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| A Volvo's cabin requires as much training as a light plane. |
THOROUGHTEC Simulation, the Umhlanga-based manufacturer of
simulators for the mining, military and construction industries, supports the
call to train truck drivers like pilots.
As reported in The Driver newsletter for
professional drivers, any modern truck is more complex to operate than a
single-engined aircraft, and the drivers are calling for their training to
reflect this.
One of the suggestions made is that truck drivers should be trained
on simulators.
ThoroughTec, which has sold 500 simulator units in 20 years, said
the benefits of simulation training have been proven in numerous industries,
from commercial and military aviation to heavy-equipment operator training in
mining.
“Simulator-trained drivers achieve competency quicker, operate more
efficiently and are better equipped to handle unexpected and emergency
situations,” Greg Lew, ThoroughTec’s executive vice-president in charge of
global strategy, told Witness Wheels.
He said simulators can be used for beginner training, refresher
training, operator screening and evaluation.
As with aircraft pilot training, truck simulator-based training can
practice the reactions of both experienced and new drivers to emergency and
advanced driving situations, such as brake or steering failure, or a tyre
blow-out, which are not possible to replicate safely in the actual
vehicle.
Lew said a simulator also provides an unbiased and quantifiable
evaluation score, thereby removing human error and interference from the
assessment process.
He supported the call for improved training, saying the laws
governing commercial drivers’ licences in South Africa are too lenient
considering the complexity of some of the trucks and hazardous situations that
drivers encounter.
“Formalising commercial driver training and utilising simulators as
part of the commercial driver licensing process would greatly increase the
safety of truck drivers and other road users,” according to Lew.
