Learning management part II: why trucking is different
Mark Murrell
February 5, 2025
In part I of this series, we looked at the basics of learning management and how different systems are designed to serve very different audiences. I finished by noting that while trucking works best with a “blue collar” model, it actually needs much more than that.
In part II, we’ll look at why trucking is different from other segments, and what a good Learning Management System (LMS) needs to do to effectively serve those needs.
First, there are some things common to the blue collar model that need to be handled with extra care for trucking.
Blue collar features
Knowledge testing
Knowledge testing is particularly delicate in the blue collar model. Systems designed for white collar or post-secondary audiences typically assume user comfort with technology and strong literacy. With those assumptions, they can employ a range of different testing types – multiple choice, short answer, even essay questions can work well.
The blue collar world, however, is very different. Users may not have strong computer (or even language) literacy, so fill-in-the-blanks or written answers tend to be problematic. Most blue- and white-collar systems rely on automatic grading of tests, so if the user writes in an answer that’s spelled wrong, or they use slightly different wording to describe something, the question gets marked as wrong when it really shouldn’t be. They end up testing someone’s spelling or typing abilities more than their content knowledge, which defeats the purpose.
Manually-graded tests aren’t really an option either. It’s fine for profs to be reading and marking written tests, but in the blue collar world I’ve yet to come across a manager who has that kind of time.
Pretty much the only testing method the reliably works for trucking is multiple choice. The options need to be clearly presented to the user so they can view the question and the answer options, then choose which one they think is correct. (Writing good multiple choice questions is an art of its own, which we’ll cover in a future piece.)
Compliance and audits
Support for compliance tracking and audits may be a requirement in many blue collar systems, but it’s extra important in trucking. With multiple enforcement agencies and insurance reps regularly wanting to verify training records and history, fleets need to be able to pull up training records quickly, those records need to be accurate, and they should be detailed as well.
While many blue collar learning management systems track compliance – whether users are currently up to date with required training – trucking needs more than that. Fleets often need to show that drivers were compliant at specific points in the past, or have never been out of compliance. That goes well beyond what’s available in most general purpose LMS.
Small company support
This is an area where both blue and white collar systems can overlap, but it’s particularly important in trucking. Many white collar systems, and a lot of blue collar as well, are designed for “enterprise” – large companies with thousands of employees and dedicated training managers. Trucking, on the other hand, has thousands of small companies without dedicated training managers.
Systems designed for enterprise are very different than those designed for smaller companies. With dedicated training managers who spend all day logged in to the system, big companies want power-user features and they’re okay with clunky interfaces that take time to learn.
Small companies are the opposite. With “training managers” also managing multiple other functions in the company, they need easy-to-use systems that give them the basics and let them get their tasks done quickly. If they only have an hour a week to focus on this, they don’t want to spend that relearning the interface.
Trucking-specific features
Trucking also has some characteristics that aren’t commonly seen in other blue collar environments and need to be handled properly.
Drivers, Safety, and Ops
In trucking, Safety and Ops kind of oversee drivers together. Ops may have responsibility for the individual drivers (acting as the direct managers for them) but Safety is also there, on the side, overseeing programs and outlining what should be done to stay compliant and minimize the fleet’s risk profile.
Learning management for trucking needs to recognize and support all three groups effectively. Safety may be the one setting up the programs and deciding what should be done, but Ops needs to be in the loop. They need to know what’s required of their drivers, who’s getting it done, and who isn’t. The LMS needs to support all those requirements and make it easy for everyone to see what they need to see without a lot of manual work or excess data.
Driver reassignment
It’s not uncommon for drivers to get moved from one fleet manager to another as their routes change. When that happens, their training requirements and supervisors may change as well. Most learning management systems assume workers are fairly static in their locations and roles so they have minimal features to streamline the process of making changes.
To effectively serve the trucking industry, an LMS needs to not only make it easy to change manager and location assignments, but training requirements as well. If a driver moves from one customer to another, their training requirements may change. If they move from regional to local or cross-border work, they may need completely different training. The LMS needs to handle that and automatically update the assignments consistently and reliably.
Driver turnover
All blue collar environments have employee turnover to deal with, but trucking is uncommon because a significant percentage of those exits return at some point in the future. Fleets commonly delete accounts when drivers leave, but when those people return it’s better to undelete the old account rather than creating a brand new one.
Since that driver likely completed training during the previous employment, that history should come back, too. Forcing every returning driver to go through all the training again, because the previous history got wiped when they left, is a time waster that’s a dealbreaker for most fleets.
A trucking LMS needs to seamlessly handle drivers quitting and returning, making it easy to remove accounts when drivers leave, reactivate when they return, and retaining all training history accurately to expedite onboarding.
Even if those drivers don’t return, that history may be needed in the future for lawsuits or when audits come up. It’s critical to keep it available, but not clutter up the interface with records for people not currently employed at the fleet.
Dashcams and telematics
The base assumption for all types of LMS is that a human is deciding the training requirements for a given population of workers, but in trucking that’s no longer the case. With telematics and dashcams highlighting gaps in driver skills and knowledge, machines are increasingly involved in the process and fleets need ways to integrate them easily.
A trucking LMS needs to recognize that both human administrators and outside systems will be identifying training needs, and it needs to have ways for fleets to get both groups working together towards the same goal. Auto-assigning training is necessary, but the human managers need to be in the loop as well so they always know what’s going on.
Those are some reasons why trucking is very different from other industries, but they’re just the beginning. Put it all together and you can see why today’s fleets need learning management designed from the ground up to serve their specific requirements. Anything else will just waste time or limit the effectiveness of the training programs.