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At Schneider, we’re committed to providing our drivers – both new and experienced – with thorough training to ensure they feel prepared when hitting the road.
It's why we are now using virtual reality (VR), in addition to truck driving simulators, within our training program. Here’s an inside look at how this cutting-edge tech prepares drivers to be safe on the job.
In the simulator seat
Schneider has used simulators for years, but the new simulators we invested in use updated technology that makes them more realistic than ever. Students now feel exactly what it’s like to:
- Have a steer-tire blowout.
- Recover from a skid.
- Brake properly to descend a steep mountain grade.
- Complete complex maneuvers like backing.
The benefits of using truck driving simulators include:
- Helping students learn how to react to critical events that would be unsafe to attempt in real life.
- Supporting drivers in improving their skills through repetition.
- Providing an opportunity to build muscle memory for safely handling specific scenarios.
Driver Instructor Jason Hardy, who oversaw the installation process of the new simulators, said the upgraded technology is a lot more realistic.
“The previous simulators showed a basic picture with blocky trees and some grass by the road,” Jason said. “Now, these screens have 4K resolution. There’s a camera that uses infrared signals to track your face, so when you move, the ‘mirrors’ also move. The seat itself moves. When you press the accelerator, you feel it.”
Training modules can also be customized to mimic every tractor variant Schneider uses. This includes trucks with MirrorEye technology, eCascadias, tanker trucks and everything in-between.
“It’s pretty close to the real thing,” Jason said. “It has the same dashboard and all the controls you see on our Freightliner trucks. We try to make it as real as possible.”
In the headset
Schneider’s tanker training centers in Houston, Texas, and Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, are also testing new VR systems. This technology teaches tanker driving students how to complete hands-on tasks outside the truck, such as connecting hoses and unloading bulk freight.
To use the VR system, students wear a headset. This places them in a lifelike setting based on video and renderings of real Schneider equipment. Students move around and use handheld controllers to interact with virtual objects.
After VR gives students their first taste of the processes, they go out and practice those same procedures with real equipment.
“Now they can put two and two together and recall what they saw in the headset,” Training and Development Administrator Charles McGregor said. “It’s not as foreign when they go out to the truck. When we first showed the VR to students who had already completed hands-on training, they said they wished they could have done VR before trying it for real.”
Not all students are familiar with VR technology when they first put the headset on. Some have never worn a VR headset before and don’t know what to expect. Instructors make sure students are comfortable by coaching them how to use the gear. They also emphasize taking breaks between modules to minimize any motion sickness.
“Some students are initially apprehensive, but once they get in there and figure it out, they enjoy it,” Charles said. “Most of the time they finish the modules and go, ‘Wow, this was really helpful.’
