ORLANDO, FL, 02-MAY-01 -- Lockheed Martin Information Systems has delivered a high fidelity, motion-based Truck Driver Trainer system to Werner Enterprises, Inc. of Omaha, NE, one of the largest truckload carriers in the United States. The trainer was shipped from Orlando to Omaha, via a Werner transport. Werner Enterprises is the first commercial customer for a Lockheed Martin driver trainer system - and the first trucking industry venture to employ simulation-based training. Truck Driver Trainer system technology provides highly effective training without incurring the high costs associated with vehicle maintenance, wear-and-tear, and fuel.

John Hallal, President of Lockheed Martin Information Systems, cites driver safety as the key to this emerging market.

The simulation allows drivers to experience realistic vehicle handling characteristics in potentially dangerous situations without risk to themselves or their equipment, and review their performance in near real time, says Hallal. Timely instruction, assessment and feedback reinforce the training experience, producing competent, confident drivers. Our years of experience with military trainers have shown indisputably that people perform better in emergency situations if they have been trained first within a simulated environment.

The Lockheed Martin Truck Driver Trainer system capabilities include day and night views under a full spectrum of weather conditions, a high-definition terrain database, malfunction and road emergency response training, automated driver-performance assessment, and intelligent traffic behaviors. Trainees are situated in actual vehicle cabins to maximize the real-world look and feel of the training experience. The Werner system includes an ergonomically advanced cab produced by Freightliner, the largest truck manufacturer in the United States.

The system incorporates highly reliable commercial-off-the-shelf visual and processing elements to reduce dependency on outside maintenance and allow for ease of future technology upgrades. The basic system can be modified to emulate any type of wheeled or tracked vehicle.

Werner Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: WERN) is a transportation company engaged primarily in hauling truckload shipments of general commodities in both interstate and intrastate commerce. Werner is among the five largest truckload carriers in the United States.