So, what makes one letter of recommendation stronger than another? The person writing the letter is very important. The reference’s position and title are key as well as the context of your relationship with them. If you reported to them, then that is a much stronger recommendation than one from a peer. By far the most valuable letters of recommendation come from the people to whom you reported.

You should also consider whether the letters are serving their purpose any longer. For example, once you have been employed, recommendations from teachers or professors no longer carry value. Likewise, letters written from several years ago do not accurately reflect your current abilities.

Once you have identified the best authors, now you must evaluate the value of their content. The more specific the statements made the better. A strong letter of recommendation does not just state what a nice person you are. A strong letter of recommendation will state specifically how uniquely talented you are for the position you are pursuing. Ideally the information provided will include: your personal characteristics, subject knowledge, skill set, specific accomplishments and areas of special strength.

Truth be told, the use of letters of recommendation is fast becoming passé. The fact is that the concept of writing letters of recommendation started back in the time when communication was extremely difficult and employers viewed employees as kin. Terry Devlin, Vice President, Counseling for Career Management International states, “They should only be provided upon the request of the employer. Most employers accept letters of recommendation politely, and ignore them. After all, the candidate is the provider of the letters, and as such, can ensure only the most glowing are presented. Going to an interview armed with letters of recommendation may well brand a person as naive, and serve to eliminate the candidate from consideration.”

This makes the use references in your job search increasingly important. Providing letters of recommendation is simply not enough. A potential employer is going to call your references and the people to whom reported in order to get a better understanding of your abilities and qualifications. Likewise, the authors of your letters of recommendation are still likely to be called. This is done as a means of uncovering fraud. Is the letter authentic or did the employee write it themselves? Therefore, the verbal statement provided by these authors is critical, or the letter loses all value and is actually harmful as it appears fraudulent.

Integrity Selling
It’s an invigorating book that sheds the false perception of traditional selling and exposes the primary character of sales success. This practical book helps salespeople realize that customers are not won over just by what they say but that attitude and trust is the key. The six-step process is presented in a brief and straightforward manner. It explains the theories in very tangible, simple to understand terms that are easy to execute. This book will help your performance and your customer satisfaction.

Built to Last
What makes a visionary company? This book, written by a team from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, compares what the authors have identified as “visionary” companies with selected companies in the same industry. The authors juxtapose Disney and Columbia Pictures, Ford and General Motors, Motorola and Zenith, and Hewlett-Packard and Texas Instruments, to name a few. The visionary companies, the authors found out, had a number of common characteristics; for instance, almost all had some type of core ideology that guided the company in times of upheaval and served as a constant bench mark.

How to Win Friends & Influence People
This grandfather of all people-skills books was first published in 1937. It was an overnight hit, eventually selling 15 million copies. How to Win Friends and Influence People is just as useful today as it was when it was first published, because Dale Carnegie had an understanding of human nature that will never be outdated. Financial success, Carnegie believed, is due 15 percent to professional knowledge and 85 percent to “the ability to express ideas, to assume leadership, and to arouse enthusiasm among people.” He teaches these skills through underlying principles of dealing with people so that they feel important and appreciated.

The Goal
In this intriguing, readable business novel, which illustrates state-of-the-art economic theory, Alex Rogo is a UniCo plant manager whose factory and marriage are failing. To revitalize the plant, he follows piecemeal advice from an elusive former college professor who teaches, for example, that reduction in the efficiency of some plant operations may make the entire operation more productive. Alex’s attempts to find the path to profitability and to engage his employees in the struggle involve the reader; and thankfully the authors’ economic models, including a game with match sticks and bowls, are easy to understand. Although some characters are as anonymous as the goods manufactured in the factory, others ring true.

The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management
Until the early ’90s, project management was definitely located somewhere near the unsexy end of the business spectrum. But now, with the rise of downsizing and outsourcing, it has become one of the hot disciplines. Professional membership of the U.S.-based Project Management Institute has quadrupled in the last decade, and Microsoft claimed recently to have over 2 million users worldwide of its project-management software. The reasons for this growth are simple. Project management is about managing “projects,” that is, unique pieces of work (as opposed to ongoing operations). Downsizing, outsourcing, and the accelerating pace of change have meant that, increasingly, work is carried out on an ad-hoc, one-off project basis.

