Hitting the road, virtually: Sowela incorporates innovative technology into its CDL training program
Published 8:43 am Saturday, July 1, 2023
- A Sowela CDL student practices his driving skills using virtual reality technology. (Emily Burleigh / American Press)
“I had to really convince them to take the chance,” he recalled. “But it’s already paying for itself.”
Thanks to an anonymous donation, Sowela was able to invest $14,000 into the L3 Harris Hawk-1 Virtual Reality (VR) Experience and $130,000 into an L3 Harris simulator.
L3 Harris, an aerospace and defense company, develops VR commercial training solutions technology to make hands-on learning for students more efficient, safe and streamlined. This technology is often used by large companies, like UPS.
Knox first encountered the technology in 2011 when going through his own CDL training. While the technology he trained with wasn’t quite as advanced, the benefits stuck with him.
He started at Sowela last year, and quickly realized that the CDL students needed more options for hands-on learning, citing weather and the anxiety that many students have when they first earn real-world CDL experience.
He noted that most students, if not all, have never driven an 18-wheeler before.
When students put on the VR headset or get into the simulator, they are able to learn vehicle maintenance and troubleshooting, shifting and basic maneuvers in a less stressful, safe virtual environment.
Additionally, with the L3 Harris systems, the students are also able to prepare for terrains that exist outside of Southwest Louisiana, such as mountains and heavy, big city traffic. “I can put any scenario, from rain, sleet, snow, even impairments,” he said. “So, you get the real world.”
The technology was installed two months ago, making Sowela the first college to house a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) training program with virtual reality technology incorporated into the curriculum.
The CDL training program is a 245-hour course that takes place over approximately seven weeks and includes classroom and first-hand instruction.
The course prepares for the final skills test that is required to receive a state commercial license; those that hold this license are legally able to drive tractor-trailers, dump trucks, tow trucks, delivery trucks, tanker trucks and flatbed trucks.
The exam is broken down into three parts: The Pre-Trip Inspection, the Basic Maneuvering Vehicle Control CDL Skills Test and the Road Test.
Pre-trip inspection includes 153 steps that are required before driving an 18-wheeler.
Much like the virtual on-road driving experience, this process, as well as the three state-tested maneuvers (straight line backing, offset right or left backing and alley dock backing) that are tested in the Skills Test, can be taught with the VR and simulation technology.
Sowela students succeed at the exams. Knox said his students have a 95 percent pass rate. These students will go on to earn on average $58,000, according to the Louisiana Workforce Commission.
Spots for the school’s CDL program are full until next June.
The L3 Harris technology is approved and accepted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
