Online Training and Geographically Dispersed Drivers

Many trucking companies maintain a fleet of geographically dispersed drivers, spread over the U.S. or North America. This can mean major business benefits and a wide network of carrier relationships, but also comes with its own set of problems when it comes to communications and driver training. This is where online training becomes an ideal solution.

When an over the road driver gets a ticket…

Let’s take a common issue as an example. Say your central office is in New Jersey and a veteran driver in California gets a speeding ticket. 

First of all, you’re hoping that the driver tells you immediately. That’s not guaranteed to happen in a timely fashion. So you stay on top of auditing your drivers’ MVRs. You happen to audit this driver and find out about the ticket. Now it has already been a few days, a week, or longer. You know that if you’re going to protect yourself in court, protect your driver, and protect the motoring public, you have to put remediation measures in place right away and document it. You need to show you’ve provided corrective training around that ticket and as quickly as possible. 

But you can quickly lose time, momentum, and opportunity. And here’s the tricky part. This driver is in CA, you’re in NJ, and this driver’s schedule won’t allow him or her to get back to New Jersey for two more weeks. Now you have a driver out there with a violation on his or her record, and you have no corrective training. Now you’re taking the risk that in those two weeks there will be no incidents and no more violations. However, if the driver gets into a crash and harms someone while speeding, you’re in trouble.  If you’re asked in court, “Did you do anything about that ticket?” and all you have to say is “We didn’t get around to it,” it just won’t hold up. Even if you and your driver had the best intentions of fixing the problem when he or she got home, you’re still negligent in the eyes of the law.  

No matter where your drivers are located at the time of an incident when it comes to remediation, you’ve got to respond with urgency. Distance is no excuse in court. 

As one long-time risk manager (and ex-minister) wisely said, “You can use an online system. Or you can get on your knees and pray that nothing will happen.” Online training and communication tools provide a network of protection for your business.

Here are some reasons why.

It’s convenient for drivers.

When it’s convenient for drivers, it’s better for compliance. Often, safety training doesn’t get completed because it requires drivers to leave the road and go on-site, missing work or free time. Infiniti-I Workforce Solutions provides a catalog of 800+ training videos to choose from, plus the option of custom content, to send to drivers wherever they are, without taking them off the road. They can complete to 5-7 minute videos and testing modules in their downtime, such as while waiting to be loaded or unloaded. That way they’re not taking time off or losing money. 

And with short, repeatable modules, they can train frequently, in short bursts, rather than trying to cram information in a day or two, which is better for retention. Because after all, while you absolutely need to dot your Is and cross your Ts, this isn’t about just checking a box. It’s about actually seeing better numbers, better MVRs, better driving habits.

It saves your company and driver’s time.

This bears repeating. The adage “time is money” is true in the trucking business. When you are pulling drivers in to train or do remediation, they’re not moving freight. You’re not making money, and neither are they. You’re losing thousands of dollars a day for every driver you pull in for on-site training. No wonder most drivers aren’t thrilled about completing training assignments, even if they know it’s crucial. 

Online training reduces—and in some instances eliminates—in-person training and remediation. With Infinit-I Workforce Solutions, you work with your own one-on-one Client Success rep who can help you adapt the system to your specific needs.

It closes the distance between management and drivers. 

This is literal and metaphorical. With online training and communication, you’re reaching drivers quickly and efficiently, no matter where they are. But by respecting their time, staying in touch, and preventing lost workdays, you’re also helping close the relationship gap between drivers and management that all too easily sends drivers elsewhere. When drivers don’t feel heard and feel they’ve lost touch with the company, they’re less likely to stick with you. When it comes to relationships with drivers, protecting your company from lawsuits doesn’t need to be a zero-sum game. Online training keeps you in touch so you can protect yourself legally and work to improve driver retention at the same time. You’re working toward the same goal.

It’s a tool to react to the unexpected.

There are a lot of unlooked-for circumstances in driving. Like in the example of the ticket, an online system lets you remediate immediately, but you can also react quickly to other changing circumstances, such as: 

• New FMSCA regulations
• Company changes
• Extreme weather

It’s extremely difficult to do this with in-person training alone. If you have a HAZMAT tanker rollover and sulfuric acid is on the highway, you’ve got a big problem, but an even bigger one if it happens again. Or maybe there’s flash flooding in the midwest. With online training, you can immediately assign material on tanker rollover or inclement weather and make the most urgent message top of mind. You can react very quickly, distributing custom training packets as well as messages, information, and downloadable resources. 

Infinit-I Workforce Solutions has revolutionized training compliance for trucking companies across the U.S. It’s a proven, quick, and efficient way to get urgent info out, prevent incidents and accidents, and document training. And it’s easy to start. Request your free demo today!