My Clearwater
Top: Solid Waste Equipment Operator Alex Grant takes a
simulated ride in a virtual solid waste truck.
Far Left: Solid Waste Equipment Operator Robert Waite
perfects his skills in simulator training at Clearwater Solid
Waste.
Fall 63
Solid Waste Truck Drivers Train Virtually
Seventy of the
city’s solid waste
and recycling truck
drivers that hold
commercial drivers licenses, or
CDLs, put their driving skills to the
test. They participated in a new type of training they hadn’t
experienced before – simulated training on three large TV
screens in a virtual solid waste truck.
Last month, the solid waste management team hired a
private driver-training company to coordinate 4-hour blocks
of training with its CDL drivers. The sessions were twofold:
skilled training, and simulator practice. The program
was specially designed for solid waste truck drivers from the
beginner level (for someone who has never driven a truck) all
the way up to advanced levels for crews with many years of
truck-driving experience.
“This simulator program is great for our team,” said Earl
Gloster, director of Solid Waste & General Services. “Newer
drivers who are building their experience levels learn a lot,
and our experienced drivers benefit by improving
their skills in a simulated environment.”
Training leaders from L3 Driver Training Solutions
worked in teams of four. They led classroom training
that focused on driving proactively, making good driving
decisions, and using S.M.A.R.T. actions (Scan, Measure,
Anticipate, Reach and Trust). The training covered aggressive
and distracted driving and wheel/tire blowouts.
Driving solid waste trucks is one of the most dangerous jobs
in the United States. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor
& Statistics, refuse and recyclable material collectors had the
fifth-highest fatal work injury rate among civilian jobs in
2016. That means they face a fatality risk nearly
10 times higher than workers in all other industries. They
also experience significant injuries and are exposed to
potentially dangerous materials on a regular basis.
“It’s important we give our drivers the best training
opportunities we can, so they can stay safe on the roads
every day,” said Gloster.