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Commitment to safety a staple
at CSU Alum's
Walker Concrete
Walker's concrete business a recognized
leader in vehicle safety with his concrete truck simulator
program
MORROW, GA --- JULY 27,
2007 --- “Safety
doesn’t happen by accident” is a common axiom when it comes
to safety issues in the workplace. For Doug Walker, a ‘75
Clayton State alumnus, member of the University’s Board of
Trustees and president of Walker Concrete, south metro
Atlanta’s largest concrete company, it’s a proverb that has
never been more germane.
At Walker Concrete, it’s
commitment to safety is well-known, and with the recent
opening of the company’s state-of-the-art training facility,
it has become a recognized leader in driver safety as well,
with safety officials from all over country, touting its
incredible, realistic vehicle training program.
“There
is nothing like driving a concrete truck,” said Walker, a
long-time supporter of Clayton State and former recipient of
the Alumni Association’s Distinguished School of Business
Award in 2002. “It has a nine-foot center of gravity and
with a live load churning, it’s a rolling manufacturing
plant. Our training facility was designed for our drivers,
making sure we are the safest on the road.”
The main
attraction and what many safety officials are coming to see
at the Walker Training Center, located on Southlake Parkway
in Jonesboro, GA, is the facility’s high-tech concrete truck
simulator, one of only three in the United States. And at a
cost of over $500,000, the Mark III Motion-Based Driver
Training Simulator is something to see.
The
simulator combines a fully operational concrete truck cab
with the latest digital simulation technology to create
life-like training scenarios that improve driving behavior
and skill.
“The
simulator allows for hands-on training before a driver
actually gets a truck on the road,” said Walker. “It takes
the guess work out of driving a concrete truck. You can’t
safely road test a driver.”
The
simulator, which is run by nine different computers, uses
high resolution projection imaging on three screens to
create a 180-degree to 360-degree field of vision. Two LCD
side mirrors simulate the rear view from the truck cab for
the driver. One of the more realistic features of the
simulator is the cab of the truck will rock and actually
turn to its side if an accident occurs, while the simulator
is in “real-time” mode.
In
addition, training instructors can create a variety of
situations, from traveling in rain or fog, suffering a tire
blowout, to being cut off by another driver. A visual
database of scenarios includes driving in urban, rural,
suburban, freeway and off-road areas. The simulator includes
an audio and vibration system for accurate driving noises,
along with the cab being fully operational in terms of
instrument and control panels on the dash.
Walker
Concrete has more than 160 trucks at nine facilities, and
the simulator has become a valuable tool in its
comprehensive driver training program. Walker Concrete
trucks log nearly 650 trips per day and all 200 Walker
drivers have participated in the program.
According to Walker Concrete Risk Management Vice President
James Simpson, the driver training program doesn’t begin and
end with training in the simulator. The training package is
a three-prong curriculum approach with computer-based
training, instructor-led training and simulation-based
training. Each part of the package focuses on seven key
aspects of commercial truck driving: Circles of Influence
(Decision Driving), Shifting Techniques, Fuel Management,
Speed Management, Space Management, Adverse Conditions, and
Emergency Maneuvers.
New
drivers first complete a six-hour computer based training
course at the facility before graduating to the simulator.
Once they complete the computer training, a new driver takes
what he or she has learned, and their skill level is tested
in the simulator. The so-called “training Sweet Spot” is
achieved when an equal balance between blended learning is
found so that strengths of each component contribute to
producing the most effective form of learning possible.
“Driving
a concrete truck takes a special person,” said Simpson. “The
truck is rocking all the time, and when it’s fully loaded,
it weighs over 67,000 lbs. Needless to say it doesn’t take
corners well, and unlike other commercial trucks, a concrete
truck can spend more time in off-road situations than on
regular paved roads.”
In
addition to the obvious safety benefits from the training
simulator, one of the unforeseen benefits from the training
is the preventive maintenance from drivers learning how to
correctly shift and brake the vehicle. The training has led
to less stress on the engine, brakes and clutch, leading to
less maintenance costs. Another positive benefit is improved
fuel management, decreasing consumption and costs.
Walker Concrete was founded
more than 50 years ago by Doug’s father, Barney Walker. He
began the company with a pickup truck and a two-bag mixer
pouring footings, driveways, and foundations all across the
Clayton, Henry and Fayette counties. A few years later, he
received his first large commercial project, providing
concrete for the original Atlanta Motor Speedway and has
never looked back.
Doug, who became President
of the company in 1980, was driving a concrete truck at
16-years old and hauled the mortar cement that helped build
Clayton State University. He later graduated from Clayton
State in 1975 with a degree in business and met his wife,
Debbie, in biology class at Clayton State. Walker, who
resides in Fayetteville, has been a member of the Clayton
State Foundation since 2004.
Today, Walker Concrete is the
leading supplier of concrete products and related services
in the south metro-Atlanta area, with more 250 employees,
and nine locations. Walker has locations in Jonesboro,
Barnesville, Conley, Fayetteville, Griffin, Jackson, Locust
Grove, Palmetto and Tyrone.
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