Question 1

How much does the course cost?

Accepted Answer

1) Currently, the course is priced at $220.00. Shipping and handling for the certificate is included. Patches and replacement certificate / ID prices listed include shipping and handling.
 
2) *UPDATED 7/20/2022* 
GTI wants all  participants to pass our course and we will offer as much help as we can to assure successful course completion. We realize that some participants may have reading difficulties, may not be native english speakers or have other learning challenges. Therefore GTI is willing to schedule a time to read the final exam to the participant. However, this appointment must be made BEFORE the final exam is taken, because if the participant fails the course, the course must be re-purchased and taken again. Contact GTI to make an appointment in advance if an oral exam is needed. If a participant fails the course, the participant will know instantly, and an email will be automatically generated and sent to the participant acknowledging the failure. The purchaser of the course will be contacted within 2 business days to be notified of the failure to discuss next steps.
 
3) If a participant quits or is terminated BEFORE the course is started, the purchaser may either request that the course be transferred to another participant, or a refund may be requested, minus a $10.00 handling fee. No transfer or refund will be allowed after a course is started by a participant.

Question 2

How long is this course?

Accepted Answer

The course meets the 16 hour requirement for the CHP rotation program. However part of this time is the tow company's responsibility (this will be explained shortly). The video and testing portion of the course will take a minimum of 12 hours to complete. However it could take longer depending upon how many times a participant re-watches the video segments while reviewing for the final exam. The other 4 hours of the course are a mandatory hands on training session that is to be completed concurrently with the course, and will be scheduled by and supervised by shop personnel during the participant's work hours. GTI does not participate in this portion of the training. By checking the box when purchasing the course, you certify that the hands on portion of the course will be completed by your company. This 4 hour hands on training may consist of ANY of the topics discussed in the course. 
 
Although there is a minimum of 16 hours required to complete the course the course must be completed within 365 days (one year) from the date of purchase. After the 1 year, if the course is not completed, the participant's enrollment will be cancelled. Refunds will not be issued for courses not being completed within the year timeframe..

Question 3

How does this course work?

Accepted Answer

Think of it like Netflix. A participant cans sit and binge watch all 46 video segments in the course, or they can watch one part at a time. The choice is theirs. However any training is best delivered in small bites. A participant can even come back to a segment of  the course they started , but didn't finish. However unlike Netflix, they will need to restart that segment from the beginning. The course is specifically designed to have no segment more than 16 minutes in length. This means in a worst case scenario, they will only need to re-watch 16 minutes of video. You will however be able to fast  forward past the parts you have already seen, if you so desire.
 
After a participant takes the pretest, they will be given a link and password to download the study guide in PDF format. Although printing the study guide is not required to complete the course, it can only improve the learning experience and increase the chances of success for the participant.

Question 4

What's this "mandatory 4 hours of hands on training" all about?"

Accepted Answer

Prior to Covid-19, part of the face to face training requirement was a 4 hour hands on section of the class. Since this can no longer be accomplished safely, the CHP is allowing "self certification" regarding the hands on portion of the training. In other words, by purchasing the course (when you check the terms, conditions and policies box) you are "certifying" that there will be - at a minimum - 4 hours of hands on training in conjuntion with this class. there are no papers to sign as this is done under the honor system. The hands on training may consist of any topic covered in the course material. On the job training is also acceptable for this requirement as long as new drivers are supervised by a more experienced driver during the training.

Question 5

How do you enroll participants and purchase a course?

Accepted Answer

Go to the SHOP page above, click on the CHP Approved GTI Video Tow Operator Workshop Add To Cart button. Enter ONLY ONE participant name and unique email address (duplicate email addresses are not allowed), then click Add To Cart again. DO NOT change the quantity of the cart, just click View Cart. At this point you can either  add more participants by clicking CONTINUE SHOPPING and returning to the SHOP page, or go to CHECKOUT to complete the purchase. within 24 hours after the check out is completed, a link and password to the course will be sent to the participant email address specified during the ordering process. 
 
The $185.00 charge includes shipping for the certificate. Only participants who pass the final exam will receive a certificate. If a participant fails the final exam, the course must be re-purchased, and the participant must retake the entire course.

Question 6

How does a participant access the course content?

Accepted Answer

Part of the benefit of this course is that it can be viewed and completed on any smart device, such as a phone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer. So there are several ways a participant can access the GTI Video Tow Operator Workshop such as accessing the course directly from the ORIGINAL DEVICE where the email was delivered by clicking the link and using the email and password. The participant may also forward the email to a DIFFERENT DEVICE and click  the link and enter the email and password.
 
However, many shop owners want the option of  allowing participants to access the course material on their premises **USING THE SAME COMPUTER.  This can easily be accomplished by opening GERARDTRAINING.COM on any internet connected computer, navigating to the COURSE ACCESS page and either MANNUALLY ENTERING the email address and password from the invitation email, or copying the email address and password to a MEMORY STICK and copying and pasting it into the appropriate fields from the stick. 
​
**Remind participants that they need toLOG OUTafter they complete a computer session to prevent their progress from being accidentally  compromised by another participant.

Question 7

How does a participant access the study guide?

Accepted Answer

A link and password for the study guide will be made available for download in PDF format after the participant completes the course pretest. Although printing the study guide is not required to complete the course, it can only improve the learning experience and increase the chances of success for the participant.

Question 8

When will a participant know if they passed?

Accepted Answer

The moment a participant finishes the online final exam, their final grade will appear, and they will know whether or not they passed the course. Additionally,  an email will be sent to the participant aknowledging their final grade.

Question 9

When will a participant get their certificate?

Accepted Answer

When the course is successfully completed, an email will be generated and immediately sent to GTI. Within 3 business days a certificate with the name of the participant and the date they completed the course  will be mailed to the address that was entered when the course was purchased. If a course is failed, no certificate will be delivered, and the participant will need to talk to their supervisor or manager regarding next steps.

Question 10

What do I do if I have technical issues?

Accepted Answer

Technical issues appear most frequently when multiple participants are using the same device to take the course, i.e., using the same training desktop or laptop in the office. This is however not the only cause of technical difficulties. Most technical issues can be resolved with some simple steps.

1)  Make sure you are using the most recent version of a supported browser. 
     The following browsers are supported:

Desktop / Laptop: Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Edge, Safari
     Mobile: Chrome, Firefox, Safari

2)  Clear the browser cache of cookies and other site data along with cached 
     images and files. If you do not know how to clear your browser’s cache, 
     google “How to clear cache for X browser” where X is the browser you are 
     using to take the course. Once the cache is cleared, close and reopen 
     your browser and attempt to access the course again.

3)  If multiple participants are using the same laptop / desktop / device to 
     take the course, make sure they are logged out before clearing the cache 
     and that the browser is closed and restarted  before allowing a different 
     participant to start working on the course. 
 
4) After clearing the cache you may also want to restart the computer before 
     trying to access the course.

If none of these steps resolve the issue, please contact GTI at 
(530) 505-1789 and we will help you sort out the issue.

Question 11

What if I lose the email that has my login information?

Accepted Answer

Contact GTI with the first name, middle initial last name and email address you used to access the course, and we will email you your login information.

Frequently asked questions