THREE trucking associations have stepped up their efforts to redesign Web sites so that they offer members and others more and better services.
In early 2003, the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) management realized that the old Web site was beginning to look seriously dated, according to Robert Baylor, communications director. The new site is designed to be a valuable resource for people in the propane industry.
Truck Renting and Leasing Association (TRALA) has redesigned its home page to give visitors more information about the industry.
“We are providing a highly accessible Web site that allows our members to quickly and easily access information about TRALA and the vehicle renting and leasing industry,” says Peter J Vroom, TRALA president and chief executive officer. “These Web site improvements represent another step in our efforts to give TRALA members the most sophisticated tools available to assist in their businesses.”
The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) has joined forces with canjobs.com to offer employment services to those in the trucking industry.
At Canada's OTA, Betsy Sharples, carrier relations manager, says: “OTA is contacted regularly by employers looking for qualified staff and by individuals seeking employment opportunities. The association is a natural source for bringing the two together, and the Internet makes it convenient and efficient for both parties.”
www.trala.org
TRALA's home page, designed to complement the association's latest promotional brochure, gives visitors the option to visit sections with general association information or more specific sections featuring government relations activities, conferences and events, news and publications, or scholarship programs.
Members are encouraged to visit the site to register for a new user name and password, which will allow members to visit password-protected areas. The old user names and passwords, which were issued several years ago, were a combination of letters and numbers that were often difficult to remember, but the new system allows members to choose their own names and passwords.
TRALAVehicle is the association's membership directory and buyer's guide. Members can update their contact information online, which is immediately updated on the Web site for other members to access.
www.jobsintrucking.ca
This OTA site is solely devoted to bringing industry employers and employees together. It contains postings for job opportunities across Canada in 30 job categories that span management, truck driving, owner operators, and administrative positions. Job seekers can easily locate and respond to job postings — and even polish their job seeking skills with online job preparation tools, including a free resume review service.
Employers can post job openings at a minimal cost and be able to search the resume database. They can revise their job postings as necessary and arrange job interviews on line.
www.npga.org
New features on the NPGA site include better organization of information. Membership information is displayed in one place with many of the same information elements but arranged more logically. Safety information also has been revamped to make it more easily accessible.
NPGA has added additional content, including public documents such as regulatory filings. Some NPGA older documents that are still relevant or historically useful have been digitized and placed on the site.