Capital Equipment News

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS

NOVEMBER 2015

very day the truck industry expe-

riences a fatality when heavy duty

vehicles are involved in a major ac-

cident. Is driver error involved or not? Well,

no conclusive proof can be established of

the cause until a full enquiry is conducted

but you can bet your bottom dollar that at

least one vehicle in a gross accident is a

victim of some error. The impact of such an

accident has an economic effect, creating

a huge inconvenience to road users and

unfortunately loss of vehicles, goods and

frequently loss of life.

Though this is a daily occurrence, it is en-

couraging to see how many manufacturers

have taken up the challenge to keep the car-

nage at a manageable level and, in the long

run to eliminate the occurrences from our

radio and TV news items.

Achieving optimum returns on investment by

reducing fuel consumption, accidents and

downtime are not new concepts to the road

transport industry, but Daimler Truck and

Buses (DT&B), a division of Mercedes-Benz

South Africa (MBSA) South Africa is taking

them to new heights with its hands on, sec-

tor driven, driver training programme.

Recently MBSA embarked on a long distance

'safari' between Pretoria and Hazyview,

with 37 driver trainers drawn from Mer-

cedes-Benz customers and dealers. With a

fleet of trucks at their disposal, the trainers

were each allocated a FleetBoard card that

was inserted into the FleetBoard monitor

as they took over the wheel. At the end of

the journey, each driver’s performance was

evaluated and the results served to illustrate

the full benefits of the Fleetboard system

not only in driver training but in training the

trainer as well.

Driver training is integral to the packages

of services provided by the company and

MBSA’s approach is to set a benchmark in

the driver training and vehicle familiarisation

courses being provided in commercial ve-

hicle arena in South Africa. By introducing

FleetBoard into the package, MBSA has pro-

vided fleet owners with a well-proven mon-

itoring system to assist them in achieving

ultimate control over their fleets and their

drivers.

FleetBoard has been on offer for the past

nine years and is used by well over 1000

customers worldwide. There are now over

45 000 vehicles equipped with FleetBoard,

operating in over 20 countries.

When used as part of the driver training

programme, FleetBoard provides driver

performance analysis from which drivers

can be evaluated and any weaknesses in

their driving skills receive attention and be

improved. Performance analysis is based

on driving style, and recorded data for the

entire fleet, which highlights relevant factors

such as, total distance, over-revving, brak-

ing behaviour, stops and average fuel con-

sumption and fuel saving driving style that

reduces wear-and-tear can be developed

and improved in conjunction with the driver.

All the skills that complement essential driv-

er training are taught in order to gain better

knowledge and experience in different areas.

Customers' drivers, when on the course, are

given exposure to Mercedes-Benz products

as well as being taught the necessary skills

relating to their particular industry which

may be long and short hauls, sugar, con-

struction, mining, refrigeration, abnormal

loads and municipal waste vehicles. In other

words drivers, are taught not merely to drive

but drive to exacting international standards

and upon graduating, are given appropriate

recognition in the form of certification.

Rowlands Peters, National Sales Manag-

er, Fleetboard SA/Driver Training, Daimler

Trucks and Buses is at the forefront of the

programme to 'up the ante' in driver train-

ing, particularly the train the trainer con-

cept and says, “We constantly monitor the

teaching methodology of the trainers and

fine-tune these methods especially in the

areas of communication skills as it is im-

portant that training is provided in a clear

and coherent manner so the learner is able

to understand why certain driving practices

are put in place and the consequences of

non-conformance. For instance, drivers will

be advised on how to handle the vehicle

and what approach to take in both wet and

dry conditions. They will also be told how to

handle the different types of terrain and un-

derfoot conditions such as mud, clay, sand

and rocky terrain.”

Also of prime importance to drivers is an

understanding of the technical components

of the truck and knowledge of the parame-

ters of the vehicle. They are taught how the

engine and transmission are matched and

what happens under braking using the re-

tarder and/ the engine brake.

“When we are finished with the 'train the

trainer' programme, which lasts a minimum

of 12 months, we declare the trainers com-

petent to go out and perform training wher-

ever they are called upon to do so. Every

six months we offer a refresher course and

if there are any new products introduced

into our range, we give training on those as

well,” concludes Peters.

Customers using this facility from Daimler

Trucks and Buses will not only benefit from

better fuel consumption, less damage to

their vehicles and increased profits, but will

have the additional benefit of higher skilled

drivers.

DRIVER TRAINING REACHES NEW HEIGHTS

with FleetBoard trained, trusted, and tested

By Pierre Sanson