Recruiting and retaining drivers continues to be a problem well into 2022. Fleet managers at truckload carriers both large and small struggle with finding the right people and keeping them. Fortunately, compliance technologies are available to help make that job easier.
Increasingly, prospective truck drivers want to work with companies that have a truck driver-first culture. Truck drivers want to feel supported by their employers, which includes having access to the tools they need to do their job safely and efficiently — with as little stress as possible — and get home to their families. Home time and equitable pay are big considerations for new truck drivers
A report from the American Trucking Associations found that in 2021, the truck driver shortage hit a historic high of over 80,000 drivers and that this deficit will likely continue to increase. What can fleet managers do to ensure they find the right people and keep the ones they have?
Fleet managers across the nation are looking for strategies to build and maintain a company culture that truck drivers want to be a part of. Implementing telematics technology and software solutions enhances truck driver experience on the road and empowers them to improve their skill set, helping you develop a highly desirable driver-first company culture.
How Does High Turnover and Retention Relate?
The driver shortage is an issue with many factors. There isn’t just one reason why the industry is having such a problem finding qualified truck drivers. Companies large and small find it increasingly difficult to find qualified people, no matter the position. Yet, when it comes to the truck driver shortage, high turnover is closely related to it.
And while we often tout the virtues of using technology to tackle these problems, technology isn’t entirely the answer. New technology can’t completely resolve turnover issues. Some attrition can be related to seasonality or a truck drivers’ desire for a career change. Technology can be used, however, to help you attract new drivers and make significant improvements to their job satisfaction, which helps you retain them in the long term.
Appealing to younger Millennials allows trucking companies to grow their workforce in the modern era. Fleet managers must understand what the new generations want from their working lives and how to employ benefits and technology to attract them.
To retain qualified truck drivers, fleets need to differentiate themselves from the competition by focusing on providing a fantastic work environment for their employees. Improving how truck drivers feel while on the road and respecting the time they want to spend off-duty have major impacts on keeping new hires over the long term.
The Key to Successful Truck Driving Teams in the Modern Era
Recruitment and retention are about meeting the needs of your truck drivers. Today’s truck drivers want more autonomy around when and how they work, but they also want to feel like they are a valuable member of their team. Are you ensuring your truck drivers feel listened to and valued? They are more than just bodies in a cab and management needs to treat them as such.
Millennial workers want opportunities to learn and grow. Pay is less important, but a harmonious work/life balance is very important to them. While generations have similar needs when it comes to the workplace, one key difference is that millennial jobseekers behave more like consumers when looking for jobs. Expect these workers to shop around before they land on a company they feel is deserving of them. And they very much do feel that the company should deserve them, and not the other way around.
Does your trucking company offer opportunities for growth? Providing avenues for growth and development will go a long way to ensuring you can attract and keep talent. This should include benefits like paid training programs, clear paths to professional advancement, tools that improve the truck driver experience, and technology that helps workers get the job done plus learn new skills. Fortunately, younger generations are used to high technology and, as a result, it is not difficult to get their buy-in.
Demonstrate a Truck Driver-First Culture
When it comes to retention, make sure you demonstrate a strong sense of organizational purpose within the organization. The generations of today want to make sure they understand their organization’s values and how it differentiates from competitors say they plan to stay with their company for at least one year. Does your company give back to the community? This is one area where Millennials and Gen Xers want to see companies they work with operating in.
Does your fleet demonstrate a commitment to implementing technology that provides tangible benefits to truck drivers? And is it just lip service or are you making tangible changes to improve the working and home lives of your truck drivers? Integrating a driver-first ethos into your company culture and backing it with action makes drivers feel that they are cared for. Using the latest technologies to help your people get the job done quickly and correctly will go a long way to retaining truck drivers for the long term.
Leveraging telematics technology reinforces a driver-first culture by offering benefits such as in-cab coaching and weigh station bypass, as well as safety features like alerts about high-risk areas and parking space availability. The right telematics, ELD, or fleet management solutions should also provide access to the tools your truck drivers need. A couple examples of these include collision avoidance technology and predictive fleet maintenance data. These kinds of features go a long way in proving to your truck drivers and technicians that you actually care.
How to Use Telematics to Improve the Truck Driver Experience
Telematics technologies play a critical role in helping companies attract a modern and well-educated workforce. They also help fleet managers develop a true truck driver-first culture. Truck drivers face the most difficult parts of their job alone on the road. Optimizing the telematics technology in your fleet can help you support your truck drivers, no matter what time it is or where they are.
There are plenty of telematics-compatible software solutions that have a clear impact on the truck driver experience. One area where truck drivers are especially grateful for technological solutions are when it comes to weigh stations. Telematics vendors provide systems that combine ELD capabilities with truck driver safety and support tools. There really is no excuse for not investing in technologies that make your truck drivers’ lives easier.
Considering truck drivers are held to ELD regulations, they are more concerned about planning their driving time accurately to avoid hours of service (HOS) violations. They understand that HOS violations could seriously impair their ability to get the job done, especially if they are subject to inspections.
Pulling over at weigh stations interrupts drivers’ ability to plan home time and creates a sense of frustration while out on the road. Investing in a weigh station bypass system is an easy way to ensure your truck drivers make more money and spend more time at home. Instead of navigating traffic, changing lanes, and wasting time at multiple weigh stations throughout a trip, truck drivers can instead stay on the road and get the freight to where it goes much more efficiently and effectively.
Rely on Automation to Make Work Easier
It doesn’t take a scientific research study to understand that truck drivers see weigh station bypass programs as an indication that their employer cares about their wellbeing on the job. Truck drivers that work for fleets that utilized weigh station bypass systems report that they would be more likely to stay with a company if they provided a company paid weigh station bypass program.
Adapting to the challenges of modern freight and providing best-in-class benefits will help you stand out to job seekers and differentiate your fleet from your competitors’. Providing top-notch experiences on the road and ensuring your drivers get home faster and have more home time helps you retain the talent you attract.
Understanding drivers’ needs and offering technology that makes them feel supported will empower them to perform at a high level. With telematics and ELD solutions now offered in so many different configurations, you can put your drivers first, enabling you to keep growing your fleet well into the future.
In the end, keeping your truck drivers happy and finding new ones is about more than what technologies you use. The key is to create a culture where they feel valued and understood. Only by doing this will you ensure your truck drivers come to you and stay with you for the long haul.