Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/265903
54 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | MARCH 2014 technology W ith the constant exposure to risk and the limited resources to train drivers in person, many fleets are looking for ways to extend more training at a lower cost. Technologies that fulfill the need for more economical and more efficient safety training are growing in use. They include computer-based training and driver simulators. Training on demand Several companies today provide interac- tive online training courses that cover a variety of topics. The courses are part of a learning management system that gives fleet managers an efficient way to assign training to drivers and track their results. J.J. Keller's Training On Demand prod- uct has more than 40 transportation-spe- cific training modules. Available as an online subscription model, the service allows fleets to upload their own training to cover company-specific topics. Training On Demand's Web-based LMS soon will be integrated with J.J. Keller's driver management system, Encompass, to enable users to assign coursework to drivers while monitoring their safety, compliance and performance data. The Encompass portal and Training On Demand currently are two separate websites. As part of the first phase of integration, scheduled to be completed within 60 days, the list of drivers in the LMS will be populated directly using the current list of drivers in the Encompass portal. Another forthcoming feature will re- cord the courses that drivers complete in Encompass and allow managers to assign training to drivers directly from Encompass, says Joel Landsverk, prod- uct development manager for Training On Demand. Brown Integrated Logistics, based in Lithonia, Ga., uses both the Web-based Infiniti-i training system and online Pro- Tread training videos from Instructional Technologies Inc. The company primarily assigns Pro-Tread modules to drivers fol- lowing violations and problems they have had with safety and compliance. Both of these online training modules are available to drivers at each terminal location through a dedicated computer station or kiosk. Whether drivers login at the office or from their own connected devices, they immediately see the mod- ules they have been assigned. Brian Kinsey, Brown's president and chief executive officer, says the return on investment from online training technol- ogy is hard to measure since the company always has had a good safety record. However, Kinsey believes the technology has helped retain drivers by improving their safety performance. "If they have a problem, instead of cutting them off, we work with them," he says. "If they are willing to go through training, we re-certify them." Simulated training While driver simulators can be an effective tool for training, they also can be expensive, with a price tag that is out of reach for many fleets. For those able to make the investment in simulator training, studies show the payback will come from safety improvements and by reducing other training costs. The American Transportation Re- search Institute recently examined the safety impacts of simulator training for truck drivers. The results from ATRI's study suggest that while engaging in any type of simulator training could enhance driving performance, the in focus: SAFETY TRAINING Cheaper and better Safety training technologies becoming more economical, efficient BY AARON HUFF Continued on page 57