Making it Happen

In my previous two postings I explained the need for comprehensive driver training and laid out a three-part plan for how to achieve it. In this last instalment, I'm going to focus on how to put the plan into place.

Some companies may lack the resources to fix the industry-wide driver-training challenge. However, any company can immediately adopt a measured driver-training approach to address the following three areas:... Read More

Driver Training - Plan for Success

In my previous blog post I explained the need for comprehensive driver training. In this next instalment I'm going to lay out a three-part plan that I think will help you achieve it.... Read More

Within transport operations, many factors must be controlled to reduce costs and increase profits. The most challenging factors to control are also the ones that have the potential to increase profits most dramatically. That is because these factors are associated with the greatest costs in transportation; specifically, fuel consumption, vehicle repair & maintenance, and crash liabilities. Yes, as the title indicates, I'm referring to factors the driver has direct control over.... Read More

Many of you may have seen or heard about the recent controversial report by Dan Rather on the existence of low quality CDL training schools for entry level truck drivers, see http://www.blip.tv/file/2759448. Rather says he took a lot of heat for the negative portrayal of truck training. The American Trucking Associations (ATA) considered the report "very unfair" and the testimony of Desiree Wood about her CDL training school experience to be "slander". In the interest of fairness, Rather offered the ATA 20 minutes to present their views and he invited representatives of the top twelve trucking associations and companies to participate in a panel discussion to be broadcast in the next show in the series. The ATA declined and only two of the twelve trucking groups accepted, Werner enterprises and the Owner Operated Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), see http://blip.tv/file/2840596. The panel also included Michael Belzer, a former trucker who is now a professor of Economics. ... Read More

There are two schools of thought that surface when it comes to reviewing the causes of truck accidents with each school differing on how it defines an "accident". One group defines an accident as multifactor stochastic events (translation: many different things happening randomly all at once). Viewed from this perspective, how is it even possible for fleet managers to conceive of a safety and driver-training program that will consistently and reliably train drivers to prevent accidents?... Read More

Co-writer on this blog is our President and co-founder, Mr. Remi Quimper who brings his prior CAE leadership experience on such products CAE Simfinity which was awarded several prestigious international prizes such as the Frost & Sullivan Technology."

The next time you take your seat on a plane, buckle up and prepare for take-off, consider the real possibility that your pilot may have never flown that type of plane in the air before. Why is everyone so confident the pilot can do the job? Because for several decades the aviation industry has been developing and perfecting simulator-based training methods that are more cost-effective and efficient than traditional "learn-by-the-seat-of-your-pants" methods.... Read More

I recently observed a training session at a local CDL school. The trainer closely watched the student driver make his approach and prepare to back up between two trailers at loading dock number 14. It was a calm morning at the distribution center and the student was well positioned to execute the manoeuvre. As he stopped his vehicle, the air brakes made their typical squelching sound. The student looked carefully in his rear-view mirrors, gradually released the clutch to feel the friction point and backed up slowly. He determined his distances well and, having chosen his reference points, slowly turned the steering wheel to the right.... Read More