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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 5 - Discussion and Conclusions." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2007. Effectiveness of Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Training Curricula and Delivery Methods. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23272.
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Page 26
Page 27
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 5 - Discussion and Conclusions." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2007. Effectiveness of Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Training Curricula and Delivery Methods. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23272.
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Page 27

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26 5.1 Discussion The training of men and women to become commercial vehicle drivers is a critical step in the national transportation system. Carriers, motorcoach companies, transit agencies, and various state, county, and school district governments all report a chronic shortage of trained truck and bus drivers. Because these drivers work in the midst of the general public, their degree of driving competence has a direct effect on the safety of the population at large. Trucks are an essential part of the complex goods delivery system in the country. Buses carry groups of people who otherwise would be adding to traffic congestion and pollution or who would not have the freedom to travel at all. The truck and bus industries have evolved into their cur- rent state without much conscious design. The men and women who need commercial vehicle operator training are in demand because the United States has an increasing need to transport goods and people on its roads. Customers demand just-in-time deliveries, consistent and predictable schedules, and rapid response to variable needs. At the same time, the general public demands safe roads and well-trained operators of commercial vehicles. The industries face a shortage of commercial drivers. Train- ing has the potential to bring new commercial drivers up to the level of experienced drivers more quickly. This report describes some of the efforts (both research-based and oper- ational) that show promise in developing that potential. The survey sent out for this study asked a final open ended question to try to identify what training standards are cur- rently used within the industry. In replying to that question, many of the respondents stated that there are still too many training programs, products, and devices that fall far short of acceptable instructional standards. One safety officer told about a school that just keeps sending its students to CDL test sites until they eventually pass the test. Others complained that having the CDL as the only objective measure of a stu- dent’s driving ability left open the door for so-called CDL mills that teach the minimum required to pass the CDL test. Appendix A describes two research approaches that could lead to higher standards for commercial vehicle operator train- ing without major disruptions of current surface transporta- tion operations. This report tries to capture a snapshot of the state of commercial vehicle operator training in the United States in 2006. The conclusions that follow combine the results of the literature review, the survey, individual conversations held with safety and training personnel throughout the truck and bus community, and the collective experiences and knowl- edge of the research team. 5.2 Conclusions • Content. There is general agreement across the industry about the core content of commercial driving curricula. However, the content has evolved through an informal con- sensus based on the 1984 FHWA Model Curriculum, which listed what was believed to be the necessary content at the time. There are no national standards on content, although when one examines various curricula little content dif- ference can be found. The industry could use a systematic development of a modern commercial driver training curriculum. • Instructional Methods. By far, the favorite method for training commercial drivers is a combination of classroom lectures and supervised driving. Most of the research find- ings on adult learning and instructional technology from the last 30 years have not penetrated a significant number of commercial driving training enterprises. In those cases where advanced technologies are being applied, early data indicate that well-designed CBI, including simulation, can improve student performance and also realize effi- ciencies in the instructional process. Distance learning shows great promise for post-licensing training. Modern display technologies currently being installed in truck cabs C H A P T E R 5 Discussion and Conclusions

27 could serve double duty as displays for computer-based training administered from some central location but downloaded to any point in the country. • Train the Trainer. It is natural that older, experienced drivers are selected to be instructors, no matter if the train- ing is administered by a school, carrier, bus company, or transit agency. But there is no evidence that a person who is a job expert is necessarily a good teacher. There are two clusters of skills a good driver training instructor must pos- sess beyond driving competence. The first cluster, class- room skills (presentation fundamentals, using classroom equipment, listening to students), is well recognized and a part of good train-the-trainer programs. The second clus- ter is what is required of a BTW instructor (observational fundamentals, explaining activities in understandable and behavioral terms, cool head, ability to anticipate risky sit- uations). Since there are no standards for commercial vehi- cle driver training instructors, this most important role in the training process is extremely variable. • Lack of Systematic Training Design. The commercial vehi- cle industries have reached an informal consensus on the subject matter of commercial driver training. But is has been more than 20 years since a formal curriculum design for commercial drivers was systematically developed. In that 20 years, the CDL program has become law, new tech- nologies and regulations for truck and bus operations have had a major impact on the drivers, and the collected knowl- edge about what affects commercial driver’s performance (e.g., fatigue, distraction, age) has grown exponentially. • Lack of Standards for Measuring the Effectiveness of Driver Training Programs. Currently, the only generally acceptable standard for measuring the effectiveness of com- mercial driver training is the number of graduates who can pass the CDL test. In the survey and in personal conversa- tions, schools reported that they also track the number of graduates that are hired by carriers. Carriers, motorcoach operations, and transit agencies report that they are sure that training reduces accidents; however, there is little or no data that support that view. There is a general belief that competent training reduces accidents, at least among grad- uates during the first 6 months of their on-the-job driving. However, the standards used to measure training effective- ness tend to measure processes (classroom hours, time spent BTW) rather than specific performance outcomes. Appendix A proposes some approaches to developing more performance-based standards to measure the effectiveness of commercial driver training. • Commercial Vehicle Operator Abilities. There has been a spate of recent research on the capabilities and limitations of adolescent drivers (e.g., Winston and Senserrick). How- ever, a similar scientific approach to commercial drivers is lacking. If driver trainers understood more about the learning styles, cognitive strategies, and past educational experiences, training could be tailored to the relevant needs of the individual student. Stereotypes of commercial driv- ers are not congruent with the actual people the research team knows who drive trucks and buses. Good instructors and safety directors recognize the variety of the driver stu- dent population. A set of diagnostic tests that could fun- nel students into unique optimum learning opportunities would be a major step in improving commercial driver training.

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TRB's Commercial Truck and Bus Safety Synthesis Program (CTBSSP) Synthesis 13: Effectiveness of Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Training Curricula and Delivery Methods explores the state of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operator training in the trucking and motorcoach industries. The report examines the experiences of training programs that are using some combination of simulators and computer-based instruction and identifies measures of training effectiveness being used in the CMV community.

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