Training Systems Australia has launched its first motion truck simulator which has caught the interest of the transport industry
By Ruza Zivkusic | November 11, 2011
Training Systems Australia (TSA) has launched its first ECA Faros motion truck simulator which has caught the interest of the transport industry.
Unveiled this week, the heavy vehicle goods and bus driving simulator comes from France and offers drivers assessment and training in a 3D environment.
The truck simulator has genuine truck manufacturer parts and a motion platform that allows longitudinal and lateral accelerations. It also has forced feedback steering and modelling of different vehicles and three large screens with video projectors and five LCD screens for a 180 degree view.
TSA Managing Director Peter Birnbaum, who established the company 12 years ago, says the simulator is great for prospective drivers, including the ones with experience.
“I think all drivers would benefit from this. It is not just for young people but for those experienced people who may have been driving inefficiently and not knowing it for many years,” Birnbaum says.
“This trains people how to reverse a truck, dock or manoeuvre it.”
Some 20 companies have expressed an interest in purchasing the simulator, which takes up to 90 days to deliver. The simulator is also available for rent and training at TSA’s Bentleigh office.
Some companies have asked for the simulator to be customised for a road train, which Birnbaum says is possible.
“The simulator costs less than a truck and we can demonstrate that we have taken drivers through this which has led to 70 percent of reduction in fuel efficiencies by some drivers,” he adds.
“Today you wouldn’t expect to get into an aircraft where the pilot had not been trained on a simulator. Simulators play a role and what we do is train people how to avoid situations and how to learn the cognitive skills that are required for driving.”
Birnbaum says the company also teaches environmentally-conscious driving techniques to reduce fuel and carbon emissions.