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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Unfortunately, the system we live in has pushed parents to\noveremphasize the importance of a college education. The result? Masses of\ngraduates who have few potential job prospects and are saddled with massive\namounts of student loan debt. Over the years, conventional wisdom dictated that\npeople who make, or repair things, are somehow in less desirable careers. If\nonly states had invested sooner in getting potential recruits into the training\npipeline. The fact is, there is a skilled worker shortage happening across the\ncountry right now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gamification and the Blue-Collar Worker<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps it is time to champion the return of the blue-collar\nemployee. They are incredibly important to the proper functioning of our\nnation\u2019s economy and they deserve more credit. Trade schools are not simple\nsoft-landing pads for people who couldn\u2019t make the grade in university. Today\u2019s\nequipment is incredibly complex and working on it requires a skilled and\ntalented hand. Unfortunately, as fleet turnover remains high, it is difficult\nto find and retain the right people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The problem is that when someone leaves the company, they\noften take all their knowledge and know-how with them. Replacing all that\nbuilt-in knowledge takes a lot of time, money, and effort. The best bet is to\nprevent them from leaving in the first place. So, what are fleets to do to\nsweeten the pot and make truck driving and sop jobs more appealing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n When a new technician enters the industry, no matter how\nmuch training they went through, they are largely unfamiliar with particular\nparts and sensors. This is where it is important to ensure they have mentors\nwho can help them learn the intricacies of your system. Consider that there are\nquite literally thousands of fault codes to diagnose, learn, and\ncross-reference. There are also many more technologies now built into trucking\nequipment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While veteran shop technicians likely don\u2019t have the time to\nboth run repairs and train new recruits, technology provides an easy answer.\nThis is where augmented and virtual reality come into play. We have discussed\nit before, but never under the umbrella of overall gamification. The raw\ndefinition of gamification is: <\/p>\n\n\n\n The application of typical elements of game playing (e.g.\npoint scoring, competition with others, rules of play) to other areas of\nactivity, typically as an online marketing technique to encourage engagement\nwith a product or service.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of the biggest companies in the world have been making\nbig bets that gamification is going to continually be used in the workforce for\nall sorts of learning and development needs, no matter what the position or\ncompany is. One such example is Boeing, which has been using Google Glass to\nassist workers installing wiring harnesses for many years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n New Onboarding Training Methods<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Gamification is being used throughout all levels of trucking\norganizations. Beyond simply raising pay and adding more benefits, motor\ncarriers are doing everything they can to gain an edge over the competition in\nan ever-tightening labor market. They understand that they must innovate in\norder to provide a better workplace experience for truck drivers and\ntechnicians. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n [wp_ad_camp_2] <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of paper handouts, some fleets are experimenting\nwith online training courses that provide custom-branded rewards incentives.\nTruck drivers log into the system to check on the points they are rewarded for\nmaintaining a good service record, work anniversaries, birthdays, kudos, and\nmuch more. Truck drivers can also receive points for watching training videos,\ntaking exams, and learning new skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you reward new truck drivers for completing training\nand learning new skills, you increase their buy-in within the company. They\u2019ll\nwork harder and have less questions regarding the impact of their work. After\nall, you are displaying it clearly for them to see. When the user experience is\npleasurable and the system really connects with the learner to provide\nactionable and valuable information, magic happens!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The key to any advanced or web-based learning system is that\nit must be learner-driven. Whether it be through a truck driver training or\nhealth and wellness module, the program must be guided based on who is taking\nit. You want to utilize a system that is customizable and tailored to your\nneeds. Otherwise, you may not have total buy-in for the program among those who\nwill be going through it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Shop Training in the Modern Age<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Gamification techniques are also being used in the shop. In\nfact, the ATA\u2019s Technology and Maintenance Council has been working on an\napp-based game based on its SuperTech competition. The app would essentially\nact as an informal introduction to the complexities of a modern big rig.\nConsider how tech savvy today\u2019s youth are. Mobile apps, games, and virtual\nreality are all part of their everyday language. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This stuff is more than just a toy to keep kids occupied.\nFrom a training perspective, augmented and virtual reality, as one example, can\nbe used to make technician training not only standardized, but portable.\nInstead of a trainer delivering hands-on training to a revolving door of new\nfaces. Now, training instructors can be involved in developing the content they\nwill eventually use to train people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Much of the content used in technologically advanced\ntraining sessions can be emailed to or downloaded by anyone who needs to see or\nuse it. So, even if people missed a particular training session, they should be\nable to dial back to the original content any time they want. Let\u2019s take a look\nat tire wear as one example of how these systems are used. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are essentially 13 different types of tire wear. Even\nmore, wear patterns are required for hands on training and 2D pictures are\ngenerally insufficient. To have example tires live and, in the flesh, there\nwill be a cost associated with getting them to a training facility. Instead,\nfleets that utilize augmented or virtual reality for their shop training needs,\nyou have virtual copies of as many tires as you need with as many different\ntypes of wear that you need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Imagine creating a digital copy of a tire and distributing\nit instantly to all your trainees. There simply is no more efficient and\ncost-effective way to get information to the people you hire. Even technicians\nwith no experience using AR\/VR systems and usually pick it up pretty quickly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Does It Work?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n During tests of these systems, trainees can generally\ncomplete a manual task based on what they\u2019ve learned 90% of the time. Many\nfleets are looking to advanced training systems to set up recommended\npractices<\/a> manuals that can be used over and over as new hires come on\nboard. Systems like these represent a big leap in standardizing excellence in\nmaintenance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What shop technicians really want is a system where they don\u2019t 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n [wp_ad_camp_2] <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Preventative maintenance and vehicle uptime are both key\ncomponents to fleet efficiency. If you can use technology in a way that ensures\nyour vehicles are up-and-running as much as possible, why aren\u2019t you? Advanced\ntraining methods for truck drivers and shop technicians only benefits your\nbusiness in the long run. Make critical and necessary investments in your\npeople and technology and watch as your business reaps the rewards. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"