Engaged vs. interactive vs. traditional learning for truck driver training

Training is crucial within the trucking industry. The wrong decision can cause injury and even fatalities. However, traditional training methods do not always work - drivers can have difficulty absorbing the lessons from a passive mode of learning, not to mention putting them into practice on the road.

Learn about superior solutions to traditional truck driver training and engaged and interactive learning. 

What is engaged learning?

Engaged learning, also known as experiential learning, is an educational method that focuses on teaching through “doing” instead of “theory.” This method uses a combination of lessons and activities so that students (or trainees) can put thought into practice. 

The ideal process of experiential learning involves: 

• Experiencing: The learner engages in an experience using their senses. 
• Reflecting: Afterward, they think about what happened during the experience and receive feedback. 
• Thinking: The learner develops theories and draws conclusions based on their experience and performance. 
• Acting: They put their theories into practice and replicate the experience to see if they “solved” the experience. 

The case for engaged learning is compelling. Research suggests that experiential learning is the most effective learning method for adults, with people retaining about two-thirds of what they learn using this method - as opposed to only 10% of what they learn with traditional methods like lectures.

Experiential learning engages many parts of the brain, helping learners’ brains form stronger connections. Additionally, the repetition involved assists learners in cementing the skills they develop and become more confident in using them.

What is interactive learning?

Interactive learning involves active participation. It’s different from engaged learning because it requires students to participate, whether or not they are engaged. Interactive learning can be in the form of debates, creating solutions for open-ended problems or games.

The amount of interactivity within a training session depends on the subject matter and the audience. Truck driver training can involve practicing driving an actual truck or using a driving simulator. Interactive training could also be used in mentorship, allowing more experienced drivers to teach less-experienced ones. 

What is traditional learning?

Traditional learning is the standard education strategy of teaching lessons using reading, lectures and tests. It is what most people experience while in school. Whether a learner grasped the lesson is determined through a test instead of a physical demonstration. 

Engaged vs. interactive vs. traditional learning

What teaching method fleet managers should employ will depend on their end goals. Each learning method has benefits.  

The benefits of engaged learning for truck drivers

Using engaged learning benefits truck drivers - and, ultimately, everyone on the road. 

Skill retention and performance

A crucial aspect of engaged learning is putting lessons into practice, which leads to better skill retention. This is especially relevant for truck drivers, as there’s a significant difference between memorizing information about driving and actually driving.

For example, a trucking trainee can learn how to handle turning in busy intersections through a lecture and understand how to turn their steering wheel in theory. But theory isn’t easy to remember when the driver is in the moment and needs to turn - there’s no muscle memory development.

Using engaged learning through a simulator, a trainee can learn the theory and then practice turning in a specific scenario. They can repeat this scenario as many times as they need to until they feel comfortable.

When the driver needs to handle a similar turn on the road, they will be able to do it easily, thanks to all the practice they’ve had. 

Opportunity to learn from mistakes

Mistakes on the road can have serious consequences, which can make training intimidating for new truck drivers. Using engaged learning for truck driving training makes mistakes a good thing. It is the most direct way to learn because it challenges what the trainee thinks they know and allows them to try again.

For example, a trainee may have just learned about how the weight of their truck and trailer affects their momentum, requiring a longer brake time. Engaged learning has them test this theory to see how it works in practice. When they inevitably make a mistake, they can reflect on what went wrong and how to prevent it next time.

If the simulator has playback capability, the instructor can replay the experience and provide specific feedback. Then the learner can practice again.

A simulator lets trainees apply what they’ve learned in a safe, controlled environment, which allows them to practice real-world scenarios without risk.

Ready for anything

The best truck drivers can make split-second decisions to prevent injuries to themselves or others, but that ability comes from years of experience.

Engaged learning in truck driving courses speeds up that process for newer drivers. Using simulators allows drivers to experience a variety of challenging scenarios and learn from those experiences.

Fleet managers can have their trainees go through a single scenario and show all the possible solutions. Doing this teaches new drivers there’s more than one solution to a problem, leading to better creative thinking skills on the road. 

The benefits of interactive learning for truck drivers

While interactive learning shares a few similar advantages to engaged learning, it also has its unique 

Increased collaboration

Truck driving is often seen as a solitary activity, and while that is partially true, it also requires teamwork abilities. Communicating with clients, other drivers and dispatchers is crucial to know where they are going and when they need to arrive.

You can build teamwork skills right from the start with interactive driver training. Communication and collaboration are core elements of this type of learning method. Even the most solitary person will be required to work with others.

