Development and Assessment of a Connected Vehicle Training Program for Truck Drivers

In Wyoming, because of the high likelihood of dangerous winter driving conditions, truck-related crashes on the freeway have resulted in remarkable fatalities, extended closures, and significant economic losses. The emerging connected vehicle (CV) technology has the potential to communicate road and traveler information to commercial truck drivers, which would eventually promote traffic safety. Nevertheless, currently there is a lack of a systems training program to deliver the CV technology to truck drivers. This paper developed a CV training program which contained an e-learning conceptual education module and a hands-on driving simulator training module. The e-learning module presented the concept of various CV warnings and notifications, including forward collision warning (FCW), distress notification (DN), and traveler information messages (TIMs). The hands-on driving simulator training module provided participants with a simulated environment where they could practice the CV warnings that they had met during the e-learning. Five simulation scenarios were provided to the participants, including two single-alert scenarios and three multiple-alert scenarios. A quiz section in the e-learning module and a comprehensive post-training questionnaire survey within the hands-on module were employed to evaluate the effectiveness of the developed CV training program. Based on the feedback of 18 professional snowplow truck drivers from the Wyoming Department of Transportation, it was found that the proposed training program provided truck drivers with up-to-date knowledge and experience on CV technology.