The Ultimate Test Drive

Virtual training produces real results.

Source: CONCRETE PRODUCER MAGAZINE
Publication date: 2007-11-01

By Shelby O. Mitchell

Jim Simpson never thought he would fly a ready-mix truck. In his 27 years in the ready-mix business, he has done everything from driving trucks to managing environmental health and safety programs. But now that Simpson is in charge of Walker Concrete's driver training simulator in Jonesboro, Ga., he is learning something new every day.

The “flying” is actually a hidden feature in MPRI's Mark III Motion-Based Driver Training Simulator's advanced software, a crossover from one of its other uses—flight simulation. MPRI's transportation simulators were developed as an extension of its military and aviation training.

While flight is not an option Simpson typically uses, it does lighten the mood of an intense training session. “You have to have fun with it,” he says. “I want the drivers to leave with a positive attitude, not feeling like training is a chore.”

Jim Naatz, MPRI Simulation Group vice president of sales, sees early adopters like Walker Concrete and Nashville's Metro Ready Mix Concrete as just the beginning of a technological revolution in training for the concrete industry.

Jim Simpson, vice president of risk management at Walker Concrete, demonstrates how drivers navigate through a 180-degree video landscape. Two LCD side mirrors simulate the rear view of their virtual ready-mix truck.

“As this training technology becomes more affordable and awareness of its effectiveness increases, producers can value its quick return on investment,” Naatz says. “Other producers have already approached us about ways to adapt and tailor the technology to offer something over and above what their competitors are doing.” He believes the learning curve for ready-mix producers will be even faster than it has been in the trucking industry.

Naatz has seen his other trucking industry customers' preventable accidents decrease by 20% to 30% in the past few years. “We're seeing the concrete industry follow the same path in terms of adopting this technology,” says Naatz. “I have no reason to believe ready-mix producers won't see the same benefits.”

Simpson, Walker's vice president of risk management, became involved with the simulator after owner Doug Walker took a flight training course. “I spent 10 days on a flight simulator and figured the same thing would work with trucks,” says Walker. So far, his hunch was correct. Walker has invested almost $500,000 in the simulator and its software programs. The system has already paid for itself.

Since Walker's drivers began using the Mark III simulator in January, the producer has noticed much lower maintenance and fuel costs, and a drastic reduction in accidents. Simpson says the cost of a minor truck accident is about eight times the actual cost of damages to the vehicle. In a roll-over accident, these costs can add up to $600,000. “An average company rolls two trucks a year,” he says. “That cost alone could buy two simulators.”

To prevent costly accidents at Walker, the company has programmed its simulator to perform just like its own fleet, with a nine-yard load and 9-foot center of gravity. Drivers sit in an actual 2000 Freightliner day cab mounted on a mechanical base that creates realistic movements as they maneuver through each computerized course. Three large screens create a 180-degree landscape, while two small screens simulate the rear view in the truck's side mirrors. The cab is even air conditioned.

As drivers navigate pre-programmed scenarios, computers track every aspect of their trip, including speed, gear shifting, and braking. By watching the drivers on a closed circuit monitor and analyzing a detailed diagnostic printout, the training team identifies bad habits, such as using the brake instead of gearing down to stop.

Like the drivers, Walker's insurance company also acknowledges the effort, which is reflected in its rates for 2007. Drivers can also qualify for 10% to 15% personal insurance discounts. Rather than insisting on approving each new driver candidate, insurers now allow Walker to make its own hiring decisions, with the help of the simulator.

“I've been able to eliminate several potential driver candidates just by putting them on the machine,” says Bill Gainey, fleet safety manager. Gainey is behind the controls when a driver gets into the cab. His monitors show what the driver is seeing up ahead and on both sides, as well as an overall view of the driving scenario, including other vehicles, pedestrians, and landscape.

While watching the driver's performance, Gainey can change almost any variable. He can make it rain or snow, change day to night, simulate a blown-out tire, and even make a tree fall across the road. After being put through the paces of the training, drivers are generally, “a lot more careful when they walk out,” he says.

Trainer Bill Gainey monitors drivers' progress from every angle and throws an occasional curve ball from the operator console.

With various software options, the machine can create any driving situation one can imagine, including trips through the country, cities, and small towns. It can also be programmed to address a driver's specific weaknesses, like failing to watch his right-hand side mirror. This versatility allows each trainee to get the maximum benefit from the experience.

The simulator can mimic a long-haul tractor-trailer, dump truck, fire truck, school bus, or any other kind of truck on the road. “There's not a shift pattern or rear-end ratio out there you can't duplicate,” says Simpson. This might explain the simulator's popularity, along with it being one of only three in the country. This year, Walker has already hosted more than 200 training sessions for everyone from long-haul truckers to garbage truck drivers.

Walker offers five different training packages, ranging from driver assessment to emergency maneuvers, and hourly programs for specific needs. At the Walker Training Center, drivers start with an orientation in the training room next to the simulator.

Then, each driver takes a turn driving, while others watch his progress on an LCD screen and big-screen television in the classroom. All drivers must complete video tests in Walker's computer lab after their first run, and finally return to the simulator to show what they've learned.

Safety is ingrained in Walker Concrete. The producer has won the Georgia Department of Labor Award of Excellence every year since 2002 for the fewest number of accidents. It has been nominated for the Commissioner of Labor's Top Safety Award for 2007. Simpson and Walker are both candidates for the state Safety Council's Top Safety Advocate award.

<i>Visit</i> www.walkerconcrete.com <i>for more on Walker Concrete. For more about vehicle simulation and to see videos and demonstrations, visit MPRI's Web site at</i> www.mpri.com.

• MPRI Safety Data
  Includes analysis of crashes before and after training (by accident type and number of incidents per year) and specific customer data on accident reduction, including ROI dollars.
• Saving Fuel
  Includes pre- and post-training ROI data and results of a University of Utah study of fuel efficiency improvement with simulator training.
• University of Utah Fuel Efficiency Study
  Full text of the study, <i>"Simulator Training Improves Driver Efficiency: Transfer from the Simulator to the Real World"</i>
• Simulator Demonstrations
  MPRI offers short videos showing their simulators in use.
• Sidebar: "Investing in Best Practices"