Leading Self Directed Work Teams
A new edition of the book that lead the self-directed work teams revolution. Leading Self-Directed Work Teams is one of the best-selling books on teams ever published. Now, the perfect guide for any team leader has been revised and expanded to reflect the new realities of team-based organizations. By explaining how team leaders differ from conventional supervisors, this informative volume which is based on the author’s successful seminars and workshops is especially useful for those managers who move from hierarchical to participatory structures.

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
This book covers Maxwell’s 21 laws of leadership. Each chapter describes the law in detail, and provides many historical examples to help reinforce the principle.  As a military officer, I understand the principle role that leadership plays in an organization’s success. During my short career (10 years), I have been in both great and lousy units. Each time, I can trace the unit’s performance directly to its leader and his/her ability to influence its members to accomplish the mission and take care of its people. My personal experience only helped reinforce the material, and verified in my mind that John Maxwell is “on-target” with his laws.

World Class Manufacturing: The Lessons of Simplicity Applied
John P. Robb Vice President, Manufacturing Monsanto Electronic Materials Company The commonsense examples and guidelines on the “how to” of total quality control Richard Schonberger provides in World Class Manufacturing will enable us to move beyond manufacturing excellence to business excellence. Schonberger’s first book, Japanese Manufacturing Techniques, provided the missing link in our overall quality program and is on the “must read” list for all our manufacturing line personnel. World Class Manufacturing will be required reading for all functions within our company.

2. Leadership.
The military trains people to lead by example as well as through direction, delegation, motivation, and inspiration. Veterans understand the practical ways to manage behaviors for results, even in the most trying circumstances. They also know the dynamics of leadership as part of both hierarchical and peer structures.

3. Teamwork.
Veterans understand how genuine teamwork grows out of a responsibility to one’s colleagues. Military duties involve a blend of individual and group productivity. They also necessitate a perception of how groups of all sizes relate to each other and an overarching objective.

4. Diversity and inclusion in action.
Veterans have learned to work side by side with individuals regardless of diverse race, gender, geographic origin, ethnic background, religion, and economic status as well as mental, physical, and attitudinal capabilities. They have the sensitivity to cooperate with many different types of individuals.

5. Efficient performance under pressure.
Veterans understand the rigors of tight schedules and limited resources. They have developed the capacity to know how to accomplish priorities on time, in spite of tremendous stress. They know the critical importance of staying with a task until it is done right.

6. Respect for procedures.
Veterans have gained a unique perspective on the value of accountability. They can grasp their place within an organizational framework, becoming responsible for subordinates’ actions to higher supervisory levels. They know how policies and procedures enable an organization to exist.

7. Technology and globalization.
Because of their experiences in the service, veterans are usually aware of international and technical trends pertinent to business and industry. They can bring the kind of global outlook and technological savvy that all enterprises of any size need to succeed.

8. Integrity.
Veterans know what it means to do “an honest day’s work.” Prospective employers can take advantage of a track record of integrity, often including security clearances. This integrity translates into qualities of sincerity and trustworthiness.

9. Conscious of health and safety standards.
Thanks to extensive training, veterans are aware of health and safety protocols both for themselves and the welfare of others. Individually, they represent a drug-free workforce that is cognizant of maintaining personal health and fitness. On a company level, their awareness and conscientiousness translate into protection of employees, property, and materials.

10. Triumph over adversity.
In addition to dealing positively with the typical issues of personal maturity, veterans have frequently triumphed over great adversity. They likely have proven their mettle in mission critical situations demanding endurance, stamina, and flexibility. They may have overcome personal disabilities through strength and determination.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

[Docket No. FMCSA-2007-27748)

Entry-Level Driver Training

Public Listening Session

January 7, 2013 Charlotte, NC

The mission of CDTF is as follows:

• Promote, aid and support the academic and educational programs, and other areas of operations, offered by the commercial driver training and related industries;
• Supporting excellence in instruction, research, scholastics and facilitating communications which are pertinent to the commercial driver training and related industries and their instructional programs;
• Supporting students and faculty of institutions involved in the commercial driver training and related industries, and other interested parties, by developing and conducting research, and educational activities; and
• Supporting public service activities on behalf of the commercial driver training and related industries by enhancing the overall quality of supportive services available to those organizations.

We have worked closely with the FMCSA, Commercial Driver Training Schools of all types, the Trucking Industry and Safety Professionals dedicated to increasing driver capability and increasing safety through participating in the development of meaningful public policy.

As Chairman of the Foundation, I have entered comments and supplemental comments representing the development of a performance based assessment for individuals learning to drive commercial vehicles.

