Board members meeting in Mudgee on Friday were introduced to the TAFE’s new mobile heavy driving simulator, the only one of its type in NSW and only the fifth in Australia.

Built in the United States at a cost of $US150,000, the simulator allows learners to gain experience behind the wheel of a heavy vehicle before they take to the road.

Simulator software can be adapted to any model and type of truck, from rigid vehicles to B-Doubles and road trains.

The software also simulates driving in a variety of conditions, including day and night, rain and snow, and allows drivers to practice handling an emergency such as a blow-out in a built-up area.

Neil Milton, head teacher (manufacturing) at Orange TAFE campus said the simulator would be offered on a commercial basis to major trucking and transport companies, as well as travelling to any part of the TAFE area in Western NSW.

TAFE is also looking at proposals to take the mobile unit into Bathurst and Wellington prisons to train inmates, he said.

Mr Milton said that undertaking initial training in the simulator could save learners and transport companies up to 40 per cent of the cost of on-the-road driving training with a private driving instructor, by reducing the number of hours taken up in basic instruction such as learning instrumentation and basic safety.

It could also help people to decide whether they liked driving a heavy vehicle before they commit to pursuing a heavy vehicle licence at a cost of up to $2000, he said.

Mr Milton said initial training in a stimulator reduced the number of accidents during training and was less stressful for instructors as well, since heavy vehicles don’t come equipped with dual controls as driving school cars do.

Mr Milton said that there was potential for the simulator to be used for training for emergency and services and mining vehicles, although the current simulator does not have the required software.

The mobile unit is completely self-contained and equipped with laptops and a video screen, allowing groups of up to four people to undertake practical training and theory.