Truckload Carrier First in Nation To Train Drivers With Pro-TREAD In-Cab™
April 4, 2008 - Chattanooga, Tennessee-based U.S. Xpress (www.usxpress.com) has become the first fleet in the United States to begin training drivers for safety & regulatory issues with computer-based lessons right in their own cabs, having already trained drivers in over 4000 cabs.
U.S. Xpress has equipped over 4,700 cabs with the new DriverTech Fleet Management System units (www.drivertech.com), installed with all of Instructional Technologies’ (ITI’s) Pro-TREAD In-Cab™ interactive lessons.
U.S. Xpress began training drivers in-cab after months of testing and modifications, several of which were recommended by Co-Chairman & CEO Max Fuller after personally testing and working with Pro-TREAD In-Cab. U.S. Xpress is continuing its initiative to install DriverTech units into all of the fleet’s 7,500-plus cabs — providing high-end communications capabilities and Pro-TREAD and other safety- and performance-related applications to all drivers.
“Continuing education for drivers is an important part of our industry, and we have always taken great pride at U.S. Xpress in finding new ways to reach out to our drivers with information that can make a difference in their daily work and their lives,” says Mr. Fuller, whose company has an award-winning tradition of applying cutting-edge technology to the trucking industry. “The ability to place Pro-TREAD training modules within the cabs of our trucks through our DriverTech units is a true breakthrough. The team at ITI should be proud of their work: They helped us find the innovative answers that we needed to make on-board training a reality.”
The Lesson Completion data for the drivers is transmitted back to ITI using the most cost-effective mode possible: WiFi, cellular, or satellite. The data are immediately entered into ITI’s Driver Management System (DMS) for third-party recordkeeping and documentation. ITI provides a secure, private, flexible online database for each client.
Drivers seem to be appreciative of the easy and flexible access to the Pro-TREAD lessons. “Out here on the road, you are always called upon to learn and stay on top of what’s new, and the commitment to safety and training is one of the reasons I’ve stayed with U.S. Xpress,” says George Smith, a veteran U.S. Xpress driver who was recently inducted into the Company’s Million-Mile Safe Driving Club (pictured here in his U.S. Xpress cab). “Pro-TREAD is a big key for me in staying up to date on the latest information and best practices. While Pro-TREAD is available over the Internet around the clock, I really like having access to the lessons aboard my truck. Now, I don’t have to put off the training while on the road. I’m very impressed with the way the modules work on the DriverTech units. This has helped in my growth and development as a professional driver. We all have to work each day to get better at what we do, and Pro-TREAD is a great tool.”
ITI has additionally signed a Letter of Intent to provide Pro-TREAD In-Cab™ with PeopleNet (www.peoplenetonline) via its new BLU onboard system. Work on integration with BLU is underway and availability is expected during Q2 2008.
About Instructional Technologies, Inc.
ITI, of Vancouver, WA, is the preeminent provider of computer-based, interactive driver training in our industry, providing TREAD-1?, Pro-TREAD?, and Pro-TREAD In-Cab? truck-driver training to over 175 carriers, with from 15 to 44,000 drivers. Delivering effective and up-to-date training 24/7, ITI now trains over 35,000 drivers in the US and Canada every month. Carriers monitor and document their drivers’ training records on the private, secure, on-line database that ITI provides to each client. This documentation can be invaluable during litigation, providing powerful Risk Management.
Drivers can select from some 50 interactive lessons anywhere/anytime over the Internet, including via in-cab computers. Courses include such critical areas as Defensive Driving, Winter Driving, Backing, Accident Procedures, Hours-of-service and Log-Books, OSHA and Workplace Safety, Tanker lessons, and all of the federally-required Entry Level courses.
About U.S. Xpress
U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc. is the nation’s third-largest, privately-owned truckload carrier, with a fleet of 7,500 tractors and 22,000 trailers. U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc. provides dedicated, regional, and expedited team truckload services throughout North America, with regional capabilities in the West, Midwest, and Southeastern United States. The Company is one of the largest providers of expedited and time-definite services in the truckload industry and is a leader in providing expedited intermodal rail services. Xpress Global Systems, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary, is a provider of transportation, warehousing, and distribution services to the floor covering industry. The Company participates in logistics services through its joint ownership of Transplace, an Internet-based global transportation logistics company. Additionally, U.S. Xpress has an 90% ownership interest in Arnold Transportation Services, Inc., which provides regional, dedicated, and medium length-of-haul services with a fleet of approximately 1,650 trucks, and Total Transportation of Mississippi and affiliated companies, a truckload carrier that provides medium length of haul and dedicated dry-van service with a fleet of approximately 650 trucks primarily in the Eastern United States. Additionally, U.S. Xpress has an ownership interest in Abilene Motor Express, Inc., a truckload carrier that provides medium length of haul and dedicated dry van truck services, primarily in the eastern United States with a fleet of approximately 170 trucks and C&C Transportation of Duncan SC, a truckload carrier providing transportation services along the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast and Southeast corridor with a fleet of 150 trucks.