By John Kearney
The COVID-19 pandemic is putting pressure on many aspects of American life, and a glance at the shelves in any supermarket will tell you that one of those areas is the grocery supply chain. There is no food shortage in the United States; in fact, there’s a surplus. However, experts warn that labor problems—particularly a further shortage of truck drivers—could pose a serious threat to our ability to get that food to the consumers who want to buy it. We need to train more drivers, and we need to do it quickly.
Unfortunately, the social distancing restrictions required to limit transmission of the coronavirus, also limit the transmission of knowledge. A lot of the training for a commercial driver’s license traditionally takes place in a classroom, in a close group next to a truck or inside the truck, which—for obvious reasons—is virtually impossible at the moment.
Outside of the basic vehicle control skills exam and road test, perhaps the toughest part of every state’s CDL exam is the pre-trip inspection checklist, which requires the driver to evaluate the roadworthiness of the rig.
To enable students to master this information, ATS has developed a CDL Pre-Trip Inspection App, which can be downloaded to a student’s smartphone or tablet and studied from anywhere. ATS is sending the app to CVTA school members and NAPFTDS school members at no charge for 90 days to help mitigate the difficulty of shutdowns and social distancing. It is also available to all ATS customers as well.
In these difficult times, ATS is delighted to be able to help solve the training issues created by COVID-19.
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.