Page 35 - Newcom

Insights
Over The Road
Looking beyond skills-based training
Are we hung up on skills-based training in the trucking sector?
I think we are, and that is the root problem when it comes to hir- ing and retaining drivers. You see, it’s great to learn a new skill. It’s exciting, and because the learning curve is steep over the course of the first year, we remain keen about our new profession.
The thing is that once we accrue that first few thousand hours of experience and what is new becomes rote-like, our mind turns away from its focus on developing skills to the mundane routine of our daily grind. It is at this point that we lose the bulk of our new drivers.
The longhaul truck driver faces a unique set of challenges in today’s connected world. Drivers are asked to take on a role they must remain mentally focused on, a single task for hours on end without deviation.
At the same time, the skills the industry places so much focus on developing are becoming increas- ingly redundant with the expan- sion of technology through ‘driver assist’ systems and automated pow- ertrains. In fact, we actively market the concept of anyone being able to drive a truck because of advanced automated systems.
This puts a new focus on the men- tal challenges the longhaul driver faces. Much of the joy we derive from our work as drivers is at risk. The term ‘steering wheel holder’ is taking on a whole new meaning in our industry.
The point I am striving to get across here is a subtle one, which is difficult to understand if you have never actually done the job of long- haul driving for any length of time.
It is incredibly important to hold on to your independence and remain empowered over how you use your time, apply your skills and experience, and interact with the equipment you operate. These core
factors of job satisfaction are being undermined by the same technolo- gies that are imposed on us under the auspices of making our lives as drivers easier.
I am not against the adoption of new systems, practices, or technol- ogies that are intended to improve safety and performance. But there is an overarching feeling out here on the road that freedom and inde- pendence – the hallmark values that define what it is to be a longhaul trucker – are on the chopping block and that will lead to this great pro- fession becoming yet another McJob of the 21st century.
So, why do I think a focus on skills-based training is a big part of the problem? It’s because we have been developing a black and white rules-based approach to safety through enforcement that is static in its nature, while the responsibili- ties of a driver are dynamic and con- stantly in flux.
We spend far too little time on the nuanced application of skills in a constantly changing work envi- ronment, and how we can interact with new technologies and systems to solve the problems we face rather than an approach that sees us pas- sively monitoring technology as it does the job for us.
We are not encouraging inno- vation in the cab. In fact, we have already developed a mindset that has elevated the new automated truck as a piece of equipment that is beyond the understanding of the average driver.
How is this attractive in any way as a career option? Have we inad- vertently converted the responsibil- ities of a professional trucker to that of a steering wheel holder? Are we trying to attract people to a career that anyone can now do after receiv- ing 105 hours of skills training, with very little to no attention being paid
to the mental challenges a driver faces on a daily basis?
There is a deeply human side to truck driving that we are putting aside as we struggle with the rapid transition to new technologies. It’s that transition where our struggle resides, not in learning the physical skills of the job. TN
Al Goodhall has been a profes- sional longhaul driver since 1998. He shares his experiences via his blog at www.truckingacross canada.blogspot.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @Al_Goodhall.
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January 2019 • Truck News 35
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