As stated in the original comments of the Foundation, The “Model Curriculum for Training Tractor-Trailer Drivers” created by the Federal Highway Administration in 1985 (while never adopted formally as a rule) has become the de facto standard curriculum for training tractor trailer drivers.  The major texts used by public, private and employer-based training programs follow the proposed curriculum, and include all of the basic subject areas for training entry-level commercial drivers.  The Proposed Rule acknowledges that fact.

The Focus of the assessment tool is what should be the overall goal of any training requirement for entry-level commercial drivers – increased highway safety.  Prior to the creation of the validated assessment tool by CDTF, there was no scientifically proven way to assess the knowledge and skills required to prove a mastery of the subjects contained in the Model Curriculum.  The Foundation undertook development of the assessment tool in order to fill that void.

The question is:  How should the adequacy of training be measured?

The Commercial Driver Training Foundation, Inc  recognized the need for a comprehensive assessment tool that could measure the knowledge and skills in all areas  contained in the “Model Curriculum.”  The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking specifically asked whether a performance-based alternative to the proposed hours-based approach was possible.  CDTF has created a validated assessment tool that addresses this issue, and the test was submitted to FMCSA as a response to this question.

• The Performance Test developed by the CDTF represents, for the first time, a broad consensus on performance measures which has (to date) been lacking.
• The test is based on 102 specific Performance Standards developed by a panel of 45 subject matter experts from training schools and trucking companies
• These performance Standards were reduced to a comprehensive test based on the “Evidence Centered Design” approach developed by Educational Testing Services, Inc.
• ETS administers the SAT, GRE and other recognized national tests
• The Performance /test involves written and skills tests as appropriate
• The test has been reviewed by subject matter experts from schools and motor carriers, and a pilot test has been conducted to ensure that it adequately relates testing to the subjects proposed in the Proposed Rule.

Upon completion of the development of the test and the pilot testing project, all materials were submitted to Prometric, Inc. for review.  Prometric is a subsidiary of Educational Testing Services, Inc.  Prometric actually administers tests to a wide range of government entities and private businesses worldwide.

“Prometric provides testing and assessment services in `135 countries to over 450 clients and is   the sole provider of exams for such high caliber clients such as Association of American Medical Colleges, the National Board of Medical Examiners, Johns Hopkins University, the College Board, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy.  The company has  government contracts in Ireland, England and Saudi Arabia, and federal and state contracts in the United States.  Exclusive clients in the technology market include IBM, Microsoft Learning, Oracle and Sun Microsystems.”

The review of the developmental procedures was conducted by Dr. Linda Waters of Prometric.  Dr. Waters was asked to review the process used to develop the performance measures that underpinned the test; the development of the specific test question; and the administration of the “pilot test” project.  She was asked to determine whether the methodology known as “Evidence Centered Design had been followed consistently, and thus whether the resulting test was a valid measure of the knowledge and skills standards developed by the subject matter experts.   Dr. Waters also commented on models for delivering knowledge assessments, preparing test examiners for test administrations, determining a passing point, reporting scores, maintaining test taker data files, ongoing analysis of results, and considerations for future development.

It is well established in academe that different students have different learning aptitudes (e.g. they do not all learn at the same pace.)  The whole premise of the performance based approach advocated by CDTF is that the student can demonstrate that he or she has actually learned the material and is capable of performing the requisite skills necessary to safely operate a commercial motor vehicle on the highways.

By definition, students seeking a Commercial Driver’s License to enable them to operate in interstate commerce are adult learners.  It is well recognized in the academic community that adult learners learn material in ways that differ from younger learners.  The learning experience for adult learners allows them to draw on previous life experiences; thus they generally respond better to being shown “how to” rather than a survey-type course.  Unlike younger students being exposed to material for the first time, adult learners learn at a pace that is unique to the individual.

There is a strong temptation to count the number of hours that a student spends in school and equate those hours to the acquisition of knowledge and skills; however that temptation should be resisted because it is a flawed approach.  Counting the inputs does not take into account the quality of the teaching materials or instructors, the aptitude of the individual student or an assessment of the outcome of the educational effort.

CDTF appreciates the opportunity to present its material and respectfully requests that FMCSA adopt the comprehensive, content validated written and performance objectives and assessment that were submitted as an attachment to its initial comments as a means of assessing entry-level drivers.  The Foundation would be pleased to have the opportunity to work with FMCSA on resolving any remaining issues.