Training Drivers? Use Your Data to Do It Better

Albert Einstein is credited with coining the saying, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.” This sentiment directly applies to training drivers. If you aren’t satisfied with your fleet’s results, you have to make changes to your program—starting with your development and training.

Most fleets understand this but struggle to know where to start. Fortunately, there’s a simple solution that in today’s age of technology nearly all fleets can pursue: act on your data.

The Value of a Fleet’s Training Data

Fleets collect a litany of training data, including metrics like the performance of drivers on plans, the number of tasks on each plan, the trainers administering each plan, and many more. Analyzing and acting on this data enables fleets to review the performance of specific trainers, evaluate the effectiveness of different classes, and make any number of improvements to their program, which can, in turn, improve their long term development and training strategies.

There are certain metrics that fleets can track to find simple, direct improvements to their training process:

  • The behavioral issue that is least improved by your training program

After identifying the behavior that your fleet is least effective at addressing, you can examine how your fleet trains against this behavior and execute action plans to improve.

  • The behavioral issue that is most improved by your training program

After identifying the behavior that your fleet is best at addressing, you can examine how your fleet conducts this training and apply those methods elsewhere.

  • The average performance improvement derived by each trainer

After identifying trainers that are most effective in delivery, you can share their insights with other trainers to help them improve. Incorporating this information into the benchmarks you assign to all trainers can yield a general improvement across your fleet.

The Tool Fleets Need to Analyze Training Data

In order to effectively use the training data collected by their learning management system (LMS), fleets need to invest in tools that can analyze their data and help them operationalize it.

The Idelic Safety Suite® is the trucking industry’s leading driver management platform, consolidating all of a fleet’s third-party systems and driver data in a single location.

With Safety Suite, fleets gain the visibility into their training data they need to improve their overall program. Managers can assign a 30, 60, or 90-day professional development plan to a driver, track their trainer’s progress as they administer the plan, and then see their driver’s AI-derived Watch List Score drop as the plan is carried out.

With these tools, fleets can report on their training program’s metrics, identify performance improvement opportunities, and allocate resources where they’re needed most. If you’d like to learn more about how your fleet can improve its training program with Safety Suite, watch a 2-minute demo or sign up for a deep-dive here.