OTDA brings TIA ATS trainers, course to Canadians

On March 12th to the 15th, the Ontario Tire Dealers Association (OTDA) held what promises to the first of many Automotive Tire Service (ATS) training courses in Canada.

Fourty-one Canadian technicians paid nearly $400 to attend the three-day Instructor Certification training course at the Hoffmann training facility in Mississauga, Ont.

Bob Bignell, administrative director for the OTDA said the technicians who attended the event were the “cream-of-the-crop” and they wanted to become more aware of the newest technologies, tire maintenance techniques and services for tires.

ATS certification includes training on tire and wheel assembly removal and installation, wheel fastener torque procedures and guidelines, tire pressure monitoring systems and tire and wheel assembly balancing procedures.

Each participant had to pass a 100-question exam in order to achieve a TIA Certified Instructor Certificate and 13 Certified Instructor uniform patches. Certification is good for two years, at which time instructors must take a 60-question exam over the Internet.