In the 1990s, a lot of young people became familiar with flying airplanes thanks to computer games like Flight Simulator. Fast forward to today, and more and more companies are actually using machines and simulators in order to train their employees and workers. Now what about the trucking industry?
A “Blended Approach”
Expect there to be a “blended approach” in the trucking industry, whereas people, artificial intelligence and machine learning all blend together in order to train new drivers.
As you probably know, the majority of today’s truck drivers are older males who will soon reach retirement age. In the next decade or so, more than a million new recruits will be needed to keep up with the demands of the trucking industry.
There’s a company called Advanced Training Systems (ATS) which offers simulator technology intended to help train the next generation of truck drivers. Sure, classroom time and textbooks will probably remain, but today’s students, raised on TV, computers and wireless devices, want to experience things more than just hearing or reading about them. Therefore, young drivers have an interest in using simulation in their training, and companies like ATS are bringing simulation as a training tool to several truck driving schools throughout the U.S.
So, it makes sense that a student gets familiar with driving a truck using a simulator, and then graduates to driving an actual, real-life truck. The simulator allows for “accidents” that don’t cost anything.
People have short attention spans, so expect training to involve shorter, quicker lessons delivered via a handheld device such as an Ipad. Learners will be able to do more of their training remotely, oftentimes from home. And lessons might be in the form of games, which younger people enjoy.
Basically, truck driver training will become more modern and sophisticated thanks to machines and artificial intelligence, and ultimately lead to better trained drivers– that’s the hope.
Whether you’re a truck driving company in need of a reliable driver or a truck driver in need of quality job, learn how Platinum Drivers can help.