Eco-driving training of professional bus drivers - Does it work?

The drive to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions is one shared by both businesses and governments. Although many businesses in the European Union undertake interventions, such as driver training, there is relatively little research which has tested the efficacy of this approach and that which does exist has methodological limitations. One emerging technology employed to deliver eco-driving training is driver training using a simulator. The present study investigated whether bus drivers trained in eco-driving techniques were able to implement this learning in a simulator and whether this training would also transfer into the workplace. A total of 29 bus drivers attended an all-day eco-driving course and their driving was tested using a simulator both before and after the course. A further 18 bus drivers comprised the control group, and they attended first aid courses as well as completing the same simulator drives (before-after training). The bus drivers who were given the eco-driving training significantly improved fuel economy figures in the simulator, while there was no change in fuel economy for the control group. Actual fuel economy figures were also provided by the bus companies immediately before the training, immediately after the training and six months after the training. As expected there were no significant changes in fuel economy for the control group. However, fuel economy for the treatment group improved significantly immediately after the eco-driving training (11.6%) and this improvement was even larger six months after the training (16.9%). This study shows that simulator-based training in eco-driving techniques has the potential to significantly reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the road transport sector.

[1]  R Christie,et al.  The effectiveness of driver training as a road safety measure: a review of the literature , 2001 .

[2]  N P Gregersen,et al.  Road safety improvement in large companies. An experimental comparison of different measures. , 1996, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[3]  Helena Strömberg,et al.  Comparative effects of eco-driving initiatives aimed at urban bus drivers - Results from a field trial , 2013 .

[4]  Cary L. Cooper,et al.  Organizational and Work Psychology , 2008 .

[5]  Jean Andrey,et al.  Eco-driver training within the City of Calgary's municipal fleet: Monitoring the impact , 2013 .

[6]  Anders af Wåhlberg,et al.  Long-term effects of training in economical driving: Fuel consumption, accidents, driver acceleration behavior and technical feedback , 2007 .

[7]  Robert S. Kennedy,et al.  Simulator Sickness Questionnaire: An enhanced method for quantifying simulator sickness. , 1993 .

[8]  Helmut Krueger,et al.  TRANSFER OF TRAINING IN AN ADVANCED DRIVING SIMULATOR: COMPARISON BETWEEN REAL WORLD ENVIRONMENT AND SIMULATION IN A MANOEUVRING DRIVING TASK , 2003 .

[9]  Andrea Gemma,et al.  Impacts of Driving Behaviours, Slope and Vehicle Load Factor on Bus Fuel Consumption and Emissions: A Real Case Study in the City of Rome☆ , 2013 .

[10]  Amanda N. Stephens,et al.  Situational specificity of trait influences on drivers’ evaluations and driving behaviour , 2009 .

[11]  Frank A. Drews,et al.  SIMULATOR TRAINING IMPROVES DRIVER EFFICIENCY: TRANSFER FROM THE SIMULATOR TO THE REAL WORLD , 2005 .

[12]  J McFann,et al.  Truck simulator validation ("SimVal") training effectiveness study , 2005 .

[13]  Maria Zarkadoula,et al.  Training urban bus drivers to promote smart driving: A note on a Greek eco-driving pilot program , 2007 .

[14]  Patricia Delhomme,et al.  The influence of multiple goals on driving behavior: the case of safety, time saving, and fuel saving. , 2011, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[15]  S. Hart,et al.  Development of NASA-TLX (Task Load Index): Results of Empirical and Theoretical Research , 1988 .

[16]  Cindie Andrieu,et al.  Comparing Effects of Eco-driving Training and Simple Advices on Driving Behavior , 2012 .

[17]  Steven Broekx,et al.  Using on-board logging devices to study the longer-term impact of an eco-driving course , 2009 .

[18]  B L Hooey,et al.  ADVANCED TRAVELER INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND COMMERCIAL VEHICLE OPERATIONS COMPONENTS OF THE INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS: HEAD-UP DISPLAYS AND DRIVER ATTENTION FOR NAVIGATION INFORMATION , 1998 .

[19]  Myra Blanco,et al.  On the training and testing of entry-level commercial motor vehicle drivers. , 2011, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[20]  C. Stride,et al.  Using the theory of planned behavior to explore environmental behavioral intentions in the workplace , 2013 .

[21]  Nick Reed,et al.  From research to commercial fuel efficiency training for truck drivers using Trucksim , 2010 .