The transportation industry is in a constant state of turnover. Whether this turnover comes from new drivers deciding the trucking life isn’t for them or experienced drivers growing tired of how things are run, companies are desperate to keep their vehicles on the road.
While many discussions have focused on ways to ease the national trucker shortage, training is a crucial part that isn’t always covered in the conversations. Explore how those in the transportation industry across the country can benefit from better training for truck drivers.
Benefits of Training for Truck Drivers
Understanding the benefits of training for truck drivers can encourage company owners to invest in a program that suits the needs of their fleets.
Improved Safety and Accident Prevention
Being a driver in the transportation industry is one of the most dangerous jobs in America. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, transportation employees had the highest number of occupational fatalities in 2021, with 1,523 deaths reported. This number marked an 18.8% increase from 2020.
Truckers already know that their job is dangerous, which is one reason they’re demanding better training from their companies. Additionally, transportation fleet managers are aware of the high rates of accidents and injuries among truck drivers. In 2020, 415,000 police-reported crashes occurred — 4,444 of which were fatal.
Other relevant statistics of the 415,000 accidents to consider:
- 22% of crashes between a vehicle and a non-vehicle (pedestrian, biker, etc.) were fatal, and 16% of these collisions caused injuries
- 62% of fatal accidents involved two vehicles
- 54% of deadly collisions happened in rural areas and 27% on interstate highways
- 37% of fatal crashes happened at night (between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.)
- Rollover (overturn) was the first harmful reason listed for the crash in 4% of fatal incidents
- 63% of collisions involved a person, vehicle, or another object entering the truck’s space or beginning to encroach upon it
- 23% of fatal crashes were due to a precrash event of the trucker, such as losing control of their vehicle
Easier Recruiting
According to the American Trucking Associations, Inc., the trucker shortage could continue through 2031 with a shortage of 160,000 truckers. Between a majority of the driving force retiring and a lack of interest from younger generations, recruiting has become more challenging for fleet companies.
New and experienced drivers have stated more available CDL driver training courses would make the career of more interest, and large companies are listening. Coca-Cola is investing a million dollars in a truck driver training program for Georgia’s Technical College System. The company says this investment ensures more drivers are in the pipeline to help with the national shortage.
More Opportunities to Learn
Another component of the truck driver shortage is the need for driver retention. While better pay and work-life balance are vital issues, training ranks highly on the list of essential factors among drivers.
In a survey of almost 2,000 drivers, only 28.5% of the feedback about training for truck drivers was positive. Additionally, 50% of drivers who provided training feedback were no longer with their employer, highlighting the grave importance of investing in training as an employee retention tool.
More training isn’t always the answer—better driving instructor training and trainers are critical to today’s drivers and potential drivers. Much of the feedback emphasized the desire for communication and instruction during training. Trainers must understand the signs that a driver isn’t grasping the lessons, even if they don’t speak up.
Enhanced Job Satisfaction
When a company emphasizes truck driver training, it shows its drivers that it cares about their well-being. Better training can improve their job performance and make them feel more comfortable on the road. When drivers feel more confident behind the wheel, they tend to feel more satisfied.
What’s the Training Solution for Truckers and Trucking Companies?
With quality training for truck drivers being so crucial to various aspects of the trucking industry, how can companies make new and experienced drivers happy without completely derailing their operations or busting their budgets? The answer is simple: A driving simulator like TranSim™.
Explore what makes a driving simulator beneficial for companies and drivers in this field.
Varying Difficulty Levels
Any truck driver training program should challenge both new and experienced drivers. TranSim™ allows instructors to change the difficulty level of each scenario, customizing the settings to the driver's experience level behind the wheel.
The varying difficulty levels include changes in the following:
- Environment
- Aggression level of other “drivers” in the simulation
- Road surface types
- Traffic volume
- Weather conditions
The option to change these factors allows instructors to create more challenging scenarios for experienced drivers. For example, they can have the driver navigate a busy freeway full of aggressive drivers while dealing with rain.
Realistic Teaching Experiences
One reason many new drivers struggle when leaving trucking school and getting out on the road is the passive learning available in the classroom. It doesn’t provide the full scope of working as a truck driver. While learning all the basics is essential, turning passive knowledge into active skills is equally important.
Using a driving simulator like TranSim™, new drivers can practice being behind the wheel in a controlled environment. TranSim™ provides an authentic simulation of how it feels to drive a large truck, thanks partly to its force-feedback system. This system makes a driver’s action reflect what’s happening on-screen in the scenario. The steering wheel and pedals are tied together, offering real-time feedback when the driver engages them.
Participating in an active and engaging CDL driver training session will engrain what new drivers learned in school and help them create habits rather than wasting time thinking about what to do in a critical situation.
Preparation for Specific Situations
As mentioned, drivers can encounter various situations while on the road. Some of these situations are easier to train and prepare for than others. But as a transportation company learns from its drivers, some situations emphasize where truck driver training has fallen short.
Using TranSim™, instructors can create unique scenarios based on input from experienced drivers. An easy scenario change can be the type of environment: Urban, rural and mountain passes are available.
Other changeable elements include:
- Hazards: Instructors can add hazards, such as cars, pedestrians and bicyclists, at any time during the scenario
- Pre-set instructions: An instructor can pre-enter specific instructions when a driver reaches a particular area or hits a specific speed to create a surprise
- Road surfaces: Drivers can be tested on different surfaces, such as asphalt, cement, dirt, gravel, ice, mud, potholes, sand and snow
- Time of the day: Trainers may want drivers to practice driving during different times of the day, like morning, evening or midnight
- Vehicle malfunctions: Simulating a malfunction, such as a headlight, brake, or engine failure, forces drivers to react to handle it
- Type of roads: A trainer can set the simulation to require drivers to experience expressways, over- and under-passes, multi-lane highways and other types of roads
Give Trainers Better Teaching Tools
TranSim™ features an Instructor Operation Station (IOS) that enhances how trainers teach drivers and simplifies the explanation process for errors. Whether creating a curriculum for all trainers to follow or assessing a driver’s performance, the IOS will ensure more effective driver instructor training for everyone involved.
IOS tools include:
- A Learning Management System (LMS) for creating lessons and preloading scenarios
- A Replay Studio™ for better behavior correction and mistake explanation
- A Scenario Builder™ for creating custom scenarios based on drivers’ needs
L3Harris Prioritizes Training for Truck Drivers
As the trucking industry continues to grow and evolve, it has become even more crucial for companies to listen to drivers and keep up with current technology. TranSim™ will be the solution to many training concerns that both new and experienced drivers have.
Contact L3Harris today to learn more about our truck driving simulators today.