Research sponsored by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reported that driving simulators typically cost $125,000 to $290,000, depending on the model and vehicle configuration used. Based on this initial equipment price and factoring in a service life of 15 years and typical maintenance, the price of simulator training can therefore range between $3.37 and $5.07 per student per hour.
Instead of investing in a simulator, what if truck driving schools could, while training drivers at the trucking drive school, training lot, provide them with real-time, dash cam, video-based coaching from the in-cab tablet?
Furthermore what if that system identified proper and risky driving behavior and offered instructions to drivers in real-time to prevent accidents, improve driver efficiency and maintain compliant vehicle operation?
This approach would give new drivers real hands-on experience behind the wheel of real trucks in a safe environment which is much more relevant than a simulator.
Extend that driver coaching solution to have video-based scorecarding and the truck driving school gets a better view of a perspective drivers capabilities over a larger sample sized instead of just a pass/fail test driving test.
The results should lead to better drivers coming out of the school and therefore a more recognized truck driving school that trucking companies turn to when recruiting new drives. – Another win-win.
Truck companies can take this best-practice one step further by incorporating the same solution into their fleets to ensure that their drivers are operating as safely and efficiently as possible.
A new driver coming out of a school with video-based coaching could walk into a career completely familiar, and comfortable with similar if not the same technology they are used to and be a position where they are continually coached towards best driving practices and a successful trucking career. Getting new driver to adopt trucking as a career is crucial to the industry. It is well documented that driver retention is the biggest issue in the industry and a lot of drivers quit soon after starting a career in trucking because the job isn’t up to expectations.
