How Learning Management Systems Reduce Training Times & Costs for Truck Drivers

Modern technology has digitalized all kinds of processes within supply chain and logistics, and employee education is no exception. Today, Learning Management Systems (LMS) are the widely accepted next step in the evolution of staff training, and a custom built LMS is, in turn, the next level within this high value learning experience. If you are not yet familiar with the concept, it is time to hop on the LMS bandwagon and learn a new way to learn. This article takes a closer look at the functions and benefits of Learning Management Systems. Afterwards, we will also focus on how customization turns LMS into a powerful tool to educate the employees who are especially hard to bring together for an offline class – drivers.

Your employees live and your employees learn, but with a Learning Management System they learn faster, saving you time and reaching your goals at a quicker pace. LMS is a useful online tool that optimizes management over all of the educational activities, meant to facilitate your employees’ training process and boost their skills. When it comes down to its purpose, LMS is both a digital library and a digital school. This software helps to store and send out learning materials, as well as track employee progress, keep records and change the course of staff education when necessary. Most importantly, it paints the picture of the company’s overall competency; how much of the necessary knowledge your people already possess, and what they have yet to learn to meet all expectations.

A Transportation LMS is an LMS focused on the topics within transportation industry. Transportation and logistics are the lines of work that often find their employees scattered across the country, continent, or even the globe. Because of that, having an online learning space that bridges the space between “pupils” and allows for education in any environment, is especially important.

A common LMS consists of a server and a user interface, and provides its users with different types of access depending on their role: administrator, instructor or student.

Transportation LMS is a tool to onboard new logistics employees, as well as to develop and retain old staff for the company to grow as a united body. There are cloud-based Learning Management Systems, which are most suitable for logistics, transportation and trucking because of the constant movement tied to these industries. But LMS can also exist just on the company’s server, or be accessible only through specific software on the user’s device Most learning management systems share the following features:

• Intuitive user experience;
• Course management tools;
• Relevant analytics;
• New content integration;
• Social media tools;
• Localization;
• Security;
• Certification;
• Elements of automation and AI.

The 2022 Training Industry Report names Learning Management Systems the most frequently anticipated purchases for the nearest future (39% vs. 35% in 2021), and for good reasons. If your supply chain is already digitalized and makes use of various management systems, you know how useful such software can be in providing transparency and maximizing control. However, implementation of a new unfamiliar management system can still feel like a big change, so it is best to make sure the investment is worth it. A properly designed Transportation Learning Management System:

• Saves resources. The classrooms, the transport, the accommodations for instructors, the printed manuals – all of these things would have price tags and take hours to arrange and commute to. LMS saves company money and time, allowing you to divert these resources where the supply chain needs them.
• Unifies learning. All of the resources your employees need are available to them in one place.
• Develops knowledge. Your employees gain new skills and a better understanding of their profession in a user-friendly online environment that minimizes distractions and features elements that gamify and diversify the learning experience.
• Provides remote access. Learning Management Systems are completely remotely-operated – a characteristic that benefits the employer and the employees. A good LMS should be accessible from any device, allowing the students to take the learning process with them to any place, at any time.

It can be extremely hard to gather your employees for training, when their work relies on constantly being on the road. This is where online learning becomes an interesting alternative. Introducing a learning management system to train, onboard and improve your drivers is a solution that tackles multiple transportation challenges at once.

A properly designed transportation learning management system will explore and incorporate many useful materials that will approach driver training from all sides: audio, video, interactive tasks and tests, as well as cues for practical learning activities. A good LMS allows the instructors to leverage theory and practice, creating a well-rounded experience. The purpose of LMS is never to replace practical learning, but to diversify the approach to theoretical knowledge.

Global access to online education and the option to add safety reminders are two benefits that actually paint LMS as the better option for theoretical driver training. Cloud-based learning will eliminate the struggle to get your drivers in one place for a physical class. They could access the learning materials in any part of the world, while picking up orders, unloading or stopping for gas.

Whether to buy a ready-made solution or to develop one for yourself is a debate that pops up across all kinds of software, including learning management systems. This discussion usually considers costs, usability, scalability, efficiency, and time. Each side has its advantages and pitfalls, so let us take a look at them both.

A ready-made LMS will be faster to get and implement, and easier to figure out. You and your employees will likely have no problem finding instructions online in case something is unclear, as there will be countless users that have tried and tested this software before you. Unfortunately, the software that was made for everyone is also the software that was made for no one particular company. Certain learning management systems are a better fit for specific industries, but that does not come close to full customization.

A custom solution will always be a better fit in terms of your company’s specific needs and goals. It will include only the things your business requires, so you will not find yourself paying for features you or your employees will never use. However, that does not mean that custom development is the cheaper option – on the contrary, unique solutions tend to be more expensive, because you pay for the full realization of your vision, and full control. But bear in mind that with full control comes full responsibility. Management, maintenance, improvements and upgrades will be only your company’s to handle, for better or worse.

Learning Management Systems are powerful tools for educating employees in a way that requires less spending from the company, while simultaneously providing it with more data than any offline course. This software is transparent, user-friendly and universally accessible, althought the exact toolkit will depend on whether you get a ready-made or a custom solution. When it comes to training drivers, LMS is a good fit for their schedule and workflow, following them wherever they go. Digitalizing, uniting and optimizing your company’s learning processes is a decision that is worth looking into, and if you have questions about how to approach it – feel free to contact us at Innovecs.