{"id":13364,"date":"2022-03-16T13:42:41","date_gmt":"2022-03-16T12:42:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/?p=13364"},"modified":"2022-03-16T13:42:41","modified_gmt":"2022-03-16T12:42:41","slug":"trucking-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/2022\/03\/16\/trucking-12\/","title":{"rendered":"Does trucking have a training problem?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A mainstream media report focuses on increased driver turnover, a \u2018lack of standards,\u2019 and unsafe training situations for women. Is that really an accurate representation of the entire trucking industry?<\/p>\n

It took nearly a decade for regulators to revise and enact new truck driver training rules, which finally went into effect this week. While those new rules focus on driver curriculum, some recent mainstream media centered on the training rules\u2019 \u201clack of standards,\u201d creating unsafe learning situations for new drivers, particularly women.<\/p>\n

Time<\/a> magazine declared this week that the trucking industry has a\u00a0driver training problem causing more highway fatalities, high commercial driver turnover rates, and sexual assault and harassment of female drivers. Trucking industry leaders and trainers who FleetOwner<\/i> spoke with noted how the mainstream media doesn\u2019t understand how vital roadway safety is to most fleets.<\/p>\n

On Feb. 7, Time released a scathing report criticizing the trucking industry\u2019s revised Entry-Level Driver Training rules<\/a>, which have been in the works for nearly seven years and coincidentally took effect on Feb. 7. These rules aim to tighten how truck driving schools teach and train new drivers. But provisions requiring minimum hours of behind-the-wheel driving time did not make their way into the new ELDT requirements\u2014a point of contention among some industry groups, such as the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe mainly think that the standards that went into effect this week don\u2019t go far enough,\u201d an OOIDA spokesperson told FleetOwner<\/i>. \u201cThere are no behind-the-wheel minimum hours and trainers are allowed to self-certify.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ellen Voie, president and CEO of the Women in Trucking Association<\/a>, served on the 25-member ELDT Advisory Committee. When the committee concluded, she said a minimum-hours requirement was included. However, when the rule was sent to the federal Office of Management and Budget, the hours’ requirement was removed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe explanation given concerned industry costs associated with the hours,\u201d Voie told FleetOwner<\/i>. \u201cI have a private pilot\u2019s license and was required to have 40 hours of flying time before I could take my check ride, where I had to demonstrate proficiency. I can\u2019t understand why the 30 minimum hours were removed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regardless, Voie said Time\u2019s portrayal of the industry was not fair, calling it \u201cpointed\u201d despite the trucking industry\u2019s long history of focusing on safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt makes people think that we are not that concerned about safety, which is the top priority for everyone,\u201d she said. \u201cThis industry is striving to be a safe industry for everyone, whether it\u2019s personal safety, safety of equipment, and safety for everyone on the road, and the public isn\u2019t getting that perception.\u201d<\/p>\n

Voie added that the mainstream media, such as Time, tend to magnify negative news related to trucking. \u201cNo matter what we do in the trucking industry, it just doesn\u2019t seem to overcome that negative coverage,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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188230700 \u00a9 Auremar | Dreamstime.com<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Nearly<\/div>\n<\/div>
Nearly 50% of drivers who contacted trucking consultant WorkHound about training issues in 2021 left their fleets by 2022.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Real-world training is key<\/h3>\n

WorkHound<\/a>, whose platform gathers driver feedback for trucking fleets, just released its data analysis for 2021.\u00a0Nearly 50% of drivers who communicated their\u00a0concerns about training and orientation\u00a0left their companies.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it comes to new drivers entering the industry, if you talk to any company, turnover is the highest in the first 90 or 180 days,\u201d Max Farrell, WorkHound co-founder and CEO, told FleetOwner<\/i>. \u201cSome of that is determining if the industry is a fit for that person, and some of it is someone determining if a company is a fit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Based on WorkHound\u2019s latest feedback, Farrell acknowledged that there is room for improvement in how companies approach training.<\/p>\n

When dissecting driver feedback satisfaction scores, training comments that are combined with pay and communication have lower satisfaction ratings, according to WorkHound.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose are themes that are worth paying attention to,\u201d Farrell said. \u201cWhenever we receive feedback about pay, often it\u2019s people not understanding their pay or feeling like their pay is incorrect. I would argue that pay is more often a communication challenge than an amount challenge.”<\/p>\n

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The revised Entry-Level Driver Training regulations that took effect this week don’t affect current CDL holders\u2014unless they seek to upgrade or obtain different commercial driving levels. The rules are aimed at drivers obtaining their first CDL; upgrading their CDL from a Class B to Class A; or obtaining a new hazmat, passenger, or school bus endorsement.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cSome of the feedback we get around training and pay are frustrations that pay for the training isn\u2019t enough when drivers are on the road,\u201d Farrell added. \u201cThe company\u2019s argument is that someone is not a fully productive driver at that point. There are others that didn\u2019t understand why their pay was coming several weeks later. Pay inside trucking is one of the most complex pay structures in all of North America. There is so much variability that determines what somebody ends up with, and that\u2019s really frustrating for drivers.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the best things that companies can do for their drivers, Farrell noted, is make a commitment to simplify their pay structures.<\/p>\n

Voie pointed out that when she went through CDL training, she had a positive experience that included some 180 hours of training behind the wheel.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had excellent training,\u201d Voie said. \u201cThe schools train you on the basics, but then the carriers really have to give you that added knowledge, and that\u2019s why drivers go out for two to five weeks at a time. The industry is doing everything possible within the regulations to give drivers a good experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new ELDT rule means everyone looking to obtain their CDL will be using the same curriculum nationwide, with prospective drivers required to pass a theory\/knowledge test and a road skills test. First mandated by Congress in 2012, the Entry-Level Driver Training Advisory Committee<\/a> created the regulations through a negotiated rulemaking process in 2015. It finally worked its way into federal law this month\u2014a decade after first being mandated.<\/p>\n

