Unlike many other jobs, driving a snow plow comes with serious risks. Winter usually presents hazardous conditions and if something goes wrong, drivers could easily be vulnerable to the elements. Additionally, snow plow drivers must know how to safely and responsibly operate costly equipment, sometimes in the middle of severe snowstorms. As a result, simulator-based training has become a popular tool for both new and experienced snow plow drivers. It gives drivers a realistic way to refresh their skills behind the wheel and improve their ability to identify and respond to a variety of hazards and road conditions, without putting people and equipment in harm’s way.
The Advantages of Simulator Training for Snow Plow Operators
Snow plow training simulators create a vivid and realistic virtual environment to help drivers improve safety, skill sets and fuel efficiency on the road. Here are a few important reasons why simulator training can give you the advantage over other snow plow drivers:
Specially Designed Training Scenarios: Simulator instructors can accurately craft training scenarios that mimic real-life hazards that are specific to your community. When operating a snow plow truck in the real world, snow is not the only thing a driver has to worry about. Other factors that may impact the job include traffic, visibility, wildlife, pedestrians, and other elements that are specific to your region. Therefore, not only will your drivers become familiar with the fundamentals of operating a snow plow but they will also be able to recognize and adapt to real-world stressors.
Work at Your Own Pace: High-definition displays offer a realistic view from what a driver would experience inside the cab. Driving simulation offers trainees the opportunity to work at their own pace, through developing basic skills, refresher courses, certifications and remedial lessons.
Assess Your Performance in Real-Time: Simulator training offers a safe and flexible learning environment which exposes trainees to situations that would be considered dangerous in real life. Instructors can allow the situation to progress in real-time and observe the trainee’s ability to recognize hazards, be proactive, and find a solution without instructor interference. This enables instructors to assess the performance and focus on coaching, rather than spending time monitoring safety. Trainees can also see the immediate cause and effect of their operating decisions.
Benefit All Year-Round: With snow plow training simulators, you can gain all these benefits no matter the time of year. Regardless of the weather conditions, drivers can learn how to operate a snow plow safely as simulation poses no risk to your truck, equipment, the driver or the surrounding community.
Enroll in Municipal Snow Plow Training at DriveWise
At DriveWise, we offer immersive and comprehensive simulation-based training. We can help you find the best way to incorporate our systems into your training processes, giving your drivers the best possible preparation for even the most challenging of real-world conditions. Our products and services include supplying occupation-specific simulators, in addition to building and delivering quality training programs that are completely customizable according to your learning requirements and application needs.
For more information about snow plow training simulators and our municipal snow plow training, give us a call at 705-730-1130 or reach out to one of our representatives through our online contact form or chat window.
