Fleets Use More Technology to Combat Driver Shortage

This story appears in the May 26 print edition of Transport Topics.

PRINCETON, N.J. — Fleet executives said they are increasingly using technology to aid their 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 all be useful tools in the struggle to put qualified drivers in the seats of tractors, executives said at the ALK Transportation Technology Summit 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.”

“In this year alone, J.B. Hunt will hire over 11,000 drivers just for turnover replacement,” Henderson said.

The company estimates that it costs between $5,000 and $10,000 to replace a driver in its fleet, factoring in the cost of lost utilization and the price of advertising, training and signing bonuses.

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.

That’s especially important given the headwinds from the new hours-of-service rules and traffic congestion, Henderson said.

“Through the data discovery tools that we’ve purchased, we have great visibility into driver utilization and how many hours they’re spending on every aspect of their day,” he said. “How we plan the driver’s day is becoming so much more critical.”

He said J.B. Hunt is using social media such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to reach out to the driver community.

Melton Truck Lines is also using technology to address the driver issue.

The Tulsa, Oklahoma-based flatbed fleet began adopting in-cab cameras a few years ago as a way to determine fault in accidents, but the carrier soon discovered that the cameras also served as a driver-retention tool, said Angela Buchanan, the company’s vice president of human resources and safety.

With the DriveCam safety management system from Ltyx, Melton can review video of drivers’ behavior during hard-braking events, rapid lane shifts and other driving incidents, enabling the company to address problems through coaching.

With the ability to monitor performance and accelerate the training process, the company was confident enough to begin hiring drivers with less experience, expanding the pool of available candidates.

“We can quickly identify the drivers who need help and coaching, and those that are unretainable,” Buchanan said. “It helps us shorten the runway for students and trainers. These cameras are almost as good as having a trainer in the truck 24/7.”

Ken Kennedy, director of information technology for A&S Kinard, said the first questions from prospective drivers at his company’s recruiting events now revolve around the fleet’s technology.

That’s a change from a few years ago when job-seekers asked more about the company’s equipment and speed restrictions, Kennedy said.

The York, Pennsylvania-based regional carrier implemented ALK’s CoPilot in-cab navigation software to help drivers increase their productivity by reducing out-of-route miles.

Kennedy said the turn-by-turn directions prevent drivers from taking wrong turns, ending up on a truck-restricted route and getting cited for a violation that hurts their scores under the federal Compliance, Safety, Accountability program.

Transport America, a truckload carrier based in Eagan, Minnesota, spends a significant amount of its information technology budget on recruiting and retention, said Tom Benusa, the company’s chief information officer.

“We’ve done quite a bit of augmentation with our driver services website lately to get them more data, get them more tools and try to help them feel more connected to organization,” said Benusa, who is also chairman of American Trucking Associations’ Information Technology & Logistics Council.

A. Duie Pyle Cos., a regional less-than-truckload carrier based in West Chester, Pennsylvania, uses back-office software to streamline the driver onboarding process by automatically sending the necessary applicant information to regulatory agencies for background checks. “We’re looking really hard at trying to automate everything we can in that process,” said Michael Crowley, A. Duie Pyle’s vice president and CIO.

Summit attendee Curt Valkovic, director of driver training at Maverick Transportation, said his company has improved driver retention by implementing performance-based pay enabled by the data collected through the fleet’s onboard computers.

He said drivers can boost their pay by up to 6 cents per mile under the program, which rewards them for their safety, fuel efficiency and on-time deliveries.

“I truly believe that’s helped our driver retention,” Valkovic said.

The Little Rock, Arkansas-based flatbed carrier also sends training information to its drivers through the onboard computers, he said.