When it comes to ensuring truck drivers are properly trained, the buck stops at company headquarters. Fleet managers, executives, and other managers at the company must all be invested in the training and coaching of their operators. It is kind of like a major sports team and how they do things. NFL and NBA teams analyze every play after a game. They are looking for continual improvement. Are you?
Ensuring you pay close attention to truck driver training pretty much guarantees you wont slip into any bad habits Coaching helps truck drivers and everyone else in the organization stay in check and stay safe. The problem many trucking companies have is getting truck drivers on board. Many companies operate their training programs in a haphazard kind of way.
It is important that fleet managers focus on getting truck drivers on board with the training and coaching technologies in use today. Fleets must also make sure they properly train the coaches and the truck drivers on how the various coaching technologies work and why they are being used. You can’t just tell someone, “This will help the company, now go and do it.” You must get their buy-in and explain how it will benefit them in the long run.
You also need to make sure you are not setting an overnight expectation. Truck drivers respond to different stimuli. Fleet managers must experiment with different coaching styles and techniques. If your truck drivers don’t respond well to a certain technique, it may be time to switch it up. Just remember, consider separation a last resort. If your people are not responding to a training method, consider the source first.
We live during a time when it is difficult to get good, quality truck drivers. The environment is competitive. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot by letting people go for an easily fixable reason. Many fleets find that peer-to-peer coaching works best. Is it something you have considered?
Peer-to-Peer Coaching Takes Center Stage
Truck drivers spend a lot of time out on the road, but that does not mean they would not enjoy some time back at headquarters teaching other truck drivers how to be good operators. Many truck drivers work most of the time hauling loads but also spend some time coaching for a day or two per week. These are the people who have the experience needed to uptrain a new generation of truck drivers.
This kind of coaching also creates positive experiences. Truck drivers know the way they like to be coached. They understand that positive reinforcement works because it has been working on them throughout their careers. When you have an experienced individual providing positive reinforcement and actionable training to new people, you get an effective coaching situation.
When truckers coaching other truckers have a big win, it isn’t difficult to get excited about it. When you have multiple coaching programs running at the same time, ensuring you are providing recognition is important. You need to have policies, procedures, KPIs, and performance improvement guidelines all ready to go and fully explained before the program even starts. Getting buy-in is important in almost any situation.
Consider it this way. What if you had to sit and defend the policies you were creating. Trucking companies need to be ready to explain why they do what they do. Truck drivers need to do know how to respond in certain situations. And coaches must be consistent in how they deal with all the truck drivers in your fleet. There should be no favoritism. Do not be afraid to get your office legal counsel in on the conversation to ensure your approach is consistent and legal.
The Method Matters
How coaches approach those they coach may be one of the most important factors in a successful coach/student relationship. Driver coaches should always consider how they approach other drivers when assessing an event.
Do the coaches have a smile on their face? In many cases, how the first few seconds of a coaching conversation goes dictates the entire tone of the rest of the conversation. Even in situations where you are dealing with a “problem driver,” generally all your staff should be receptive to coaching. If the coach has the right attitude, effective communication should occur.
It is important that upper management, operations, and the back office all have buy-in and understand the policies as they stand. It should not be difficult to convince those behind the desks and in the offices why an investment in effective coaching pays off in the long run. In some cases, you may need to explain the benefits in a language they understand, from a perspective of costs and benefits, perhaps.
Try relating your needs to the number of loads being hauled. If there is an accident out there on the road, how many loads will you need to pay off to mitigate the financial loss. More than you want to, we can assure you. Even in situations where it could be considered a minor accident, minor accidents for trucking companies run into the many thousands of dollars.
People Learn Differently
Also consider that many people learn differently. One of the basic principles of education is to modify one’s pace to consider different learning styles. Let’s take a closer look at the individual learning styles you will encounter.
- Visual Learning: Visual learners usually do best with diagrams, pictures, video, and reading text.
- Auditory Learning: Others may prefer auditory learning, whether it be listening to someone speak or with music playing in the background.
- Kinesthetic Learning: These types of learners excel at getting their hands dirty and simply doing the work. Hands-on learning is most effective for these types of learners.
Generally, we all have a dominant learning style. As such, it is natural for truck driver coaches to revert to the style that is most effective for them when they coach their trainees. Expect visual learners to coach using video and presentation tools. Auditory learners will do a lot of in-person speaking and share their experiences. Kinesthetic teachers will invite those they teach to get in the trenches and participate in the work.
Genuinely good instructors, ones you may want to tap for more training work, are those that adapt to the style of those they are teaching. Since the learner doesn’t get much choice in the matter, good teachers will keep an eye on what works for those students and use that style to train them.
The key is to use diversity when assessing your methods. Consider using a mix of online content, classroom teaching, video, and hands-on training. Using a combination of approaches ensure you get to every type of student.
Utilizing Online Methods
Consider using self-paces training that provides truck drivers with the opportunity to self-check themselves. Make sure it is programmed with visuals, audio, and interactive elements. When you are trying to teach specific concepts or explaining a process or how a system works, online training is a great way to get the point across.
One example is if you need to teach someone how to operate over specific terrain. You can teach specific driving theory in an online setting. While they will, of course, need hands-on training, the principles can be taught digitally.
Getting Classroom Time
Getting your truck drivers into a classroom with their coaches represents a good combo method when put together with online and video methodologies. When you are doing truck driver orientations, people get a good sense by reviewing the content before they enter the classroom.
Once in the class, teachers can talk about specific procedures and provide a first-hand account of ways they dealt with situations. This straight from the source information provided in-person is incredibly effective. Still, this method won’t be best for everyone.
Consider Offline Video
Offline video represents a method that includes photos and video training. Imagine something like a Facebook live session that trainees can watch on their feed and then use the text chat option to ask a question. For kinesthetic learners, this methodology is especially important.
You can also provide policies, company messages, procedures, announcements, and other types of demonstrations through offline video. And even though offline video is not interactive, once you focus on a hands-on approach, you’ve covered all your bases.
Hands-on and All-in
Whether you use simulators, inspection competitions, or any other type of physical activity to train someone, expect to get people excited. These represent a great way to give your truck drivers an opportunity to develop their confidence and learn effective ways to get the job done safely, day-in and day-out.
In the end, effective trucking companies take a holistic approach to their coaching and training programs. They don’t rely on one method and they listen to their people when they develop their programs. Only by getting buy-in and developing programs that can scale will trucking companies succeed in having an effective coaching operation.