Small fleets train drivers with online video

A rising number of small trucking fleets are adopting the online training tools that once could found only at the largest transportation companies, one technology provider says.

Trucking lines with just a few dozen vehicles can use the technology for new hire orientation, to meet ongoing compliance requirements for existing drivers, to train drivers in remote locations, and for refresher training when a driver has a violation that needs to be addressed, according to CarriersEdge.

Markham, Ont.-based CarriersEdge provides online driver training for more than 400 large and small fleets across North America, who use the library of safety and compliance courses to train drivers without impacting operations on the road, and to use its management and reporting functions to track employee training.

Smaller fleets using the firm's online training courses include Billerica, Mass.-based Boyle Transportation, a transporter of security-sensitive cargo with a fleet of 65 tractors; Bensenville, Ill.-based Matrix, Inc., a 48-state truckload general freight, hazardous materials, and expedited service provider with 65 trucks and 70 drivers; and North Hampton, NH-based Abenaqui Carriers, a diversified hazardous material carrier with a fleet of over 50 tractors and 70 company drivers.

Some of those users choose online training because it allows them to easily customize the lessons and courses to their unique needs, such as a hazmat carrier that has to make presentations on emergency response guidelines, security plans, and cargo tank rollover protection, or a general freight carrier that wants to share videos on aggressive driving and road rage, according to CarriersEdge.

"Some of the training we need to provide is not out of the box," Michael Lasko, manager of safety and quality for Boyle Transportation, said in a release. "We can't take a cookie cutter approach to training but with CarriersEdge we have the ability to add training for company policies and procedures, and specialized content regarding things like cargo security or the operation of our reefers."