Driver training in the trucking industry is entering a new phase at Harinas Elizondo . With the addition of an Apex simulator , the company has strengthened its strategy to raise safety and efficiency standards in food distribution, according to Octavio Ramírez, general manager of Elicarga .
The simulator features configurations that include “Kenworth T880 tractor trucks with Cummins X15 engines for configuration with food-grade hoppers, dry vans, and even large trucks. The tool brings operators closer to real-world operating scenarios,” explained José Miguel Montoya, Commercial Director of Apex Simulation and Technology.
Montoya commented that the company’s differentiator is its after-sales system, which he described as the most robust in the simulation market in Mexico.
With technicians distributed in different cities across the country, Apex ensures permanent support to keep the equipment operational.
Customizing the simulators allows operators to face real-life scenarios from their daily work, from distributing flour to customers to optimizing fuel consumption.
“This level of detail in the programming ensures that operators achieve practices close to the reality of the roads and attain greater autonomy in driving,” Montoya added.
Harinas Elizondo ‘s technological investment aims to directly impact the professionalization of approximately 200 operators who are part of its transportation division, Elicarga.
Apex simulators offer more than 200 programmable real-time scenarios, where it is possible to modify parameters such as asphalt type, weather conditions, time of day, as well as unexpected mechanical issues in the engine or clutch.
These environments replicate critical road situations, increasing the responsiveness and sensitivity of operators to risks .
During the implementation process, Eduardo Islas, head of logistics at Elicarga, emphasized the importance of having a team that allows for simulating adverse conditions in a safe environment.
He emphasized that, by practicing in the cabin, operators can make mistakes and correct them without risk, which accelerates learning and increases confidence when joining the road.
The simulator ‘s programming is designed to recreate both fleet configurations and the most common critical situations in daily operation.
“It’s about transferring reality to the simulator so that the operator faces the same complexity as on the road, but with the advantage of doing so in a controlled environment,” he explained.
The new equipment will strengthen the training of operators from its earliest stages, by providing a controlled environment that combines theory and practice.
The methodology includes a week of classroom training , with eight hours a day dedicated to technical and safety fundamentals, followed by a month and a half of practical training in the simulator and with real vehicles.
This scheme will allow for gradual progress: operators of small units will be able to train to handle fifth wheels, and later specialize in double articulated vehicles .
The goal is that upon completion of the process, participants will be ready to fully integrate into the company’s cargo operations.
With this investment, Harinas Elizondo and its transport arm consolidate a continuous improvement model, with the support of Apex , that encompasses safety, efficiency and quality in the supply chain, key elements in the distribution of food products.
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