Published by Virtual Driver Interactive (VDI)
A classroom can explain a driving hazard. A routine road lesson may never present it. That leaves a practical question for fleet safety managers: where can drivers rehearse the decisions they may need when conditions change?
UPS’s early use of driving simulation offers a useful example. The lesson for your fleet starts with the training gap you need to close.
For example, repeated backing incidents call for a closer look at the decisions leading into the maneuver. Our Advanced Driver Safety (ADS) overview describes backing, hazard-detection, and other fleet practice topics, plus Vantage performance reporting. It helps you assess lesson fit. During evaluation, ask how a trainer would use those observations to choose coaching and follow-up practice for your drivers.
What did UPS use simulation to address?
In Chris Wolski’s April 2, 2014 Automotive Fleet report, UPS described a gap in traditional training: weather and other difficult driving conditions weren’t easy to reproduce during normal road instruction.
The report said UPS had worked with us since 2006. A portable simulator provided focused practice alongside classroom teaching and in-cab coaching. At the time of publication, the pilot had reached about 320 new and experienced drivers, primarily in metropolitan New York and Texas.
That history illustrates a training use case. It does not establish what equipment UPS uses today or prove that simulation alone changes crash outcomes.
A separate March 2023 UPS announcement about advanced driver training described later simulator and virtual-reality training paired with practical driving and instructor-led classes. That announcement does not identify VDI as the provider of those later systems.
Which decisions should your drivers practice?
Begin with your operation. Review incident investigations, near misses, and trainer observations. Choose one recurring situation and describe the behavior you want to see. “Improve awareness” becomes more useful when you specify what a driver should notice and how that information should affect the next decision.
This applies beyond delivery fleets. NIOSH’s workplace motor vehicle safety guidance notes that driving risk includes light and heavy vehicles, whether driving is a worker’s main task or an occasional duty.
The table below offers planning examples using topic areas listed in our ADS curriculum. The objectives and questions are editorial recommendations, not descriptions of specific simulator scenes.
On a narrow screen, scroll within the table. Keyboard users can focus the table region and use the arrow keys.
| Fleet risk | Practice objective | Debrief question |
|---|---|---|
| Backing and parking | Check available information and space before committing to the maneuver. | What did you need to confirm before moving? |
| Following distance | Notice a closing gap and adjust space as traffic changes. | When did the gap first begin to change? |
| Intersections | Identify conflicting traffic and limits to the view before proceeding. | What could you see, and what remained uncertain? |
| Weather and road conditions | Connect reduced visibility or changing conditions to speed and space choices. | Which condition changed your plan? |
Ask to see the relevant lesson before choosing it. Confirm that the scenario and vehicle configuration support your objective. A topic name alone doesn’t show whether the exercise fits your routes, vehicles, or operating rules.
How does practice become useful coaching?
A driver finishes a scenario after braking late. The trainer has a starting point: ask when the driver first noticed the changing situation, what they expected, and what they would do earlier next time.
Our current ADS materials describe Vantage reporting for reaction time, awareness, and decision-making. Ask to see the actual fields available for your proposed lesson and configuration. Use those results alongside the trainer’s observations.
The following is a suggested coaching sequence. It is an instructional planning example, not a claim about an automatic software workflow.
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Set the objective
Name the decision the driver will practice and what the trainer will observe.
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Discuss the response
Ask the driver to explain the information they noticed and the choice they made.
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Practice again
Give focused feedback, then check the same skill in a comparable exercise.
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Check it in the vehicle
Arrange an appropriate supervised observation and record whether further coaching is needed.
Will the program fit your operation?
Before procurement, walk through a complete session with safety, operations, and the person who will deliver training. Include setup, driver orientation, practice, discussion, and recordkeeping in the schedule.
Include time to learn the simulator controls before assessing performance. Record difficulty using the equipment separately from the driving decision under review. That gives your trainer a clearer basis for feedback.
We offer Desktop Series and Full Cab Series configurations for ADS. Evaluate the proposed setup against your available space and training tasks. Confirm current specifications and terms for the configuration under consideration.
- Lesson fit: Can the trainer demonstrate the decision your fleet needs to practice?
- Staffing: Who runs sessions, reviews results, and follows up with drivers?
- Scheduling: Can drivers attend without creating unrealistic demands on routes or shifts?
- Facilities and IT: What space, access, power, connectivity, and equipment management does the proposed setup require?
- Records: Who can access driver assessments, and how will you retain coaching notes?
These are recommended evaluation questions. Resolve them for your own deployment before setting a rollout date.
What would count as progress?
Agree on that answer before the first session. Track whether training can be delivered as planned, whether the target decision improves during practice, and whether the behavior appears during supervised vehicle use.
Assess fleet outcomes separately. A lower incident count may also reflect fewer miles, different routes, or changed reporting. Record operating exposure and other relevant changes before drawing conclusions. A short pilot may answer questions about coaching and logistics while leaving crash outcomes unresolved.
Our guide to measuring a fleet simulator pilot explains baseline measures, on-road checks, and incident-rate comparisons in more detail.
Key takeaways
- Choose a real fleet training need before selecting scenarios.
- Define what the driver should practice and what the trainer should review.
- Plan feedback, repeat practice, and supervised vehicle follow-up.
- Evaluate delivery, simulator performance, and fleet outcomes separately.
Frequently asked questions
Can simulation replace behind-the-wheel fleet training?
Use it as a complement. Drivers still need instruction and assessment suited to their actual vehicles and work. Retain required training and check any rules that apply to your program.
Should experienced drivers take part?
Consider refreshers based on job-related needs and observed behavior. Choose a clear objective for each driver or group, rather than assuming everyone needs the same exercise.
Does a better simulator score prove safer road driving?
It shows progress on the measure assessed in that setting. Check the target behavior in the vehicle and examine fleet outcomes separately before making broader safety claims.
Start with a decision your fleet needs to practice
Choose one recurring risk, define the driving decision, and plan how a trainer will review it. To explore how our ADS lessons and reporting could support that work, bring the objective to a demo.
Request a DemoSources and further reading
- Chris Wolski, Safety Goes Virtual at UPS, Automotive Fleet, April 2, 2014. Historical reporting.
- UPS, UPS Invests Millions in Advanced Training for On-the-Road Drivers, March 29, 2023. Separate, later program announcement.
- Virtual Driver Interactive, Advanced Driver Safety. Current curriculum, reporting, and configuration overview.
- NIOSH, Motor Vehicle Safety at Work, May 16, 2024. Workplace driving-risk context.
The planning table and coaching sequence are original editorial examples. They do not reproduce UPS training materials, customer results, or product screens.