As a part of the trucking industry in the US, you cannot imagine your company staying behind. Trucking is already quite a demanding profession. If you want to stay ahead and meet your monthly sales or profit targets, you will have to keep on educating and provide them with essential training courses to all the professionals working in your trucking company. It is only by making them more efficient and skillful that you can beat your competitors in the sector.
Completing the commercial driver’s license training program is just the beginning. Drivers, supervisors, and also your work floor employees are going to need constant education and training. This is necessary not only to keep them functional at their job but also to maintain the safety of your organization, especially if you are in the business of transporting hazardous materials.
Yes, there are numerous nuances to running a successful trucking company these days. The following section is going to talk about the most popular training courses available for drivers and trucking professionals in general. These can take their career forward and ensure that your trucking company is always on top whether it is about fulfilling the expectations of your customers, business associates, and partners or staying compliant with the rules and regulations defined by the Department of Transportation.
1. Introduction To FMCSA
The FMCSA exists within the Department of Transportation and is a very important federal entity. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration runs and deploys safety programs for the highway systems of the entire country. The body is also responsible for rolling out various rules and requirements that are to be fulfilled by every trucking company and trucker working across state borders. It ensures compliance, safety assistance, training, awareness, and much more for the players in the transport and logistics sector in the country. Drivers and every professional working in the trucking industry must be aware of the FMCSA and what it does for the trucking industry.
2. Extreme Weather Driving Training Module
Commercial motor vehicle drivers face extreme weather conditions practically every day. This can be rain, snow, fog, floods, or even forest fires due to extremely high temperatures. How is the truck driver going to deal with all of this? It is only through extreme weather driving training and it can be taken online at the convenience of the driver. It is highly recommended for trucking professionals who are expected to travel through jurisdictions or regions that witness extreme weather conditions throughout the year.
3. Supervisor 60/60 Drug And Alcohol Training
Every trucking company will have a few supervisors, and this training module is essential for them. The Department of Transportation expects them to understand their roles and responsibilities to ensure that none of the employees and workers working in the organization use drugs or alcohol at the workplace. They also learn to assess and identify employees with behaviors and symptoms that indicate drug and alcohol use and abuse in the workplace. The supervisors also learn how to create a highly detailed employee assistance and support plan to assist and guide individuals found using drugs such as opiates, cocaine, or marijuana, or those indulging excessively in alcohol, toward a fast recovery.
4. Defensive Driving For Heavy Motor Vehicle Drivers
Defensive driver training is one of the most interesting training courses modules that you will ever find online. It is highly suitable for people who have to deal with rash drivers on the highway and know that the territory that they are about to enter is going to have some unexpected challenges. It comprises some very useful tips for commercial motor vehicle drivers that help them prevent accidents, transport passengers safely, avoid collisions, and also teach them how to deal with emergencies, urgent escapes, hazard material spills, and evacuations.
5. The Do’s And Don’ts Of Drivers
Being a driver is a huge responsibility. It comes with a lot of do’s and don’ts that they should be aware of. This course helps them with the necessary guidelines to ensure the well-being of not only the vehicle that they are driving but also the people that they carry in the commercial vehicle. Needless to say, it also teaches them how to steer clear of any potential vehicular accidents when they are on the highway. This course is necessary to train them in conducting regular vehicle inspections, addressing repair and maintenance issues, and maintaining clear communication with their fellow employees, drivers, dispatchers, and other personnel. It also educates them on various behaviors that they are not supposed to exhibit when they are driving a commercial motor vehicle such as avoiding tailgating, forgetting to take rest breaks, ignoring speed limits, and the like.
6. Hazmat General Awareness Training
One of the most critical and intimidating courses is the hazmat general awareness training module. Hazardous materials are exactly what they sound like. They pose a definite hazard to the people involved in their transportation. So the drivers, supervisors, workers, and employees working in your organization to transport, store, manage, disseminate, move, and handle hazardous materials require this training. They will learn the basics of safeguarding their own well-being as well as maintaining the safety of the general public. They also learn about the many categories and classes of hazardous materials and how to prevent exposure and accidental contact with such substances. This training course also talks in detail about safety measures and evacuation procedures in case of an unexpected spill.
7. Load Restraint Awareness
This is a highly suitable training course for truck drivers who transport bulk cargo across state lines. The training courses on load restraint awareness helps all drivers, loaders, unloaders, site managers, and supervisors in keeping the loads within the required dimensions and weight limits. They are educated on various restraint methods and practical processes to make sure that the vehicle is not overloaded under any conditions.
8. Drug And Alcohol Training Program Implementation
The drug and alcohol training program implementation course is for everybody. All of your employees, workers, and partners are going to benefit from this program because it is a company-wide exercise that benefits everyone. This program should be implemented in your organization as per the directions of the Department of Transportation. It raises awareness among drivers and everybody involved in the trucking industry about the impact of drugs, alcohol and other controlled substances on their health, safety, and also their employment and future in the trucking industry. The idea is not to detect the use and abuse of these substances but to deter it from happening in the first place.
To Put Things In Perspective
Remember, your drivers and all the workers working in your trucking company are a valuable asset to your enterprise. The steps that you take to constantly train and educate them are only going to add more skills, talents, proficiency, and value to these assets. Naturally, your employees, workers, partners, supervisors, and every driver will feel that we are taking care of them. The effort and hard work that you put into their abilities and skill sets are eventually going to pay off in the form of increased productivity and an excellent level of loyalty towards the enterprise.