David Heller, Truckload Carriers Association<\/a> VP of governmental affairs, who also helped draft the rule, explained that the new regulation is designed to measure competency for new drivers operating a commercial vehicle that can weigh up to 80,000 lb.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s interesting, [Time] talks about the lack of hours behind the wheel, but I think it\u2019s fair to note that a prescription of hours behind the wheel time does not guarantee a safe driver, either,\u201d Heller told FleetOwner<\/i> on Feb. 8. \u201cYou could put a person behind the wheel for a certain number of hours to practice things that they need to practice, but that doesn\u2019t necessarily mean they are going to be great at it.”<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re getting on an airplane, do you want a pilot that has achieved a prescribed number of hours of training, or do you want a pilot that has demonstrated enough competency to operate the airplane,\u201d Heller added.<\/p>\n

When asked if trucking needs a training overhaul, Heller said not all training needs it. What is needed, he said, is a minimum standard.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what we have now; we have a minimum standard that prescribes curriculum for students to train to\u2014which never previously existed, and allowed for what we call in the industry, \u2018CDL mills,\u2019\u201d Heller said. \u201cBasically, it would be a truck driving school that would [hypothetically] say, \u2018We\u2019ll get your drivers trained in 48 hours.\u2019 That\u2019s not the right way to train the driver.\u201d<\/p>\n

The right way to train a driver, Heller advised, is making sure the driver has a thorough understanding of how to operate a commercial truck.<\/p>\n

\u201cI certainly think this was a one-sided article that should have erred on the side of trucking because there are some very good schools out there that operate in a public environment, that operate in a private environment, and there are also some schools that carriers run and own to train truck drivers that are highly successful and certainly safely train drivers as they enter the industry,\u201d Heller said.<\/p>\n

OOIDA, which was quoted by Time, said it hopes the article will \u201chighlight the need to make improvements to the industry so that it can be a lifelong career as opposed to the continued high turnover of drivers.\u201d<\/p>\n

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7288241 \u00a9 Robert Carner | Dreamstime.com<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Women<\/div>\n<\/div>
Women in Transportation Association advocates for a same-gender training option for any female (or male) trainee who feels more comfortable with a trainer of the same gender.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Sexual harassment and training<\/h3>\n

The second half of the Time article contends that long-haul truck driver training has turned into a \u201cprofit center\u201d and led to an increase in sexual harassment, assault, and rape of female drivers.<\/p>\n

Time isolates one carrier, CRST<\/a>, and points to $17 million in settlements over previous lawsuits filed against it for wage theft<\/a>, sexual harassment, and assault<\/a> incidents that occurred while training people who wanted to become truckers.<\/p>\n

Phil Reges, CRST\u2019s VP of operations, told FleetOwner<\/i> on Feb. 8\u00a0that every employee and driver who comes to the company participates in a positive work environment training, which includes sexual harassment training.<\/p>\n

When asked about the allegations made in the Time article, Reges said: \u201cIt unfortunately paints a bad picture, and it\u2019s not who we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unrelated to the allegations against CRST, Reges said the company has built out more communications within its operations to generate increased feedback from drivers. CRST, Reges noted, is also working to continuously train and educate drivers, improve safety, and upgrade fleet equipment.<\/p>\n

As far as training goes in the industry, WIT is a strong advocate for a same-gender training option for any female (or male) trainee who feels more comfortable with a trainer of the same gender.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re the only industry that mixes genders in a training environment with sleeping arrangements where they are expected to share an enclosed space,\u201d Voie said. \u201cI had a driver contact me last week. She finished her truck driving school, and she went to a company and asked for a female trainer. They said they didn\u2019t have any available, so she said she would pay for her own hotel room, and they said ‘no.’ So, she left and went to a different company.\u201d<\/p>\n

That driver, Voie said, ended up going to Schneider<\/a>, which puts driver trainees in separate hotel rooms during over-the-road training.<\/p>\n

\u201cCarriers should put someone in a hotel. To me, that\u2019s a best practice,\u201d Voie said.<\/p>\n

Based on a recently released whitepaper on same-gender training, WIT surveyed 416 female drivers and asked them about sexual harassment in the industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s pretty prevalent,\u201d Voie said, noting that 42.5% of survey respondents said yes. \u201cIt was shocking how many women experienced or knew of someone who experienced sexual harassment or assault when sharing the cab with a male trainer.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked whether WorkHound ever sees sexual harassment feedback come through, Farrell acknowledged that it has.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s heartbreaking when it does,\u201d Farrell said. \u201cThat being said, the companies we work with are quick to act on it, and oftentimes that has been the key way that they find out about this really challenging situation so they can do something about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Farrell recalled feedback from a few years ago when a driver trainee shared feedback that they didn\u2019t feel safe.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe company was able to connect with the driver and address the issue,\u201d Farrell said. \u201cWe are grateful that people can have a voice to express those sorts of things. We hate that it happens, but I would much rather have someone have the opportunity to share and get the issue addressed than suffer in silence. That\u2019s the last thing any of us want.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Cristina Commendatore<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Source https:\/\/www.fleetowner.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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A mainstream media report focuses on increased driver turnover, a \u2018lack of standards,\u2019 and unsafe training situations for women. Is that really an accurate representation of the entire trucking industry? It took nearly a decade for regulators to revise and enact new truck driver training rules, which finally went into effect this week. While those…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":13365,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[362],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13364"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13364"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13364\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13366,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13364\/revisions\/13366"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}