Use of a simulator to assess the application of economic driving techniques by truck drivers

This paper presents the project and the development of a prototype for a truck simulator aimed at assessing the use of Economic Driving Techniques. We describe the techniques for economic driving and the way they are monitored, as well as the process of modeling and creating a virtual environment and the interaction devices used in the simulator. The simulation is accomplished by using a virtual desktop environment with hardware configuration similar to that in a real truck, in order to provide the user with a higher level of immersion. By testing drivers and economic driving instructors, it was possible to observe that the prototype can be used as a tool for assessing drivers and that the system is able to perceive a great part of the violations in the use of Economic Driving Techniques during the simulation similarly to a human expert.