Thursday, March 19, 2009

Penske Truck Leasing and Smith System Team Up For Exclusive Driver Safety Training Programs


READING, Pa., March 19, 2009 – Penske Truck Leasing announced it has teamed up with Smith System, the global leader in driver safety training. This partnership is unique to the full-service truck leasing industry and provides Penske customers exclusive online access to E Learning truck driver safety training courses and related training materials.

“Working with Smith System will help enhance the safety and improve the fuel economy performance of our customers,” said Jim Feenstra, Senior Vice President – Marketing, Penske Truck Leasing. “These programs will also help ensure our customers can continue improving their operations in spite of a tough economy.”

Penske’s U.S. customers are now able to access these Smith System driver-safety training programs, including online and in-person training, and a wide selection of instructional safety-related DVDs, books, posters, and related materials. Penske customers access the Smith services as well as several other fleet management tools through MyFleetAtPenske, Penske’s exclusive customer Web site.

“Smith System’s unique partnership with Penske Truck Leasing gives us the opportunity to introduce our products and services to Penske customers through its extranet site and sales department,” said Frank Powers, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Smith System. “Our training delivers proven results in reducing collisions and saving lives. This is another example that demonstrates Penske’s commitment to driver safety and we look forward to serving their customers.”

Penske Truck Leasing Co., L.P., headquartered in Reading, Pa., is a joint venture among Penske Corporation, Penske Automotive Group and General Electric. A leading global transportation services provider, Penske operates more than 200,000 vehicles and serves customers from more than 1,000 locations in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. Product lines include full-service truck leasing, contract maintenance, commercial and consumer truck rentals, transportation and warehousing management, and supply chain management solutions. Visit www.GoPenske.com to learn more about the company and its products and services.

Smith System Driver Improvement Institute, Inc. was founded in 1952 as the nation's first fleet driver safety training organization with on-road, hands-on safety education techniques for experienced drivers. Smith System delivers behind the wheel instruction to more than 35,000 fleet drivers each year and has presented its program in 90 countries and in 21 languages. In the past decade, Smith has provided services to more than half of the current Fortune 500® fleets and is the only company in the industry that guarantees the quality of its training. In addition to its on-road training and extensive video and DVD library, the company offers E Learning courses and fleet monitoring. Visit www.Smith-System.com to learn more.