Drive-Through Driver Training

Abstract

TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractSchlumberger has a long history of delivering driver training to novice drivers, both through its central training school, and through annual refresher courses at field locations. This paper describes a two-part program developed to reinforce driving behaviors and lessons learned in routine and long-term training in the field operations environment.In 2001, a program designed to deliver advanced training using a transportable, computerized driver simulator was developed and implemented. Schlumberger now has more than 2 years of experience with this program and is delivering training to approximately 1,500 drivers per year at approximately 80 field locations. This paper describes the successes and limitations of this program and its associated equipment, additional features, such as skid-car and seat-belt training that have been added to the traveling package; and the way that the program has been linked to established driver-training programs.Part of the behavioral change program is driver mentoring. Mentoring bridges the gap between the intensive training of formal driver training schools and the annual (in-vehicle) or triennial (classroom) refresher training. We recognized that newly trained drivers represented a higher than normal risk when driving in the field in the period immediately following training school. We responded to this by developing a mentor program that helps transition drivers from instructorsupervised training environments to unsupervised field operations. This paper describes the mentor's profile and role, the process of mentoring new drivers, and how that process is adapted for different driver populations. In our conclusions, we discuss the success of this two-part program in the wider context of automotive incident performance over the past 3 years: from 2000 to 2003 we have seen a more than 50% reduction in automotive incidents (per million miles driven), and a more than 70% reduction in high-potential automotive incidents, per year. Development of Mobile Driver Training TeamPlanning for the driver training team began in 2000, with the selection of a suitable computer-based driving simulator, and agreement with the simulator supplier to develop custom training scenarios. A heavily experienced driver trainer, who had also worked as a training program manager, was selected as the project leader. Two additional specialist driver trainers were assigned to work on the program.A trailer unit was used to create a mobile classroom that could be easily moved across country, with a clear objective of delivering training to field operators in their places of work at more than 80 locations in the contiguous states of the U.S.A. The training package delivered by this team is not limited to simulator training: skid-car training and seat-belt "convincer" training are also provided. The complete equipment package consists of the units shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 1-Mobile training equipmentIn its first 2 years of operation the team made 136 location visits, a...