Plant the seeds now.
Getting drivers to accept new technologies is easy — if done the right way.
Truck safety is a matter of life and death. That's why equipment inspections and safety training should be regular tasks in the routine of every well-run public works fleet.
In-house training has proven to be the answer for public works departments that have difficulty finding qualified equipment operators and truck drivers.
Benefits packages help public works departments attract and retain qualified fleet mechanics, even if public-sector wages run somewhat below the private sector, say fleet managers. Shortages of qualified mechanics appear to be a regional problem.
Providing training for mechanics these days—especially for new heavy equipment—can be a challenge, especially for smaller cities and counties. The solution, most fleet managers have found, is to write training into the purchase contracts for the equipment. Then it becomes the vendor's...