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Best Practices for Road Weather Management Version 2.0

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Title:

Snowplow Simulator Training Evaluation

Abstract:

The Arizona DOT outsourced simulator training for snowplow operators in rural Arizona in late 2004. A mobile simulator classroom visited five ADOT districts: Globe, Flagstaff, Holbrook, Kingman, and Safford, to deliver a half-day introductory course with both classroom and simulator training segments. This Year One (2004-05 winter) trainee group included 149 snowplow drivers. In Winter Two (2005-06), more in-depth training was given on a dedicated driving simulator unit, purchased for the DOT's Globe Maintenance District. All 61 of Globe's snowplow drivers took two courses: situational awareness training in the fall, and then fuel management and shifting skills in the spring. All Year Two trainers were experienced ADOT snowplow operators from the Globe District. An interdisciplinary team from Arizona State University evaluated the effectiveness of simulator-based training for snowplow drivers as a new dimension in the DOT's winter maintenance training program. The primary focus was on driver response to simulator training, and the effectiveness of that training in terms of public safety and potential cost savings. Based on the Year Two results from Globe and new personnel training needs, the DOT procured two more simulators for Holbrook and Flagstaff Districts in mid-2006. A Working Group was formed of field trainers from the three simulator districts to refine and focus the training courses. A new third-year study will expand on this analysis, with a focus on results of training in proper gear shifting (a control-level skill) to improve fuel efficiency and to reduce repair costs. As the study proceeds, it will continue to evaluate the simulators' effectiveness, providing quantitative documentation to reinforce the qualitative results and to define broader benefits of the driving simulator for heavy equipment operations.

Source(s):

Arizona State University, Prepared for the Arizona DOT

https://apps.azdot.gov/ADOTLibrary/publications/project_reports/PDF/AZ635.pdf

Date: 2006

Author:

Kihl, Herring, Wolf, McVey, Kovuru

Keywords:


Institutional issues
Winter maintenance

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