Just-in-time learning
Schneider National uses technology to target distracted driving
By Aaron Huff
Driver distraction is a concern of all fleet safety managers. No professional driver in their ranks is immune to the pandemic that leads to nearly 80 percent of all crashes and 65 percent of all near-crashes, according to a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.
The cell phone is the most immediate concern. A cell phone is a combination of all four types of driver distraction: visual, auditory, manual and cognitive.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration soon will issue a final rule that bans cell phone use by commercial interstate drivers. Meanwhile, a majority of states already have laws prohibiting texting and cell phone use.
While you already may have strict policies banning cell phone use while driving, it is difficult to get an effective message to your highly mobile driver work force that will change their behavior and minimize the risk of distracted driving.
Schneider National has been able to leverage its technology to do just that. The Green Bay, Wis.-based fleet uses an integrated learning model that consists of instructor-led, computer-based and simulation training.
“It starts with an understanding of adult learning, and what tools we have at our disposal, and how we can leverage technology to enhance the quality of training,” says Don Osterberg, Schneider’s senior vice president of safety and security. “Ultimately, it is about how we can deliver the most effective training at the overall lowest cost.”
“It is about how we can deliver the most effective training at the lowest overall cost.”
The company recently worked with L-3 MPRI, the company that provides Schneider’s simulation technology, to develop an integrated approach for dealing with driver distraction. This project was rolled out as part of Schneider’s first-quarter “sustainment training.”
The project included the creation of a distracted driving online module. Schneider has the ability to deliver this module in the cab, at kiosks in company locations and from any PC using Schneider’s CrossRoads Website; 80 percent of drivers completed the module in the cab using the Qualcomm MCP200 platform. The interactive learning module exposes drivers to situations that impose distractions.
