The pilot training showed that even very experienced timber drivers can still learn a lot.
The industry-specific training for timber transport evolved out of a co-operation with UPM, one of Europe’s largest paper manufacturers, which employs numerous transport companies. They intended to develop a kind of previously non-existent training that was tailored to ideally support the health and safety efforts of UPM. The characteristic features of the timber industry are driving in rough terrain, the orientation on forestry trails, load securing and handling the crane. As everything takes place in the forest, the person affected is on his or her own. In addition, it all takes place outdoors and in any kind of weather.
A 40-tonne MAN vehicle is used to put drivers through their training. Some of the training involved practising how to accelerate a fully loaded 40-tonner up a 20% incline – forwards and backwards, and heading straight for a passenger car mock-up at a speed of 50 kilometres per hour – with a difficult mental challenge - the truck driver is not supposed to slow down, rather leaving that response to MAN’s Emergency Braking Assistant (EBA II). Practising with the brake assistant is part of the pilot training for short-log timber transport offered by MAN ProfiDrive.
The training focuses primarily on driver safety, commercial vehicle technology and proper securing of cargo. Timber drivers must master a complex techniqueto operate the crane to load up their cargo in rough terrain alone in the woods and in all weathers. Because of this, crane specialist Palfinger Epsilon also provides information about safety while handling the loading crane, while a colleague from the Swedish cargo securing expert ExTe briefs participants on rests, stanchions and cargo securing systems of his company.
The day begins with a theoretical interval of about two hours. By the afternoon, every attendee is scheduled to have enhanced his expertise at the hands-on stations comprising off-road, safety training, cargo securing and loading crane. With a team of 140 trainers, MAN ProfiDrive® has provided continuous and advanced training to drivers, driving instructors and experts for 35 years. On average, they register about 7,000 participants a year. Source