Last spring, we shared with you this item:
- Transport Refrigeration News (May 31): The United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently selected 35 representatives, including two from the American Trucking Associations and one from the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, to become voting members of its newly created Surface Transportation Security Advisory Committee.
“Trucking is the linchpin of the nation’s supply chain,” said John Kearney, CEO of Advanced Training Systems, which designs and manufactures virtual simulators for driver training and other applications. “The TSA clearly understands that drivers will be front and center in remaining on the alert for supply-related threats.”
Trucks transport a significant portion of the more than 3 billion tons of hazardous material shipped in the US every year. A major obstacle to the unimpeded flow of these shipments, both from a safety and logistical standpoint, is a severe and growing shortage of long-haul truck drivers.
Electronic simulators such as those routinely used in training airline pilots, Kearney said, can and should play a major role in preparing the coming cohort of new long-haul truckers. One significant advantage of simulators over traditional behind-the-wheel training is equipment cost: simulator training is substantially less expensive than an actual tractor-trailer highway rig. Another, and in some ways more important advantage, is the ability, in a simulator, to encounter and learn to cope with driving situations that are too dangerous for behind-the-wheel training, such as black ice, blinding snow, or heavy winds.
“This is standard for the aviation industry,” Kearney said. “And it should be for the motor freight industry as well. The nation’s economy—and the security of its supply chain—depend on a corps of technologically adept, well-trained operators ready to deal with any situation they encounter.”
2020 UPDATE: TSA has recently appointed the following representatives from our industry to the Surface Transportation Security Advisory Committee:
Highway and Motor Carrier – Motor Carrier:
- Douglas R. Morris, Director of Safety and Security Operations, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association
- Jacob E. Pierce, Executive Director, Safety Management Council, American Trucking Association
- Alexandra Rosen, Customs, Immigration, & Cross-Border Operations Manager, American Trucking Association
For More Information
Advanced Training Systems has revolutionized the design and manufacture of high-tech simulators to improve driver training and create both better drivers and a safer world. In addition to hundreds of driving schools, we provide equipment and support for major shippers who do their own training, as well as customized solutions for those with particular training needs. For more information or to schedule a demo, please contact us here.