Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/538378
technology 38 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | JULY 2015 F or about two decades, Cowan Systems (CCJ Top 250, No. 60) did not hire drivers with less than two years of experience, but this standard has adjusted to conditions in the labor market. The Baltimore-based truckload carrier now hires drivers with one year of verifiable work experience and has created a training program to hire them straight from commer- cial driver's license schools. To train drivers with limited or no over-the-road experience, Cowan decided not to invest in technologies such as simulators or computerized training programs. "We use the old-school methodology," says Dennis Morgan, president. After new drivers attend orientation training, they are paired with seasoned drivers on local routes using daycabs with auto- matic transmissions. The initial training period lasts between four and eight weeks. Drivers then graduate to solo operations but stay on local routes for a few more months before being promoted into re- gions with longer-length routes based on their measured results. "We've been doing this for about six months, but we are moving very cautiously," Morgan says. Whether fleets decide to use old-school or high-tech training methods – or a mixture of both – experts say it is critical to doc- ument the training and the results. If an accident occurs, plaintiff attorneys will take advantage of gaps in training records to argue that the company was negligent and that its drivers were unfit for duty. Four technologies now are being used to document driver training. 1. Recording performance Not all of Cowan's training is old-school. The company is using Mobileye's vision-based collision and lane departure warning system. The device, mounted on the windshield, alerts drivers if they cross lane markings without using their turn signal. It also warns them if their following distance falls below a three-second cushion. Cowan also uses Omnitracs' onboard computing and com- munications system to monitor if drivers are taking turns too fast, braking harshly or speeding. The Omnitracs system sends alerts to the office if Mobileye detects that drivers are following too closely for an extended period or not using their turn signals on a regular basis. Management receives these real-time alerts and follows up with drivers when they return to the office; for more serious violations, drivers are contacted immediately. Modern driver monitoring technologies have more impact on newer drivers for changing behaviors, but lane departure warn- ings can be a nuisance for all levels of experience in metropolitan areas with narrow lanes. "In New York and Manhattan, it is useless," he says. "Some drivers give us positive feedback that it saved them by helping them be more alert and to stay in the lane." 2. Learning management Software can streamline driver training by managing and mon- itoring progress through every stage in a formal training pro- gram. Computerized training also shortens the hiring process and helps fleets extend more training to drivers by bypassing the limits of time and geography. EBE Technologies' Learning Management System can be used to manage in-house and third-party training content. Users can embed their own training videos, PowerPoint presentations, randomized tests and more into their coursework and manage it through a single dashboard. Maverick Transportation (CCJ Top 250, No. 78) uses the EBE system to ensure that drivers meet all standards for its custom- ized Truck Management Skills training program, an array of computerized and instructor-led courses on safety, map reading, Electronic discovery Four ways to make driver training count BY AARON HUFF in focus: DRIVER TRAINING