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News | April 20, 2022

Transportation supervisor course goes virtual

By Carrie E. Rodgers, DLA Human Resources, Distribution & Materiel Logistics Training Division

As Defense Logistics Agency’s largest major subordinate command, DLA Distribution’s global footprint requires the organization to continuously deliver world-class training and support to customers and employees. The need to evaluate and improve training is constant, especially in critical areas and the distribution and materiel logistics training division, or DTD, is always prepared.

In mid-September 2021, the DTD Division Chief, Ronda Urey, received an urgent request from DLA Distribution’s Organization Management Deputy Director, Polly Charbonneau to revamp the functional transportation course for supervisors within an incredibly short timeframe — two weeks.

Urey turned to her Transportation Course Manager, Carroll (J.R.) Brooks. Brooks analyzed the course overview and expertly redesigned a 40-hour basic transportation in-person course into a 16-hour virtual course with a supervisor perspective focus. The revised training provides new supervisors with refresher training on core transportation concepts, introducing or reinforcing transportation processes and embedding more complex supervisor-specific procedures, rebuilding knowledge gaps to promote workplace productivity. Brooks also used real world examples on how to apply important transportation concepts from a supervisor’s perspective.

Between the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2021 and first quarter of fiscal year 2022, Brooks delivered three virtual 16-hr classes, meeting for half a day for four days. This setup allowed supervisors to balance supervisory functions with vital training. During the training, Charbonneau briefly met with the class each morning to gage training effectiveness and answer questions. Student feedback remained positive. They applauded the supervisor focused, pared down training, and Brook’s professionalism and depth of knowledge.

“This approach, a focus on supervisors and small bite virtual training, was exactly what DLA Distribution needed,” said Charbonneau. DTD provided just-in-time training geared toward a targeted audience, improving overall knowledge and skills, while creating more confident supervisors.