From the moment a new truck driver comes on board until they begin working in the cab or repair bay, gamification is coming to trucking. Why? Well, you probably already know this, but trucking has a talent shortage problem. It is important to consider, however, that this talent problem is not limited to finding people to drive the vehicles. There is a talent shortage at all levels of the trucking and transportation sector. Some fleets cannot find qualified truck drivers while others struggle to keep technicians in the pipeline.
Unfortunately, the system we live in has pushed parents to overemphasize the importance of a college education. The result? Masses of graduates who have few potential job prospects and are saddled with massive amounts of student loan debt. Over the years, conventional wisdom dictated that people who make, or repair things, are somehow in less desirable careers. If only states had invested sooner in getting potential recruits into the training pipeline. The fact is, there is a skilled worker shortage happening across the country right now.
Gamification and the Blue-Collar Worker
Perhaps it is time to champion the return of the blue-collar employee. They are incredibly important to the proper functioning of our nation’s economy and they deserve more credit. Trade schools are not simple soft-landing pads for people who couldn’t make the grade in university. Today’s equipment is incredibly complex and working on it requires a skilled and talented hand. Unfortunately, as fleet turnover remains high, it is difficult to find and retain the right people.
The problem is that when someone leaves the company, they often take all their knowledge and know-how with them. Replacing all that built-in knowledge takes a lot of time, money, and effort. The best bet is to prevent them from leaving in the first place. So, what are fleets to do to sweeten the pot and make truck driving and sop jobs more appealing?
When a new technician enters the industry, no matter how much training they went through, they are largely unfamiliar with particular parts and sensors. This is where it is important to ensure they have mentors who can help them learn the intricacies of your system. Consider that there are quite literally thousands of fault codes to diagnose, learn, and cross-reference. There are also many more technologies now built into trucking equipment.
While veteran shop technicians likely don’t have the time to both run repairs and train new recruits, technology provides an easy answer. This is where augmented and virtual reality come into play. We have discussed it before, but never under the umbrella of overall gamification. The raw definition of gamification is:
The application of typical elements of game playing (e.g. point scoring, competition with others, rules of play) to other areas of activity, typically as an online marketing technique to encourage engagement with a product or service.
Some of the biggest companies in the world have been making big bets that gamification is going to continually be used in the workforce for all sorts of learning and development needs, no matter what the position or company is. One such example is Boeing, which has been using Google Glass to assist workers installing wiring harnesses for many years.
New Onboarding Training Methods
Gamification is being used throughout all levels of trucking organizations. Beyond simply raising pay and adding more benefits, motor carriers are doing everything they can to gain an edge over the competition in an ever-tightening labor market. They understand that they must innovate in order to provide a better workplace experience for truck drivers and technicians.
One of the big areas of focus is in truck driver onboarding. With nearly one-third of all new truck drivers quitting within 90-days of their first day on the job, certainly there is room for improvement. During the initial onboarding process, rather than hand out printed paper copies and stand up and talk in front of a room full of people, training managers are turning to more fun and interactive methods to keeping people engaged.
Instead of paper handouts, some fleets are experimenting with online training courses that provide custom-branded rewards incentives. Truck drivers log into the system to check on the points they are rewarded for maintaining a good service record, work anniversaries, birthdays, kudos, and much more. Truck drivers can also receive points for watching training videos, taking exams, and learning new skills.
When you reward new truck drivers for completing training and learning new skills, you increase their buy-in within the company. They’ll work harder and have less questions regarding the impact of their work. After all, you are displaying it clearly for them to see. When the user experience is pleasurable and the system really connects with the learner to provide actionable and valuable information, magic happens!
The key to any advanced or web-based learning system is that it must be learner-driven. Whether it be through a truck driver training or health and wellness module, the program must be guided based on who is taking it. You want to utilize a system that is customizable and tailored to your needs. Otherwise, you may not have total buy-in for the program among those who will be going through it.
Shop Training in the Modern Age
Gamification techniques are also being used in the shop. In fact, the ATA’s Technology and Maintenance Council has been working on an app-based game based on its SuperTech competition. The app would essentially act as an informal introduction to the complexities of a modern big rig. Consider how tech savvy today’s youth are. Mobile apps, games, and virtual reality are all part of their everyday language.
This stuff is more than just a toy to keep kids occupied. From a training perspective, augmented and virtual reality, as one example, can be used to make technician training not only standardized, but portable. Instead of a trainer delivering hands-on training to a revolving door of new faces. Now, training instructors can be involved in developing the content they will eventually use to train people.
Much of the content used in technologically advanced training sessions can be emailed to or downloaded by anyone who needs to see or use it. So, even if people missed a particular training session, they should be able to dial back to the original content any time they want. Let’s take a look at tire wear as one example of how these systems are used.
There are essentially 13 different types of tire wear. Even more, wear patterns are required for hands on training and 2D pictures are generally insufficient. To have example tires live and, in the flesh, there will be a cost associated with getting them to a training facility. Instead, fleets that utilize augmented or virtual reality for their shop training needs, you have virtual copies of as many tires as you need with as many different types of wear that you need.
Imagine creating a digital copy of a tire and distributing it instantly to all your trainees. There simply is no more efficient and cost-effective way to get information to the people you hire. Even technicians with no experience using AR/VR systems and usually pick it up pretty quickly.
Does It Work?
During tests of these systems, trainees can generally complete a manual task based on what they’ve learned 90% of the time. Many fleets are looking to advanced training systems to set up recommended practices manuals that can be used over and over as new hires come on board. Systems like these represent a big leap in standardizing excellence in maintenance.
What shop technicians really want is a system where they don’t have to flip through a TMC bulletin for specific maintenance items. Instead, they can load what they need directly into a VR headset and receive an audio/visual walkthrough of the procedure. It is this kind of cutting-edge technology that keeps people not only from coming into the company, but also prevents their departure.
Preventative maintenance and vehicle uptime are both key components to fleet efficiency. If you can use technology in a way that ensures your vehicles are up-and-running as much as possible, why aren’t you? Advanced training methods for truck drivers and shop technicians only benefits your business in the long run. Make critical and necessary investments in your people and technology and watch as your business reaps the rewards.