Additionally, it could open up mentoring opportunities for those with more experience.

Better engagement rates

Interactive learning uses gamification, which is adding game elements to something mundane or uninteresting - like training - to create a stronger engagement among learners. This will work with truck drivers, too. Elements such as points, competition and rewards cause people to focus more on driver training courses and retain the information. 

Customizable lessons

Not everyone learns the same way. Presenting information in a one-size-fits-all manner could cause some drivers to fail to grasp the training or become bored and disengaged.

Interactive learning is crucial because each driver can learn at their own pace and build confidence in their knowledge. One study found that interactive learning encourages independent thinking and allows students to explore topics in-depth, contributing to the development of critical thinking skills.

The benefits of traditional learning for truck drivers

Traditional learning can be an effective part of truck driver training courses in a couple of ways. 

No adjustment period

Many drivers will already be familiar with traditional learning because it aligns with the standard educational approach used in most schools, saving trucking companies from first having to introduce and explain a new style of driver training services. Traditional learning requires minimal explanation and doesn’t demand extra time for trainees to adjust to a new method. This keeps the focus on education, which streamlines the training process.

Trainees will be familiar with how assessments are done, so errors will clearly indicate gaps in knowledge versus user error. Trainers can then tailor their lessons to address those gaps. 

Ideal for large groups

While engaged and interactive learning can accommodate multiple learners, it typically requires more individual attention than traditional learning. Traditional teaching naturally lends itself to teaching and testing a roomful of people at once. 

Trucking companies that need to train a lot of people at once will find this teaching method more time and cost-effective. 

How to use engaged and interactive learning in your driver training sessions

Here are seven tips to help you create an engaging and interactive driver training course for truckers. These tips can also assist you in creating an advanced truck driver training course for more experienced drivers.

1. Think of your audience

When designing a training session, think about who your audience is: 

• Are they new drivers who need everything explained to them? 
• Are they experienced drivers who need advanced driver training or specific lessons on certain techniques? 
• Do they prefer working as a group or individually?
• What mode of learning do they find most engaging? 

The answers to these questions will shape what and how you teach them. 

2. Add storytelling to your lessons

Once you decide on what you need to teach, add storytelling to the lessons. This can replace the explanation element of teaching and make the lessons more interesting.

For example, have participants perform in a scenario where they drive during heavy rain. Instead of telling them what to do, ask them what happens next in the story. This helps immerse them in the situation and gives them more control. 

3. Offer a variety of scenarios

To keep trainees from getting bored, offer a variety of scenarios for them to practice. A driving simulator can help with its built-in scenario library.

Trainers have a wide range of scenarios to choose from, which allows them to expose drivers to the diverse situations they may face on the road. They can also create unique scenarios with the simulator’s custom scenario builder. 

4. Make the scenarios immersive

Driver Training Solutions' driving simulators create immersion by emulating the experience of driving a real truck with features like:

• A six-channel surround-sound system and sub-audio tactile transducer to generate vibrations
• Adjustable mirrors
• A steering column with physical force feedback, which mimics the weight of the vehicle being simulated
• A physical turn signal and shift lever
• Three screens to provide a 180-degree view

5. Allow room for mistakes

A significant part of engaging interactive driver training is trying, failing and then trying again. Learning from experience requires participants to make mistakes so they can then reflect on and correct them.

During training, mistakes must be seen as a learning opportunity rather than as a setback or failure. 

6. Provide feedback

You need to provide specific feedback to help drivers learn from their mistakes. Your feedback helps drivers understand where they went wrong and how they can improve the next time.

Our driving simulators have an entire instructor operating system that can help trainers provide better feedback. 

7. Quiz participants on what they learned

While you do not need to quiz participants to determine if they have passed or failed, you can still use quizzing as an extra layer of assurance that drivers have retained training instructions. Quizzes can show you what drivers remember from their training.

If the trainees do not do well on these quizzes, this suggests more training sessions are needed. 

Driving simulators are the perfect learning tool

Hands-on experience is key to engaged and interactive learning, but offering real-world truck driving practice can be risky and potentially dangerous. Driver Training Solutions simulators can offer a safe experience.

With real-time feedback between the steering wheel and what appears on the screen, users can feel what it’s like to drive a truck without actually putting tires on the road. Multiple scenarios and advanced driver training are available, so trainers can cover every potential scenario. Driver Training Solutions simulators also offer feedback tools like scenario replays and recordings of the user’s hand movements.