Snowplow simulator training evaluation

Details

• Creators:
  Kihl, Mary
• Corporate Creators:
  United States. Federal Highway Administration ; Arizona State University. College of Architecture and Environmental Design. Dept. of Planning
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Drivers Driving Driving Simulators Evaluation And Assessment Fuel Consumption Gear Shifting Ice Power Trains Snow Snowplows Snowplow Training Training Simulators Transmissions Winter Maintenance

  More +
• Publication/ Report Number:
  FHWA-AZ-06-585
• Resource Type:
  Research Paper
• Geographical Coverage:
  Arizona
• Edition:
  Final report; November 2004 to November 2006
• Corporate Publisher:
  Arizona. Department of Transportation
• Abstract:
  Snowplow drivers must operate $200,000 units of equipment in blinding snowstorms and demanding traffic conditions.
  
  Yet traditional training for new drivers, with limited funding and staff, may be only two or three storm shifts with a
  
  partner-trainer. For this level of responsibility, training needs to be enhanced, to improve driver safety and reduce risk.
  
  The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) outsourced simulator training for snowplow operators in rural
  
  Arizona in late 2004. A mobile simulator classroom visited five ADOT districts: Globe, Flagstaff, Holbrook, Kingman,
  
  and Safford, to deliver a half-day introductory course with both classroom and simulator training segments. This Year
  
  One (2004-05 winter) trainee group included 149 snowplow drivers. In Winter Two (2005-06), more in-depth training
  
  was given on a dedicated driving simulator unit, purchased for ADOT’s Globe Maintenance District. All 61 of Globe’s
  
  snowplow drivers took two courses: situational awareness training in the fall, and then fuel management and shifting
  
  skills in the spring. All Year Two trainers were experienced ADOT snowplow operators from the Globe District.
  
  An interdisciplinary team from Arizona State University (ASU) evaluated the effectiveness of simulator-based training
  
  for snowplow drivers as a new dimension in ADOT’s winter maintenance training program. The primary focus was on
  
  driver response to simulator training, and the effectiveness of that training in terms of public safety and potential cost
  
  savings. Clear quantitative results on this small scale have been limited, but two years of experience with simulatortrained
  
  snowplow operators in Arizona has resulted in optimism about the potential of simulators as an integral part of
  
  a comprehensive winter maintenance and driver skill training program.
  
  Based on the Year Two results from Globe and new personnel training needs, ADOT procured two more simulators for
  
  Holbrook and Flagstaff Districts in mid-2006. A Working Group was formed of field trainers from the three simulator
  
  districts to refine and focus the training courses. A new third-year study will expand on this analysis, with a focus on
  
  results of training in proper gear shifting (a control-level skill) to improve fuel efficiency and to reduce repair costs. As
  
  the study proceeds, it will continue to evaluate the simulators’ effectiveness, providing quantitative documentation to
  
  reinforce the qualitative results and to define broader benefits of the driving simulator for heavy equipment operations.
  
  
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  R0585 17P / JPA 05-010T ; SPR-PL-1(67) -585
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:86766b997ee0f132867356fadb352a9638e614232064ca0e44a936d8d01cae71
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/16219/dot_16219_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.20 MB ]