Technology without training can leave
you flat on your back

As I write this, I am sitting in a really fancy seat in a Lufthansa plane flying at 10 668m (35 000 feet) above the ground travelling at a ground speed of 926 km/h (573 mph). The outside temperature is slightly on the chilly side at minus 43 degrees C and we've just flown over Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of Congo. At this point, we have another 5 278 kilometres to go to touchdown at our destination in Frankfurt, which should take another six and a half hours. I got all that info from the in-flight map that updates you on the progress of the flight as you go along.

As I sit in this technological marvel of a seat, I think to myself that if something had to go wrong with this plane, all I could do to pass the time from 35 000 feet to ground level would be to play with the gadgets on this seat while hoping that the guy up ahead knew what he was doing in fixing whatever went wrong. Having read stories about airports in Africa that do not have anywhere near 'acceptable' air traffic control measures in place after dark, it occurs to me that I'm moving a little out of my comfort zone. I look for the 'massage' switch on the seat remote. That will relax me. Yes, the seat has a full remote control gadget which, after studying the manual and watching a demo DVD, has taken me about an hour to work out. I still haven't got it right but I'm nearly there. When I first got this laptop out to write this column, I was sitting upright and ready to roll. All I needed was for my head-rest to move forward a bit. The problem is; you can't just pull it forward. You have to push a button. When I pushed what I thought was the right button, a foot-rest that I didn't even know was there lifted my feet up from where they were resting quite happily below me while at the same time, my backrest starting moving backwards from an upright into a prone position. My laptop stayed behind on the small table while the rest of my body appendages were involuntarily moved front and aft further and further from the keyboard. I found myself lying flat when all I wanted was to be sitting upright. I pushed another button and suddenly a massager started going up and down my back. That's how I got to know where the massager button was. It took me a number of manoeuvres before I got to the position where I could start writing this column. So here we are - sitting upright over my laptop, 35 000 feet in the air, chatting to our readers back home. Life is good! 

When I finally got all this sorted out, it struck me that the seat I was sitting in can be likened to the modern trucks we are getting into South Africa nowadays. Many of the new trucks are, like this seat, technological marvels what with Telligent systems, Smart-shifts, Lane Limiters, distance proximity control systems, retarders, ABS, brake assist. You name it and the modern trucks of today have it. The problem is that if drivers are not trained in the proper use of these systems, they too are going to find themselves lying on their backs instead of sitting upright. Finding out how technology works is part of the reason how I came to be sitting in this fancy aeroplane seat. Voith has invited me, along with Justin Haler of Truck & Bus and a host of other trucking journalists from all over the world, to demonstrate its range of retarders - including the new Aqua-Retarder. And where are they doing this? On Mount Etna, which those of you who did geography at school will recall is an active volcano in Sicily. What lies ahead of us is a drive down Mount Etna in a variety of trucks seeing how retarders can not only improve safety on descents but also reduce the costs of fast wearing service brake components. All of this on the edge of an active volcano! When Voith first invited me, they asked whether I wanted to drive myself or whether I would prefer a qualified driver to do it for me. Do I look stupid? Give me the qualified driver of course. Why? For one, I don't want to have a close look at an active volcano. Secondly, a qualified driver will be able to demonstrate the full capabilities of the retarders rather than nervously watching the edge of the volcano as I would be were I driving. And here's comes my point....

As you will realise after reading the contents of this edition, training in South Africa is sadly lacking on many fronts. There is absolutely no benefit in introducing to your fleet modern technology which is designed to improve efficiencies and provide for more cost effective trucking without training your drivers to make full use of the technology. They need to know which button to push and when to push it. I would go so far as to say that without proper training, some of the technology can be a danger rather than an asset. From this trip I hope to learn and bring back to our readers a lot of information about retarders and the benefits of using them. However, I'll bet my bottom dollar - well Euro in this case - that a prime consideration in reaching the full benefits of retarders is going to focus not so much on the technology but rather on the skill of the person using that technology.

As I wing my way towards that active volcano, I do so with a lot of excitement as well as a tinge of sadness. The excitement comes from knowing that FleetWatch has been given the welcomed opportunity to experience First World technology at work in extreme conditions and bring it back to our readers; the sadness comes from knowing that as I wing my way towards that experience, I am leaving behind a situation where South Africa's primary transport training channel, TETA, is - on the surface - in a dismal mess following the R250-million investment it made into the now defunct Fidentia Group. The one area where this industry needs maximum professional input and effort, namely training, is on hold due to a debacle that should never have happened. And we can't even tell you why as, at the time of writing this, TETA had still not answered any of our questions. Eiish! It's a sad day for South Africa. Now can anyone tell me how I get this fancy seat into a prone position after switching my laptop off? It's a high tech seat that no doubt offers the traveller many benefits. However, there's one thing missing: Training - that's what I need - training!

Patrick O'Leary
Managing Editor