Just because something is sold as a driver training product does not mean it accomplishes its goal. Among the very large and diverse world of driver education courses, some products are worth every penny while others ultimately provide very little to a fleet.
Here are five driver training products that are truly worth investing in and why:
1. PatrolSim™ Law Enforcement Driving Simulator
PatrolSim is the most realistic simulation-based training system available for emergency vehicle operations training. It provides patrol officers and other first responders with the extremely valuable hands-on training they need, at absolutely no risk.
The simulator creates real-world situations—including poor road conditions and adverse weather—to allow drivers to gain experience dealing with complex situations. By using PatrolSim, departments can actively (and preemptively) help drivers significantly reduce the rate of accidents on the force. Using a simulator can lead to a 53% reduction in accidents. This allows more officers to stay safe and help keep those around them safe.
2. TranSim™ Truck Driving Simulator
TranSim is a truck simulator for commercial truck drivers. Driving simulators provide truck drivers with immediate, direct feedback without requiring a driver and trainer to spend hours on the road. This reduces the impact and strain that training can put on your fleet and provides instant results.This allows trucks to be more safely used for revenue-generating moving and delivery of goods, rather than for training.
3. DeliverySim™ Driving Simulator
DeliverySim is a driving simulator that can train drivers of passenger shuttles, transit vehicles, utility vans and service vehicles. It even includes an instructor operator station that allows instructors to create and manage additional training objectives, scenarios and malfunction simulations. This ensures the training is effectively balanced, equipping drivers with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed.
4. Airside-PushbackSim™ Simulator
Aircraft ground handling crews are often overlooked and underappreciated, but they are invaluable in maintaining the safety and schedules of air travel. Seventy-five percent of operators we surveyed felt safer after simulating training.
Driving simulators like Airside-Pushback are four times faster than traditional training and can significantly reduce the rate of accidents, mistakes, and other on-the-ground issues. One of the benefits of a simulator is the ability to create a consistent training environment to target specific challenges a drive may face.
5. FireSim™ Fire Truck Driving Simulator
FireSim provides first responders with a controlled, safe, and realistic environment to practice and refine their skills. FireSim provides a wide range of road and weather conditions and allows students to choose between various fire trucks, first responder, and EMT vehicles and setups.
A driving simulator like FireSim reduces the training time necessary to learn how to anticipate hazards and become safer drivers.
Finding the Right Driving Simulators for Your Team
L3Harris driving simulators are proven cost-effective training products. They help improve drivers’ situational awareness behind the wheel, focusing on where they are going, what they are doing, and what is happening around them. True situational awareness reduces accidents, improves driver safety, and makes training faster and more effective. According to a study by Harvard, situational awareness is a factor in 90% of traffic crashes caused by human error.
Simulation-based training also creates a standardized curriculum and realistic environments for every student to learn from. Every student can learn how their vehicle reacts to all road and weather conditions throughout the day. This creates a baseline of excellence where all drivers are evaluated and trained to the same level — rather than hoping or assuming they are.
The impact of a cost-effective driving simulator cannot be understated. By utilizing a driving simulator you aren’t forced to tie up your existing fleet in training, which allows your fleet to function normally (and profitably) without any interruptions.
And most importantly, training that includes driving simulators helps create safe drivers that get in fewer accidents. Each accident comes at the cost of repairing the vehicle, increased insurance rates, lost time and profits while the vehicle is out of operation — and the potential harm or loss of human life.
Learn more to see the difference driving training simulators can make to your fleet.
