As port terminals expand their operations, they often require assistance to train their workforce according to industry- and terminal-specific standards. This need for training is especially crucial in a demanding supply chain where terminals must balance maintaining high productivity levels and ensuring their employees get fully trained to safely operate specialized equipment.
Typically, terminals implement live, on-the-job training to satisfy these requirements. However, live training is often costly, requiring upfront investment in time, human, and resource capital. Driver training can also present safety risks, primarily when orienting less experienced users to sophisticated equipment.
As an additive, simulation training minimizes these risks while providing adaptive learning opportunities to terminal operators. Adopting simulation-based training, in conjunction with hands-on training, also enables terminals to save on workforce development costs while upskilling their operators.
Below, we’ll explore what simulation training is, how it works, and its benefits.
What is Simulation Training?
Simulation training uses real-world scenario-based experiences to train and equip learners with the specific, practical skill sets they need to perform their roles. The complexity of simulation training exercises varies based on factors like:
- Industry requirements
- Desired skills
- Level of expertise
Simulation-based training can occur via a desktop or web-based experience, especially when equipping personnel with rudimentary skills. However, employing augmented or virtual reality helps learners gain familiarity with more advanced skills.
In the terminal operations industry, these exercises are crucial to guiding and preparing operators for the scenarios they will likely encounter when performing their roles. With rapid advances in technology at port terminals, simulation-based training has become incredibly valuable. It provides a fast, engaging, and effective avenue to upskill terminal operators across standard and advanced techniques for handling terminal equipment and technology.
Why Use Simulation Tools?
Training terminal operators using simulation tools can significantly increase bandwidth and efficiency at terminals. Even with the implementation of novel, advanced automation technologies, terminals still need skilled operators to run, manage, and maintain terminal equipment. Gaps in technology management can result in shorter equipment lifespans and lower productivity in the long run.
Simulation-based training closes this gap by standardizing training exercises and best practices for roles like truck or yard tractor drivers, regardless of experience. In addition, simulation tools make the learning experience more manageable for more challenging roles, like yard side or quayside crane operation.
By speeding up the learning process, simulation-based training provides another benefit to terminals — more time to focus on and address other pressing issues. For instance, a Texas-based operator training facility for Gerdau Metals Recycling found that simulation-based training reduced new hire equipment dependence by 40%, with new hires undergoing only one full day of simulation training.
DriverSIM Addresses Current Business Challenges
Training or upskilling individuals or teams requires significant investment. Beyond investment considerations, terminal operators must minimize safety and environmental risks, ensuring employees and port terminals remain protected.
Tideworks’ simulated training solution, DriverSIM, addresses these challenges by:
- Reducing operational costs: Live training exercises typically incur costs, including travel for subject matter experts (SMEs), facility fees, equipment costs, and instructor fees. Although these costs tend to vary with specific types of training, simulation drastically lowers them while providing a similar value.
- Narrowing knowledge gaps: As terminals hire and train more operators, there is a need to standardize training to meet and exceed safety, productivity, and compliance goals. DriverSIM is an interactive training tool, meaning employees will remain engaged throughout their operator training. Terminals can also retain and pass on institutional knowledge during simulations.
- Minimizing the environmental footprint: By limiting in-vehicle training, simulations also reduce emissions, achieving similar efficacy as live training while protecting the environment in the long term. In addition, implementing simulation-based training via tools like DriverSIM also helps terminals comply with initiatives like the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) clean air practices.
Benefits Of DriverSIM by Tideworks Simulated Training Solution
As your terminal operations grow, you will likely conduct driver training frequently. DriverSIM by Tideworks is a customizable training solution that complements the live, hands-on operator training you currently implement.
Adopting DriverSIM at your terminal will help you:
- Train multiple users: As a multi-user solution, DriverSIM enables several operators to train concurrently in a safe, simulated yard space. Combining user training sessions translates into faster upskilling rates for your workforce. It also reduces the operational limitations of having equipment on-hand to train users on the job.
- Make training flexible: DriverSIM’s out-of-the-box configurations include “Basic” and “Pro” versions, which increase training flexibility to meet your current and future needs. In addition, these configurations can come in handy when scaling up or down your terminal operations.
- Improve safety: Prioritizing safety at terminals means ensuring operators are fully aware of best practices for mitigating safety and operational risks of using terminal equipment. DriverSIM’s simulated training helps users to master their craft through task repetition, which reinforces learning and builds confidence while lowering the chances of safety incidents, injuries, and damage to equipment.
- Conduct virtual training: Today’s virtual reality technology is so advanced that it mimics live on-the-job scenarios, helping terminal operator trainees develop the skills required to perform their roles. As an option with the DriverSIM, virtual reality training will enable your terminal to remain up-to-date with modern simulation-based training trends.
- Keep your terminal eco-friendly: Terminals can also comply with the EPA’s clean air practices using DriverSIM by Tideworks. By reducing emissions, DriverSIM training aligns with environmental protection goals, helping your terminal benefit from the resources the EPA invests in terminals that adopt cleaner air practices.
Beyond these benefits, adopting a simulation training platform like DriverSIM streamlines your overall process for implementing operator training. Each operator undergoes a standardized training scenario and learns techniques and best practices applicable to your terminal’s operations.
Robust, Authentic Driver Training with DriverSIM by Tideworks
Productivity, efficiency, and safety at your terminal are all tied to operational best practices — particularly the best practices drivers must implement when operating specialized equipment. Offering employee training reflective of authentic, on-the-job experiences can also mitigate operational and safety risks. Simulation-based training with tools like DriverSIM can simplify these training exercises and make them feel more authentic for learners, streamlining and enhancing operations across your terminal.
Contact us today to learn how the DriverSIM by Tideworks simulated training solution can optimize your operations.