January February 2018

American Traffic Safety Services Association 38 Training News The roadway safety industry is con- stantly evolving. New technology being introduced from year to year causes standards and requirements for roadway work to change. ATSSA strives to remain at the forefront of these innovations and changes to help keep workers andmotor- ists on U.S. roadways safe. This is especially true when it comes to ATSSA’s training courses and why the association recruits training instructors and subject-matter experts with years of experience. One such training instructor is TimLuttrell, who has worked with ATSSA for about 15 years and currently teaches training courses across the U.S., with a focus in the southeast region. “I’ve worked in the engineering field for 20 years. Over the years, I’ve workedwith ATSSA quite a bit, even before I started teaching training courses throughATSSA’s Federal Highway Administration Work Zone Safety Grant,” Luttrell said. “The ATSSA training staff have been great colleagues and business partners.” Luttrell was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee. He attended the University of Tennessee, where he received his bachelors andmasters in civil engineering. He also earned his Professional Engineer (P.E.) license shortly after he began his professional career, working at an engi- neering company inOakRidge, Tennessee. For Luttrell, a fondness of travelling, meeting new people, and hearing about the issues they face in the industry, and helping to resolve those problems are some of the reasons he has continued to teach training courses nationwide for the last decade. “For me, training is worthwhile because you see a real benefit and real results as people pick up on the information that you’re sharing. It’s information that is interesting on its own, andunderstanding it and following the standards could save their lives,” Luttrell said. Additionally, Luttrell said he enjoyed the challenge of tailoring his course instruc- tion tomeet the needs of every individual enrolled in the courses who come with different experience levels. “Reaching out to students with different experience levels has been a great oppor- tunity for me to develop as an instructor,” Luttrell said. “It’s rewarding to see them process and understand course infor- mation that, hopefully, will help them in their daily work activities.” In terms of recent challenges that he has observed in training, Luttrell said that industry representatives are working to understand the complexities of pedes- trians as a stakeholder groupand reaching compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). “It seems like practitioners are uncertain where to start with addressing the needs of pedestrians, especially those with disabilities, but understand the impor- tance of the topic,” Luttrell said. “To help address that issue, I make it a point to introduce additional guidelines and research results because I know these challenges are going to come up on job sites and in work zones,” adding that there are many topics like the issues with pedestrian mobility and ensuring roadway work zones are ADA-compliant but that is one topic that is gaining acknowledgment. At ATSSA’s 48th Annual Convention & Traffic Expo, Luttrell saidATSSA consultant, Tim Cox, of Cox Transportation Safety, will speak at concurrent session titled, “ADA in theWork Zone – What Works and WhatNeeds tobeAddressed.” The session will examine Public Right-Of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG) and review two key areas affecting design and operation of pedestrian work zone facilities: permitting and Temporary Pedestrian Accessibility Routes (TPAR). Luttrell said another challenge he has encountered as an ATSSA instructor is dealing with state-specific requirements. “I make a point of knowing what the requirements are for each state before I go teach a course,” Luttrell said. “When you showup it’s best tomake your instruc- tion as custom tailored to what those folks see every day, even if the course was designed to be more general (i.e. national level course).” Despite these challenges, Luttrell said there is still a growing interest in training and more individuals want to acquire training course knowledge, especially as state certification requirements tighten. He said with some ATSSA training pro- grams, states will allow roadway profes- sionals to take a “refresher” course to extend their certification but that is not the case everywhere. For example, the Virginia Department of Transportation requires individuals to retake the course in its entirety in order to become recertified.” Staying ahead of the curve ATSSA Instructor Tim Luttrell reflects on importance of keeping up with industry innovations, changes, and new standards ATSSA Instructor, Tim Luttrell, lives with his wife, Brandi, and their four children in Tennessee.