Tips to Provide Ongoing Training to Your Tow Truck Drivers

Of course, your employees need to complete training to keep all required licenses up to date, but that doesn’t cover various skills your team needs to work for your business.  Consider all the specialized equipment you own, your specific requirements for opening or closing up the facilities, software training, harassment prevention training sessions, and workplace safety protocol.

Employees who receive ample training feel more confident in their work.  Confident employees are more engaged and committed to quality work.  Plus, when employees feel their bosses invest in them, they are less likely to quit and find work elsewhere.

Effecting tips to provide ongoing training to your tow truck drivers:

1. Provide ongoing training on topics where training is needed to improve performance, not just for the sake of training.  Employees want to feel their time is being used wisely.  Employees will pay more attention to training that solves a current performance gap or is related to a new rule, piece of equipment, or safety concern.
2. Keep training meetings to an hour maximum (30 minutes is ideal) and focus on only one topic.  Adults have a short attention span, so minimizing the time and information will help it be absorbed more thoroughly.
3. Have an agenda.  Avoid walking into a training session without a plan in place.  Outline the important items you want to review, including questions you will ask employees during the session to ensure they comprehend the material.
4. Allow participants to be hands-on.  If you’re discussing equipment, bring it with you and have participants use it during the session.  For training on software, ask your software vendor if they have a fake system you can use with employees during sessions.  The more employees can try out skills during training, the more they will retain after it concludes.
5. Follow-up with employees afterward.  Visit with employees to learn if they feel the training sessions are practical and determine how they use the skills in their daily responsibilities.  Look for opportunities where employees are exhibiting the new skills and reward them on the spot.
6. Keep a logbook of the training sessions you provide and the employees who attend each of them.  While this isn’t the positive side of training, keeping a log like this will protect your company if you need to terminate an underperforming employee.  These records help to prove you did provide the individual with the necessary training to perform the work correctly.

Another way to help employees perform better is by providing them with easy-to-use equipment from Collins.

Collins has been an industry leader in the towing equipment industry for over 45 years.  Our Hi-Speed^Ⓡ Dolly and Carrier Dolly systems provide towing professionals with lightweight solutions durable enough to get even large vehicles out of challenging situations and transport them safely wherever they need to go.  Our products are designed with safety first to keep your employees safe while attaching and moving vehicles.  Visit our website or give us a call to learn more about our products.