OTA Dispatch Issue 4 2019

34 Oregon Trucking Associations, Inc. Oregon Truck Dispatch SMC Meeting Update During the last several SMC meetings this fall, two new topics were introduced. The first was regarding the 2020 Clearinghouse rules (reference page 26 for the full article). And, the second was a potential partnership with local high school driver education programs. Passenger vehicles, especially new drivers, may not always be aware of how to interact safely with trucks on the road. The purpose of the partnership is to bring trucks to the school location for a hands-on learning experience about blind spots, stopping distance, and other hazards. SMC is currently looking for companies willing to work with the schools and provide trucks. If you are interested in participating, contact safety@ortrucking.org to get on the list! TMCSuperTech: The Game The trucking industry faces a serious shortage of vehicle technicians in the coming decade because of the anticipated large number of retirees and the increasingly competitive job market for skilled workers. Accordingly, finding new means of attracting our next generation technician workforce is vital to truck operations in all industry vocations. American Trucking Associations’ (ATA’s) Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) has sounded the alarm for many years about this technician shortage tsunami. TMC’s Professional Technician Development Committee (PTDC) is attempting to address the issue through a variety of means, including raising the professionalism of the occupation through its TMCSuperTech technician skills competition, as well as working with other industry groups dedicated to solving the problem, such as the TechForce Foundation. TMCSuperTech has done much in its 14 years of existence to raise the professionalism and profile of technicians within our industry. In order to do likewise to a broader national audience, new approaches are needed. One such approach would be to “gameify” TMCSuperTech, so that it could be directed to middle and high school students as a “hook” to get them to consider a career in truck maintenance and engineering. This approach has been successfully deployed by other industries, using augmented reality, virtual reality, and computer-based gaming solutions. Having a mobile, smart-device based game would be an excellent means of supporting outreach campaigns focused on generating interest in the trucking/transportation industry among school aged children. Arkansas’ “Be Pro, Be Proud” campaign is one such example. The goal of the game is to make the career of a maintenance technician attractive and, by extension, the industry appears appealing. TMC has partnered with Design Interactive (DI), a company that already provided virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) services to TMC/ATA member companies. One of the benefits of AR in trucking maintenance is the cost and time savings for technicians to diagnose and repair equipment. DI’s industry experience provides an excellent headstart to launching the program. At the end of the first phase, hopefully early 2020, the game will be deployed on iOS and Android mobile platforms and will likely include subsequent phases to generate continuous interest in the industry and be applied as a preparatory tool for potential TMCSuperTech competitors. Watch for the app launch in 2020! For questions, contact: Robert Braswell, Executive Director of American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council at 703.838.1776, rbraswel@trucking.org . OTA COUNCIL Updates