Ever have a steer-tire blow out? We pray you never do. But if it happens, here’s a suggestion: Don’t hit the brakes. Instead, gently apply some power, look for a safe place to get off the road, then ease off, and bring the unit to a stop.

That’s what the drivers at Winnipeg’s Bison Transport are taught, and they put this into practice from within the safe confines of the company’s state-of-the-art driver training simulator. It sure beats learning on the road.

Bison’s three simulators play an integral part in the company’s
Tatonka training program — an ongoing skills-development program for drivers that focuses on improving the level of operator safety and reducing the risk of collision for all its drivers, from rookie to veteran.

“It’s a refresher program that uses advanced technologies such as simulators and computer-based learning, as well as classroom instruction, to update drivers’ skills,” says David Klassen, Bison’s manager of driver development. “I compare our program with the airline industry, where they use simulation and advanced technology to review emergency procedures for their pilots.”

While Bison was the first Canadian fleet to start implementing simulator training, other fleets are catching on. Cambridge, Ont.’s Challenger Motor Freight is apparently looking at acquiring one, and numerous driving schools are also using the technology.

The Tatonka program includes courses on Decision Driving, Fuel Management, Speed Management, Space Management, Extreme Weather Driving, the Seven-Second Rule, in addition to regular compliance-type courses like dangerous goods and brake adjustment. Instructors provide the theory in the classroom, then the drivers head to the lab for some computer-based learning where they review the concepts and theory.

“And from there they go into the simulator, and this is where you put the theory into practice,” says Klassen. We’re able to have the driver demonstrate for us that they know how to apply certain techniques in certain situations. And in the simulator it’s consistent because we can run the same scenario for each driver. And of course, if there’s any accidents it’s in a safe environment.”

Bison uses L3 Communication’s TranSim VS stationary simulator and the Mark II full-motion simulator that features a realistic cab, fully operational dashboard, steering wheel and stick shift, and realistic vehicle noises and vibrations associated with tires, engines, and road noise.

Simulation training has been proven to provide better skills
retention compared to other training models, proponents say

“With the simulators we can introduce all sorts of different events — we can really mess with the drivers if we want to,” says Klassen. “We can control the weather, road conditions, traffic, animals wandering onto the road and you can really feel it on the simulator. For example, if you put it on the maximum ice setting, it’s almost impossible to control the truck.”

What they don’t want to do is use simulation to lull drivers into a sense of false confidence, where they feel they can get away with driving too fast for conditions secure in the knowledge that they know what to do because “hey, I did it all on the simulator.”

“Our main focus is on preventing the jackknife in the first place,” says Klassen. “It’s about looking at the decision making of the driver in advance of getting into those kinds of difficulties.”

ROI

There’s a lot of investment to return with simulators — L3 makes simulators for jet fighters for the U.S. military, and wheelhouse simulators for ship captains, and the software and hardware that goes into making the simulation realistic doesn’t come cheap. The most current version, the TranSim VS 111 runs around $190,000 and the next generation model, the VS IV will set you back roughly $225,000.

Alan Masters of Drive Wise, Canada’s L3 distributor, says big savings can be found in the length of time it takes to train a driver, fuel costs in using the simulator to train a driver to drive efficiently, “as well as a decline in maintenance costs from less wear and tear on equipment by drivers that use it properly, not to mention a reduction in accident rates after simulation training.”

Plus, Masters claims simulation training has been proven to provide better skills retention compared to other training models, including actual early experience behind the wheel of a real truck. “Because the student isn’t as nervous,” he says. “He or she isn’t concentrating on the fact that they’re at the helm of this massive machine.”

Does it work? Klassen admits it’s been a little tricky measuring ROI in terms of dollars and cents. “We’ve been at it on a large scale for about two-and-a-half years now and ultimately our priority measurement is to see how we’re actually able to reduce accident frequency and severity in our fleet. But of course, there are so many variables to deal with when it comes to accidents — training, the equipment, the load, the time of day — there’s so many factors that contribute,” he says.

“But we have done a time-between-crashes study, which did indicate that the training has increased the mean time between crashes. We’ve also had a look at some other stats that compared accident rates and I would say the trend is going in the right direction.”

Before you buy…

Not that many fleets would rush into an investment as large as a $100,000 simulator, but Klassen cautions against purchasing one without ensuring you have training plans and curricula in place.

Masters says Drive Wise also offers leasing arrangements for companies, with customized training packages including software, training for company trainers, and “all kinds of programs available according to customer need,” he says.

Or, if you’re a smaller fleet looking for maybe an annual or biennual refresher for your drivers, Drive Wise will bring in its own simulator and instructors for a few days of training. “Typically we can go in and train 20 drivers a day in a custom program we’ve put together for a company. It’s a turn-key operation where we supply everything and charge it on a daily basis.”