Dunmore firm launches southeast Alberta's first mobile driving simulator
Safety Buzz Campus is bringing commercial driver training directly to rural communities, aiming to remove travel barriers for fleets and aspiring truckers.
Why it matters
The mobile simulator could expand access to commercial driver training and safety assessments for rural southeast Alberta communities that lack nearby facilities.
Safety Buzz Campus has introduced a mobile commercial driving simulator, described as the first of its kind in southeast Alberta, giving employers, schools and prospective drivers a new training and assessment tool. The unit was demonstrated Thursday at the company's Dunmore campus and can replicate driving conditions for Class 5, Class 3 and Class 1 licences, including rain, snow, gravel roads, deer crossings, and towing trailers or Super B units.
Co-owner Amy Zuk-Olsen said the simulator lets people test whether commercial driving suits them before committing to a career, while also giving employers a way to assess and track driver behaviour such as braking, speeding, seatbelt use, fuel efficiency and overall consistency.
Because the simulator is housed in a trailer, Safety Buzz Campus can transport it to communities, schools and businesses rather than requiring workers to travel for training. Zuk-Olsen noted this solves a major logistical challenge for large fleets and rural operators alike.
The mobile unit is expected to reach communities within about a two to 2.5-hour radius of Dunmore, including Oyen, Picture Butte, Milk River, Brooks and Bassano. Representatives from Horizon School Division and drivers from Forty Mile County attended the demonstration, as the technology is also being considered as a school training resource.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.