How Drivers of Tomorrow Aligns with FTA Training Guidance for Safer Transit Operations

Jeff Rayner
Jan 14
2 min read

Public transit agencies across the United States operate in an increasingly complex environment, balancing safety, service reliability, workforce shortages, and evolving vehicle technology. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) provides guidance and regulatory frameworks to help agencies meet these challenges, particularly through its emphasis on Safety Management Systems (SMS) and continuous operator training.

At Drivers of Tomorrow (DoT), our simulator and training ecosystem is intentionally designed to align with FTA training guidance, supporting agencies as they meet safety, training, and performance expectations.

Understanding FTA Training Guidance

FTA guidance does not prescribe a single training curriculum or certify individual simulators. Instead, it focuses on whether agencies:

Maintain effective operator training programs
Support Safety Management Systems (SMS) under 49 CFR Part 673
Identify, assess, and mitigate operational risk
Provide ongoing training, refresher instruction, and remedial support
Document training outcomes and safety performance

How Drivers of Tomorrow Supports FTA Alignment

1. Training That Supports Safety Management Systems (SMS)

DoT simulators allow agencies to:

Train operators on real-world hazards in a controlled environment
Practice emergency procedures, defensive driving, and situational awareness
Use scenario-based learning to identify and mitigate risk before incidents occur

This directly supports SMS pillars such as Safety Risk Management and Safety Assurance.

2. Structured, Documented Operator Training

Our platform supports:

Initial onboarding and new-operator training
Ongoing refresher training
Targeted retraining following incidents or near-misses

All training activity can be tracked, measured, and documented, supporting agency training records and internal audits.

3. Instructor-Led, Customizable Curriculum

Drivers of Tomorrow software is designed with and by transit instructors, allowing agencies to:

Customize scenarios to reflect local routes, vehicles, and policies
Update training as operating procedures or regulations change
Align simulator use with existing classroom and behind-the-wheel programs

4. Continuous Improvement Through Analytics

Advanced reporting tools provide insight into:

Individual and group performance trends
Common risk behaviors and training gaps
Opportunities for targeted safety interventions

This supports the FTA’s emphasis on continuous safety improvement.

Supporting the Full Operator Lifecycle

FTA guidance recognizes that safety is not a one-time event. DoT is one of the few companies in the world that supports the entire operator lifecycle, including:

Onboarding and skills development
Transition to new vehicle technologies
Periodic refresher training
Post-incident retraining
Continuous learning over time

We achieve this by offering training experiences for anywhere anytime any device including phones, tablets, VR headsets, and driving simulators.

A Practical, Flexible Approach to Compliance

Rather than locking agencies into static training programs, Drivers of Tomorrow provides a flexible, modular system that evolves alongside federal guidance, agency policies, and operational realities.

In short: Drivers of Tomorrow helps agencies operationalize FTA guidance through practical, measurable, and instructor-driven simulation training.

For more info reach out to hello@driversoftomorrow. com