Training of Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers (2004) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
The Content and Quality of Truck Driver Training
The Content and Quality of Truck Driver Training
Pages 7-16
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From page 7... ...
The Office of Technology Assessment also found that untrained drivers are overinvolved in fatal crashes, as shown by the finding that 42% of large-truck drivers who were involved in all truck crashes had received training, compared with only 26% of the drivers involved in fatal crashes. These results indicate that, without regard to the quality of training, formal schooling prior to beginning trucking appears to have little effect on crash probabilities.
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From page 8... ...
And while the FMCSA believes that the FHWA Model Curriculum, the PTDI Curriculum, the Model Curriculum for Training Motorcoach Drivers, and the NHTSA School Bus Driver Instructional Program represent the basis for training adequacy, such training is not mandated. At the same time, the FMCSA does not agree that training adequacy is ensured simply by having the knowledge to pass the CDL test (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 2003)
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From page 9... ...
Further, it was determined that on-street hours must be provided in addition to classroom hours for a program to be considered "adequate." "Adequate training" for heavy trucks and motor coaches was defined by Dueker as shown in Table 1, using the FHWA model tractor-trailer driver curriculum (Federal Highway Administration, 1985) as a starting point and the consensus of a panel of 36 experts on the minimum acceptable requirements for each of the listed curriculum characteristics.
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From page 10... ...
In terms of the adequacy of the formal training provided, approximately one-third of the heavy truck carriers and motorcoach carriers provided training that was considered "adequate," as defined by project criteria. For heavy truck carriers, 38% provided training defined as "adequate;" and, for motorcoach carriers, 30% provided training that was defined as "adequate." Combining the prevalence of formal training and the adequacy of formal training, the findings indicated that only 8.1% of heavy truck carriers who hire entry-level drivers provide adequate training for them, and only 18.5% of the motorcoach carriers who hire entry-level drivers provide adequate training for them.
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From page 11... ...
√ √ Mountainous terrain √ √ Transporting handicapped and exceptional passengers √ Advanced Driving Skills Hazard recognition (e.g., road conditions, driving situations, driver and pedestrian characteristics) √ √ Collision avoidance (e.g., quick stops, evasive maneuvers, making judgments)
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From page 12... ...
√ Curriculum Topic Heavy Trucks Motorcoaches Vehicle-Related, Nondriving Activities TABLE 2 (Continued)
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From page 13... ...
TABLE 3 Summary of training adequacy findings for motor carriers (Dueker, 1995) Heavy Trucks Motorcoaches Percent of motor carriers who provide formal training for their hired entry-level drivers 21.6 62.5 Percent of sampled motor carriers whose formal training was judged as "adequate" 37.5 29.6 Estimate of the percent of motor carriers who provide adequate training for the entry-level drivers they hire 8.1 18.5 Formal Training Methods Percent of Drivers Trained Percent of Programs Adequate Percent of Drivers Adequately Trained Heavy Trucks Proprietary Public Funded Company/Military Total (Sample Size)
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From page 14... ...
Enough emphasis is not put on the carrier segment regarding finishing programs that ensure an entry-level driver continues to receive training." Another commenter not specifying the model curriculum but stating that the proposal fell short of a minimum requirement, offered the following: "Specifying a minimum time requirement for training is unnecessary. Final rule should emphasize specific training content including basic defensive driving topics, including space management, proper lane changes and merging, vehicle dynamics, adverse weather, etc., and should require the carrier to be able to provide documentation that all of the elements of the training have been met." A fourth commenter stated the following: "The Secretary is required by Section 4007(a)
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From page 15... ...
(1996) designed a wellness program that emphasized driver nutrition, then conducted a before-and-after study with 30 truck drivers to determine whether such training could produce benefits with respect to health risk factors, including weight, body fat, blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, smoking, and general physical fitness.
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From page 16... ...
. Program elements include "Awake at the Wheel" public service announcements; the printing of 1 million "Awake at the Wheel" brochures and their distribution to truck and bus drivers, carriers, motorcoach companies, and other organizations interested in motor carrier safety; the production of a 19-minute video called "The Alert Driver: A Trucker's Guide to Sleep, Fatigue, and Rest in Our 24-Hour Society" and a 75-page booklet to accompany the video; a series of educational courses on driver fatigue, including a 1.5-hour course for truck drivers, a 1.5-hour course for dispatchers and trucking managers, a 4-hour train-the-trainer instructional program, and a 1- to 3-hour course for trucking executives and corporate officials to help them decide whether to implement an employee fatigue countermeasure program.
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