{"id":2574,"date":"2020-12-14T20:28:52","date_gmt":"2020-12-14T20:28:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/?p=2574"},"modified":"2020-12-14T20:28:54","modified_gmt":"2020-12-14T20:28:54","slug":"proper-truck-driver-training-starts-with-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/proper-truck-driver-training-starts-with-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Proper Truck Driver Training Starts with You"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ensuring you pay close attention to truck driver training\npretty much guarantees you wont slip into any bad habits Coaching helps truck\ndrivers and everyone else in the organization stay in check and stay safe. The\nproblem many trucking companies have is getting truck drivers on board. Many\ncompanies operate their training programs in a haphazard kind of way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is important that fleet managers focus on getting truck\ndrivers on board with the training and coaching technologies in use today.\nFleets must also make sure they properly train the coaches and the truck\ndrivers on how the various coaching technologies work and why they are being\nused. You can\u2019t just tell someone, \u201cThis will help the company, now go and do\nit.\u201d You must get their buy-in and explain how it will benefit them in the long\nrun. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You also need to make sure you are not setting an overnight\nexpectation. Truck drivers respond to different stimuli. Fleet managers must\nexperiment with different coaching styles and techniques. If your truck drivers\ndon\u2019t respond well to a certain technique, it may be time to switch it up. Just\nremember, consider separation a last resort. If your people are not responding\nto a training method, consider the source first. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We live during a time when it is difficult to get good,\nquality truck drivers. The environment is competitive. Don\u2019t shoot yourself in\nthe foot by letting people go for an easily fixable reason. Many fleets find\nthat peer-to-peer coaching works best. Is it something you have considered?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peer-to-Peer Coaching Takes Center Stage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truck drivers spend a lot of time out on the road, but that\ndoes not mean they would not enjoy some time back at headquarters teaching\nother truck drivers how to be good operators. Many truck drivers work most of\nthe time hauling loads but also spend some time coaching for a day or two per\nweek. These are the people who have the experience needed to uptrain a new\ngeneration of truck drivers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This kind of coaching also creates positive experiences.\nTruck drivers know the way they like to be coached. They understand that\npositive reinforcement works because it has been working on them throughout\ntheir careers. When you have an experienced individual providing positive\nreinforcement and actionable training to new people, you get an effective\ncoaching situation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When truckers coaching other truckers have a big win, it\nisn\u2019t difficult to get excited about it. When you have multiple coaching\nprograms running at the same time, ensuring you are providing recognition is\nimportant.  You need to have policies,\nprocedures, KPIs, and performance improvement guidelines all ready to go and\nfully explained before the program even starts. Getting buy-in is important in almost\nany situation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider it this way. What if you had to sit and defend the\npolicies you were creating. Trucking companies need to be ready to explain why\nthey do what they do. Truck drivers need to do know how to respond in certain\nsituations. And coaches must be consistent in how they deal with all the truck\ndrivers in your fleet. There should be no favoritism. Do not be afraid to get\nyour office legal counsel in on the conversation to ensure your approach is\nconsistent and legal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Method Matters<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How coaches approach those they coach may be one of the most\nimportant factors in a successful coach\/student relationship. Driver coaches\nshould always consider how they approach other drivers when assessing an event.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 \u201cproblem driver,\u201d generally all your staff should be receptive to coaching. If the coach has the right attitude, effective communication should occur. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It is important that upper management, operations, and the\nback office all have buy-in and understand the policies as they stand. It\nshould not be difficult to convince those behind the desks and in the offices\nwhy an investment in effective coaching pays off in the long run. In some\ncases, you may need to explain the benefits in a language they understand, from\na perspective of costs and benefits, perhaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try relating your needs to the number of loads being hauled.\nIf there is an accident out there on the road, how many loads will you need to\npay off to mitigate the financial loss. More than you want to, we can assure\nyou. Even in situations where it could be considered a minor accident, minor\naccidents for trucking companies run into the many thousands of dollars. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

People Learn Differently<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also consider that many people learn differently. One of the\nbasic principles of education is to modify one\u2019s pace to consider different\nlearning styles. Let\u2019s take a closer look at the individual learning styles you\nwill encounter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n