UPS has announced the opening of its ninth US-based Integrad driver training facility in Lake Mary, Florida. Delivery drivers attend the Integrad training centers for a week-long course where ‘experiential learning’ emphasizes hands-on, real life scenarios, which are now enhanced by VR simulations.
Prior to Integrad training, the majority of river training was classroom and lecture-based. Now, drivers practice delivery methods in a realistic setting on an outside course designed to mimic a small town called Clarkville USA. Arrayed with small houses, street signs and even a dog bowl to alert drivers of the presence of a dog, Clarkville provides realism in a controlled environment.
In addition to the hands on training that is key to the Integrad curriculum, UPS has added virtual reality driving simulations. The use of virtual reality technology allows students to drive without leaving the building. The simulations help students identify potential hazards by visualizing other vehicles, pedestrians, traffic signs and signals.
As a result, UPS currently employs more than 9,349 ‘Circle of Honor’ drivers who have driven 25 years or more without an accident.
Jeanne Lawrence, Integrad expansion director, UPS, said, “The sophisticated training at UPS Integrad and our focus on adaptive learning styles will guarantee a new generation of Circle of Honor drivers.”
October 9, 2017