Most drivers would rather not tackle black ice, steep mountain passes, Manhattan gridlock or a blown tire. With MCI's new coach driving simulator, they can experience all of those conditions in a single day — without risking a single passenger's safety. With its big unveiling at the UMA Motorcoach Expo trade show, the MCI simulator is a company first, a way of offering lifelike driving experiences in a virtual environment to help drivers improve their safety and skill development.

It may look and feel a bit like a high-quality video game, but the MCI simulator is all business, designed to provide practice using driver controls; making turns; braking and accelerating; and maneuvering through city and highway traffic, intersections and railroad crossings — in short, doing virtually everything a driver might do while maneuvering a 45-foot MCI coach through mountains, city traffic, bad weather and more.

The simulator can be programmed from the instructor's console, allowing for day, dusk and night driving; changing weather conditions like icy roads, rain, fog or snow; and mechanical failures such as a flat tire. The training scenarios can be set to simulate the different performance and handling characteristics of the MCI® J4500, D4500 and E4500 coaches, and include adjustments for payload and mechanical features such as powertrain selection.

In addition to high-resolution video, the immersive simulation experience includes motion, vibration and sound. The simulator closely resembles the driver's area of an MCI motor coach, featuring a seat, steering wheel, brake and accelerator pedal along with simulated gauges in a glass dash. Three monitors display crisp, 3-D images of highly realistic driving situations.

"The technology is state-of-the-art," said Skip Neff, manager of customer training and senior technical advisor, who helped design the program. "In addition to offering drivers a realistic training environment, the simulator capably evaluates a driver's skill by measuring and rating his or her performance. Speeds, reactions to hazards, road conditions and decision making can be tabulated."

From airlines to trucking, many companies with commercial equipment report that simulator training leads to fewer accidents, lower damage and maintenance costs, and better-prepared professionals.

When developing its program, MCI met with executives at Schneider Trucking, which uses its own simulator to train drivers. At that meeting, "MCI learned that Schneider had noted a 10 percent reduction in accident rates in the first 90 days after implementing the simulator," noted Ken Russell, vice president of MCI service parts. "Their experience in using a driving simulator over the last several years has shown that one hour of training in a simulator equals three to four hours of on-the-road driver training. We believe that our simulator can reduce training time and increase training efficiency in the same manner, and will offer operators a faster and safer way to help improve the driving skills of their licensed professional staff."

In designing its coach driving simulator, MCI worked with MPRI, a Division of L-3 Communications Corporation, a provider of real-time emergency management products, training and simulation equipment for more than 30 years. The company has placed hundreds of technologically advanced, user-friendly simulators throughout the world, earning a reputation for safety, efficiency, reliability and cost-effectiveness.

The first simulator has been installed aboard an MCI J4500 conversion shell so the company can send it out on the road as a mobile classroom. Operators will be able to book or lease the simulator by contacting Jim Stibgen, fleet support director of business development, their own MCI Fleet Support Manager. Operators may also purchase an MCI simulator for their own use. "Initial response has been extremely favorable," said Stibgen.  "We intend to make access to the simulator as convenient as possible for our customers. It's a great training tool that can add value to an operator's bottom line."

For more information or a brochure, email: drivingsimulator@mcicoach.com.

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