approach to provide the foundation of this crucial program.”

The Coordinating Committee on Automotive Repair (CCAR), in Overland Park, Kansas, is a not-for-profit organization which operates the National Environmental Compliance Assistance Center for Auto Repair – CCAR-GreenLink - in cooperation with the United States Environmental Protection Agency. CCAR was selected to administer and operate the HazMat program. CCAR has provided online specific Safety and Pollution Prevention (S/P2) training to over 1,800 automotive career/technical schools and 6,000 dealer and independent facilities since 2002.

Robert G. Stewart, CCAR’s President, said, “We are thrilled that CCAR has been selected, and we enter into this mission very seriously. This multi-partner commitment is astounding, and CCAR will do its best to make the program work effectively and easily for dealerships everywhere.”

ShipMate, a HazMat specialty training company based in Torrance, California, was selected to develop and maintain the content of the online program based on its longtime experience with the Department of Transportation (DOT) and automobile manufacturers around the world.

Steven Hunt, President of ShipMate stated, “We are a proud partner and understand the challenges that dealers face daily. The regulatory requirements for the transportation of hazardous materials are complex, and automotive dealers are searching for resources to help them translate regulations so they can put them into practical use. Employees of the dealership who are involved with the transportation of hazardous materials are required by law to be trained, tested and certified in the regulations. Together, CCAR, ShipMate and NAAHAC will get the job done.”

Richard A. Wentworth of General Motors Corporation stated, “Dealers who are currently obtaining training material or courses from outside consultants are receiving material that may not be tailored to the automotive industry. Content may be very general, with much of it outside the scope of the dealers’ day-to-day operations. This leads to the dealer spending excess time and money on training that is not relevant to his business. We took our time and chose the best we could find anywhere. Program development is already underway.”

Working together, CCAR/ShipMate will create a specific automotive dealer training program to make dealers aware of the DOT requirements of the transport of hazardous materials. The first version of the program is scheduled to be unveiled September 29th, 2005 at the NAAHAC Symposium at the Novi Sheraton in Michigan.

NAAHAC is also engaging the Hazardous Materials Training Group within the U.S. Department of Transportation to help with their review and support for the program.

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