Are Video Games the Answer to the Truck Driver Shortage?
The trucking industry has been searching for ways to better attract and retain the millennial generation ever since they hit the work force just under ten years ago. And with the “Truck Driver Shortage” dubbed as the Top Critical Issue for the third year in a row by TruckingResearch.org, the search won’t be ending any time soon.
During our time at GATS 2019, we asked CEO’s and other industry leaders for their insight on what the industry could do as a whole to attract young talent, and we heard a similar answer over and over; technology, and specifically, video games.
Listen to the podcast episode for this topic here:"Trucking, Video Games, and Entrepreneurship"
“Maybe a trucking game that’s not killing people. A positive trucking [game]…like hey figure out what route you’re going to take….we just need to make it more in their face..”
Ellen Voie, Founder and CEO of Women in Trucking
“You know, the millennial generation is not going to re enter these trucks until these trucks feel more like video games…and they’re starting to…”
Justin Clarke, Founder and CEO of F Staff
“The more video-gamified it is, the neater it’s going to be…I think that tech is what is really going to bring the younger generation, because tech is cool…I think that relating to people, and teaching them from their level is always great...”
Tim Dooner, Host of FreightWaves’ What the Truck?!? Podcast
As a team that is 90% millennial, we tend to agree with the sentiment that our generations’ natural comfort with software systems and technology in general could make a job opportunity within trucking more appealing. Integrating strengths and natural interests are important factors for a successful career.
But while trucking industry tech investment is on a tear, venture capitalists aren’t giving money to video game developers for recruitment and training. Even so, the “video-gamification” of trucking seems to be an agreed upon next step to attract new generations.
Considering the popularity of gaming with the younger generation, including millennials, could playing video games become a recruiting tool for truck drivers?
Seeing as how other professions use virtual reality to prepare those who will one day step into that role, the idea of using video games to attract and help prepare younger drivers to hit the road doesn’t seem that far-fetched. For example, in the sphere of aerospace, they've been using simulators for years and the United States of America produces some of the best pilots in the world.
As recently as this year, UPS invested in an additional full motion flight simulator to it’s Louisville training facility – bringing the total to nine at that location alone – to address a problem that will sound all too familiar to anyone in trucking:
“Boeing has said that the global aviation industry needs another 790,000 pilots by 2037, including 206,000 in North America. [Capt. Patrick] Sutton said UPS is hiring pilots in their 30s, but also some older than 50, to make sure that fewer of the company’s pilots retire at the same time, which would leave the package giant scrambling for replacements.”
While UPS is primarily using the flight simulators as intensive training tools to bring hired pilots up to speed on the latest technology, vehicle simulation games like American Truck Simulator from SCS Software have the potential to positively impact the trucking industry by allowing younger generations to dip their toes into the world of trucking, promoting safe driving and practices, along with proper over-the-road etiquette.
We recently sent out a tweet from our @PDQAmerica Twitter account asking SCS Software if there were any players within their community of millions of players across the world who have actually transitioned into the actual driver seat. Here’s an example of some of the response we received:
Another tweet directed us to a post SCS Software shared to their community forum that the game developer received from player Dustin Kotara:
“I currently have 197 hours logged into American Truck Simulator. Loving every minute of it. Your trucking simulators have been a huge inspiration in my career choice. I graduated truck driving school with the GPA of 3.6 A grade, I am now employed at Reddaway, a local truck driving company on the west coast of United States. I probably would not have known that this was my dream job had I not first played your truck driving simulators, but here I am. And it's funny though, all my instructors I drove with said I was the best driver they had seen in a while and the best of my class. I was able to nail the backing portion of my test in one to two shots and was able to do the 90-degree backing in one shot on multiple occasions. Even though I have never even been inside a tractor before in my life, in my mind, I know your team's creations have helped me.”
While these stories serve as mere anecdotal evidence of successful truck driver recruitment through technology, it could serve as an avenue that could provide greater results with the proper tweaks.
It seems that the ingredients already exist for video games to serve as a viable channel for training and recruiting young drivers, but there hasn’t yet been a meaningful concentration of resources allocated to see how far it could go.
So we want to hear from you!
Do you agree with the three aforementioned industry leaders about the role technology could play in recruiting younger drivers?
Do you think an investment in a truck driving simulator similar to what the UPS has invested in to combat the pilot shortage could be worthwhile for larger carriers?
Let us know in a comment!