About Our CDL Truck Training Software
As robust as our hardware is, our software is equally beautiful in form and function and has been designed with the objective of being so easy to use that our clients can immediately start using it without any formal training whatsoever.
Our EF-Truck NG offers a comprehensive simulation training program that includes a building block approach to driver development with over 40 lessons and 80+ exercises and scenarios in Urban, suburban, rural, freeway, and mountain driving. We integrate lifelike graphics and the ability to configure many of the driving conditions within the simulation software. Most importantly, our advanced training simulator has been designed to go well beyond just educating the driver; it has been engineered to develop both operational skills and defensive driving behavior.
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Our expansive virtual world encompasses a broad array of road types with one and two-way streets from 2 to 6 lanes wide with 4 lanes of moving traffic in one direction, as well as 8-lane expressways, winding rural roads, residential areas, multiple driving ranges, and a test track.
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We can surround the driver with up to 50 vehicles to simulate dense urban traffic.
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Not only is our traffic dense, but it’s also controlled by one of the most advanced artificial intelligence behavior engines available today, with multiple classes of traffic behavior with aggressiveness.
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We include an array of adverse conditions, including rain, snow, wind, and risky situations; we even expose the driver to slow-moving vehicles such as farm equipment, and animals darting across the road.
Our Software Segments
Knowledge of the Truck
The exercises of this module take place on the driving range. The main objective is to learn how to operate the truck. This includes how to use the various vehicle controls, switches, gauges and more. Topics also addressed consist of lessons on pre-drive checks, starting and stopping the vehicle, shifting gears and more.
Risk Awareness
The exercises of this module are designed to hone the driver’s defensive driving behavior. This includes predicting the actions of other drivers, anticipating risks, dividing your attention among multiple risks, and more. The driver will be required to complete several exercises that include risky situations, crash avoidance, and management of multiple hazards.
Free Drive
This allows the instructor or driver to quickly create a driving scenario is mere seconds! Drive anywhere in the virtual world including driving ranges with loading docks, downtown districts, multi-lane expressways, rural roads, mountain, residential areas, and even a test track. All you have to do to create a scenario in Free Drive is select your start points, the time of day, weather conditions, traffic density and whether or not you want error checking turned on. Then, our artificial intelligence engine does the rest! It auto populates traffic circulation around the driver, weather conditions, etc. The instructor can then interject mechanical failures such as blown tires, over-heating & brake failure.
Maneuvering
After mastering how to operate the controls and basic maneuvering, the focus in this module shifts to learning how to perform more advanced maneuvers. This includes driving in reverse using mirrors, backing, parking, and docking. All the exercises of this module take place in the maneuvering area, or on a track. The main objective in this stage is for the driver to develop operational skills.
Oversize / Overweight
This segment is tailored for heavy hauling and oversize load training, and is useful for oil field trucking and other OS/OW applications. The training objectives include communicating with your pilot vehicle to identify upcoming risks and hazards, turning, speed and curves, intersections and more.
Advanced Training / Driving in Traffic
Once the driver knows how to operate the truck efficiently, we move from the driving range and test track, to driving on virtual roads with varying levels of traffic. The driver is exposed to more complicated, real-life driving scenarios, including how to make proper lane changes, negotiate intersections, passing, narrow lanes, turning left and right, merging and more.
Night Driving
This module is designed to teach the driver how to drive safely at night on two-lane, rural roads. It includes basics such as how to optimize the use of their headlights in various environments, and paying close attention to risks along the side of the road, including vehicles and pedestrians. We stress the importance of using the proper lighting to maximize visibility, in order to identify potential risk and hazards sooner, giving the driver more time to react. The module includes a series of driving scenarios, with potential hazards, risky situations and accident avoidance.
Monitoring & Assessment
Our driving simulators monitor the progress and the performance of each student for the instructor. The system keeps track of errors and assesses the driver at the end of each chapter. For example, it will instruct and give feedback to the driver if they are coming out of his/her lane, failing to signal, speeding, improper shifting, not checking blind spots, etc.
The system is also designed to give powerful and timely feedback to each driver as to their progress in the form of graphical icons, narration, and written text on the screen. Each system operates autonomously but can also be networked to an instructor’s computer, so the instructor has a record of what lessons they have completed and their corresponding assessments.
Each client is assigned a password-protected account, which they access by using the mouse. Once they have signed on, the system does the rest. It monitors each student and gives a pass-or-fail performance assessment at the end of each chapter. Detailed grading assessments are also provided as part of final drive assessments.
Powered By
TruckSim™ Software
Our EF-Truck uses Mechanical Simulation’s TRUCKSIM™, vehicle dynamics modeling, used by many of the actual vehicle manufacturers to model the physics of their vehicles. We are the only driving simulator company in our class in North America authorized to use the software on automotive and truck simulators for sale. TruckSim™ ensures the simulators’ handling accurately mimics how an actual truck and trailer handle in the real world. Our integrated driver training program addresses basic to advanced topics, including backing, parking, crash avoidance with other vehicles, pedestrians & animals, adverse weather, night driving, oversize / overweight loads, and more. You can quickly create an unlimited number of practice scenarios to meet additional training needs, and the simulator's touch screen interface is intuitive and easy to use.
TruckSim Application:
• Electronic Stability Control
• ABS Braking
• Off Tracking Analysis
• Active Suspension
• Autonomous Driving
• Anti-roll Controls
• Performance Based Standards
• Anti-sway Controls
• Alternate Powertrains
• Driver Alertness Technologies
• Roadway Engineering
• Lane Departure Warnings
• Fuel Economy Studies
• Active Braking
• Vehicle to Vehicle Communications
High-Fidelity Vehicle Models: TruckSim includes math models for over eighteen vehicle configurations that include several single-unit trucks and a diverse range of tractor-trailer combinations with multiple trailers, dollys, and axle configurations. If you require a truck configuration that is not included, Mechanical Simulation can develop a custom vehicle model based on your specifications. Optional features in the math models add degrees of freedom to handle flexible trailer frames, and flexible power train mounts.
