PRINCETON, N.J. — Fleet executives said they are increasingly using technology to aid recruitment and retention efforts as the industry’s driver shortage worsens.
Onboard computers, turn-by-turn navigation, recruiting software and even in-cab cameras can be useful tools in the struggle to put qualified drivers in the seats of tractors, executives said at the ALK Technology Summit, held here May 19-21.
Richie Henderson, senior vice president of administration and technology at J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc., described the driver situation as the industry’s “most pressing issue.”
Henderson said J.B. Hunt seeks to improve drivers’ productivity through onboard technology. The Lowell, Arkansas-based carrier uses the data harvested by those systems to plan drivers’ routes in a way that maximizes their driving time, thus improving their pay.
J.B. Hunt also is using social media such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to reach out to the driver community.
J.B. Hunt, is based in Lowell, Arkansas and ranks No. 4 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers.
See the May 26 print edition for additional coverage from the ALK Technology Summit.
